Pandora / Publicis / Edison study: 50% of “heavy” listeners are 35+

Pandora is releasing a raft of survey results gleaned from a study conducted by the streaming company in league with Publicis Media Exchange and Edison Research. The purpose is for advertisers to better understand levels of consumer adoption of streaming. Pandora is releasing a raft of survey results gleaned from a study conducted by the streaming company in league with Publicis Media Exchange and Edison Research. The purpose is for advertisers to better understand levels of consumer adoption of streaming. Click through for extensive results/ Continue Reading

SiriusXM earnings: Cost of acquisitions (Stitcher; Simplecast)

SiriusXM held its Q2 earnings call, during which the cost of the recently acquired Stitcher was revealed — it is $265-million. Buying Simplecast cost the satellite company $28-million. The earnings call also reminded investors of a February SoundCloud investment of $75-million. On the financial side, Sirius subscription revenue notched up a bit from the same quarter in 2019.
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Impact (Brian Grazer, Ron Howard) choose ART19 for hosting / distribution

Impact, which is a content accelerator and online marketplace co-founded by Imagine Entertainment’s partners Brian Grazer & Ron Howard, has selected leading audio platform ART19 to host and distribute IMPACT: The Podcast. The show is described this way: “Impact’s new podcast brings together storytellers and entertainment industry leaders to explore the process of content creation and the way art shapes the world around us.” Tons of celebrity guests. Continue Reading

Pandora puts interactive voice ads into beta

“Voice-activated tech is proliferating,” says Pandora, and the company has extended that aspect of digital lifestyle into responses to streaming audio ads. This week, Pandora is launching interactive Voice Ads to beta, following an alpha launch in December. The company asserts this as a first-to-market ad format in streaming audio, and the plan is to scale voice features to both listeners and select advertisers. Continue Reading

AudioUK releases COVID-19 production guidelines for podcasts, audiobooks, and radio

The trade organization AudioUK has released a detailed document containing guidelines for producing audio safely during the COVID-19 pandemic. The 27-page paper covers details like workspace cleaning and protective equipment, in addition to strategic production challenges of producing audio while observing social distance guidelines. Click through for a link. Continue Reading

Tenderfoot TV and iHeartmedia hook up for podcast co-production

Tenderfoot TV, which produces for television, film, and podcasting, is partnering with iHeartMedia in an agreement that will create nine original shows  for the iHeartRadio Original Podcasts division. The upcoming podcast slate will focus on limited series as well as several weekly shows, a new strategy for Tenderfoot TV, who has garnered over 500 million downloads for its true crime hits since the company’s launch in 2016. Some of the collaborative shows will be completely new; the two companies will also co-produce new seasons of existing shows. Continue Reading

Virginie Berger joins Songtradr as VP of Rights Management

Songtradr, the digital music distribution and synch licensing platform, has hired Virginie Berger in the role of VP, Rights Management. Berger made the announcement on LinkedIn. She will will lead Songtradr’s Rights Administration platform and manage relationships with PROs, CMOs, and other key industry leaders, and will work across Songtradr’s many offices in four continents. Continue Reading

ARN iHeartPodcast Network’s listening growth across categories: COVID success

ARN, the Australian media group which manages the iHeartPodcast Network on that continent, released listening numbers that could fairly describe a COVID success story. Podcast tech company Megaphone measured ARN listening from January to mid-March, and compared it to mid-March through June. Several categories, and overall listening, rose during the COVID period.
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TPX offers programmatic podcast advertising via Triton Digital

Toronto-based TPX (more lengthily known as The Podcast Exchange) is announcing the availability of programmatic podcast advertising. The tech is powered by Triton Digital. While this initiative obviously targetsCanad, TPX’s home market, the PR carefully points out it is for “premium domestic and international podcast publishers.” TPX anticipastes questions about the initiative, and answers important ones in an unusually detailed press release. Continue Reading