RAIN Notes: Monday, January 8
— Spearheading (iHeartMedia)
— New to the Team (The Podglomerate)
— More Mysteries (Libsyn AdvertiseCast)
News
SoundCloud owners reportedly ready to sell in 2024; $1B+ expected
SoundCloud, which has fashioned itself “the YouTube of audio,” will reportedly be on the acquisition market in 2024, according to a report in Sky News. SoundCloud is the leading crowdfunded music showcase and streaming listening platform, founded in 2007. Over 40-million musicians and labels upload to the platform, contributing to a catalog of 320-million tracks. Continue Reading
Audacy prepares Chapter 11 while facing ~$2B debt
Radio/audio giant Audacy is reportedly undergoing bankruptcy negotiations with lenders. The expectation is that Audacy will file for Chapter 11 protection as it renegotiates approximately $1.9-billion in debt. The company is parent company to two acquired podcast studios, Cadence 13 and Pineapple Street Studios. Continue Reading
RAIN Notes: Thursday, January 4
— Royalty (Bernth Brodtrager)
— Retrospection (Pacific Content)
Continue Reading
Fewer new podcasts in 2023; episode volume remains stable
2023 saw fewer new podcast launches than in each of the previous four years. The most recent year which produced fewer was 2018. New episode volume remains high, over four years. Click for numbers and charts.
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RAIN Notes: Tuesday, January 2
— Profound Change (Digiday)
— Anthem (Steve Keller)
— Recovered Share (Edison Research)
Triton podcast ranker: NPR absent again; The Roost jumps into top 10
Triton Digital released its U.S. Podcast Ranker for November, ranking the top 100 podcasts measured by Triton’s service. As always, this list connects each of the 100 listed shows with its sales network. Four podcasts debuted on the November list. Continue Reading
RAIN Notes: Tuesday, December 26
— A Caffeinated Milestone (Alan Cross)
— Onward and Upward (Conal Byrne & Jen Sargent)
— Elevation (Audacy)
RAIN Notes: Thursday, December 21
— Elevating with AI (Rob Greenlee)
— Ranked (Triton Digital)
— Difficulties (Lex Friedman)
New French streaming music tax would finance a music industry support group. Streamers push back.
The French government has created a new tax, targeted to streaming music services operating in the country. President Emmanuel Macron announced the finalization of the levy, which is set to take effect in 2024. “This is a real blow to innovations,” Spotify says. Continue Reading
RAIN Notes: Monday, December 18
“The gravitational pull toward digital” — audio-related highlights of Nieman Lab predictions
Journalism advocacy group Nieman lab has published its 2024 predictions. Featuring what Nieman refers to as “the smartest people in journalism,” the collection features dozens of writers, publishers, newscasters, and industry executives. We look at three audio-related contributions from Kerri Hoffman, Kristen Muller, and Eric Nuzum. Continue Reading