News

84M people listen to 2.2M podcasts on Spotify. More investments to come. Spotify targets radio.

Posted on by Brad Hill

Much, but not all, of the conversation in Spotify’s earnings call yesterday was about podcasting and the company’s investments. “We are very much still in the investment phase of Spotify,” Ek stated. He also explicitly targeted radio in the tradition of Pandora earning calls of the past: “The primary opportunity, as we think about the long-term is in the linear radio experience by moving online and into on-demand. That is the eye on the prize, the one that we are chasing.” Continue Reading →

RAIN Notes: Thursday Feb. 4

Posted on by Brad Hill

Jottings of note:

AIMP webinar today
Today at 5:30 ET: A webinar from AIMP — “TikTok to Record Deal: The Transition From Viral Fame to Recording Artist.” Register HERE.

Amazon podcasts >> Canada
Amazon launches podcasts to Canadian users of Amazon Music. Amazon launched podcasts in the UlSl in September. Read the RAIN review HERE.

Bill Clinton, podcaster
Bill Clinton is started a podcast for iHeartRadio called Why Am I Telling You This? With Bill Clinton.  The ex-President will chat with celebrities from many fields. The first guest is Wynton Marsalis. LISTEN HERE.

— Wednesday, February 4 Continue Reading →

Spotify earnings: User growth, revenue growth, negative net income, unhappy investors

Posted on by Brad Hill

Under the theme “Building the World’s #1 Audio Network,” Spotify released its Q4 2020 results today. The main public-facing presentation is a splashy infographic illustrating user growth and recent acquisitions and features, with not a single financial metric in view. Click through for a thorough rundown of main finance results and user metrics. Continue Reading →

SiriusXM earnings: A Pandora write-down + praise; Stitcher and the podcast biz. And the numbers.

Posted on by Brad Hill

SiriusXM, whose native and acquired assets address 150-million listeners, one of the largest audiences in American audio, reported Q4 earnings. Here, we recap the major financial points, then dive into key remarks pertaining to subsidiaries Pandora, Stitcher, and podcasting generally. Click through for illuminating quotes from the investor call. Continue Reading →

The Podscape is revised, now includes overlays indicating acquisitions

Posted on by Brad Hill

The Podscape, a graphic representation of the podcast business landscape created by Magellan AI and Sounds Profitable, has been revised. Of special note in this new edition are colored overlays indicating companies which own podcast entities, often through acquisitions of the past three years. Click through to see the infographic, get the download link and the email address for submitting comments to the creators. Continue Reading →

Podsights measures CPMs, conversion rates, and brand lift in latest Benchmark Report

Posted on by Brad Hill

Podsights released an update to its Podsights Benchmark Report series, this one analyzing data collected in Q1 through Q4 of 2020. During that span the report collected 2.5-billion impressions across 1,274 campaigns bought by 421 brands at a total cost of $65-million. Click through for details, graphs, and a link to freely download this dense and informative report. Continue Reading →

NPR leads Triton Digital U.S. Podcast Report with lots of episodes

Posted on by Brad Hill

NPR is the leading podcast network in both types of measurement used by Triton Digital in the company’s most recent U.S. Podcast Report. NPR also grabbed both #1 spots in the Top 100 Podcasts rankers, with a show that posted 840 episodes in the four-week measurement period. The top network lists are almost unchanged from the previous reporting period. Click through for details. Continue Reading →

NuVoodoo research connects smart-speaker ownership with radio-friendly listeners

Posted on by Brad Hill

NuVoodoo is rolling out results of its latest Ratings Prospects Study. It is the 17th edition of this ongoing bi-annual survey work. In the field, the survey questioned nearly 3,500 people ages 14-54 in January. NuVoodoo says the results indicate important insights for marketing radio brands in 2021. In advance of upcoming webinars presented by the company, click through here to see preliminary stats and graphs. Continue Reading →

Triton Digital collects Jagran New Media as a client for podcast management and monetization

Posted on by Brad Hill

In the latest addition to Triton Digital’s globe-spanning clientele, Jagran New Media has turned over its podcast content to Triton’s advertising technology, and its Omny Studio unit, to distribute and monetize Jagran’s podcasts. Jagran New Media is the digital division of Jagran Prakashan Limited, India’s preeminent media and communications group, serving 80-million users. Continue Reading →