The BBC has shared a few statistics about its BBC Sounds, one of very few peeks behind the scenes with its app effort. During the last quarter of 2019, the app attracted a peak weekly audience of 2.9 million, besting the record of 2.5 million in the third quarter. Continue Reading
Beasley Media Group has promoted within the family for its latest digital role. Erika Beasley has been appointed vice president of digital content for the company. She joined Beasley in 2004 as a traffic manager. Continue Reading
We last heard about AudioGO, a self-serve digital audio ad-buying platform for small businesses, last May when the company offered an update of its $250-minimum ad buying operation. Today, AdsWizz is announcing two agreements — with Entravision and Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices — that bolster the platforms’ recognition and effectiveness. Continue Reading
Barstool Sports has a new investor. Following up on rumors of a deal, Penn National Gaming has taken a minority stake in the sports media company, which includes a popular podcast network. The agreement will see casino operator Penn National take on a 36% interest stake. Continue Reading
SoundExchange released its statistics from the final quarter of 2019. The organization distributed $218.8 million during the period for a total of $908.2 million during the whole year. Continue Reading
Kobalt Music Group CEO Willard Ahdritz is stepping down from the company. He will assume the post of chairman for the business, and Laurent Hubert will take over as the top executive. Continue Reading
Spotify usually has a slew of new features in testing at any given time. The latest to get a public appearance is called Stories, and it lets the user add some video recordings to their audio playlists. These can be a clip of the person or a snippet of the song with album art as the visual. Continue Reading
Global has partnered with MTV UK to help the broadcaster make its debut in podcasting. The deal will see the launch of five audio programs to complement MTV UK’s television shows. Global’s DAX digital ad exchange will be the advertising sales and distribution partner for the podcasts. Continue Reading
At the European Radio and Digital Audio Show in Paris, a three-day exhibition and presentation conference, one of the panels turned its focus to the future of radio in the next few years. A persistent and sometimes controversial point was whether to rebrand the radio industry to “audio.” Continue Reading
Merlin, the independent label network and rights organization, has signed a licensing deal with the short-form video platform TikTok. This multi-territory agreement will make Merlin’s repertoire of indie music available for legal use by any users of the social app. Continue Reading
Spotify’s assertive growth in podcasting (see yesterday’s report of the company’s growing distribution influence) was headlined in 2019 by acquisitions of Gimlet, Anchor, and Parcast. But outright acquisition isn’t the only way to gain content. Continue Reading
Amazon Music announced that it has more than 55 million customers globally in its streaming music network. That growth includes a more than 50% increase in Amazon Music Unlimited subscriptions during 2019. Continue Reading