RAIN Notes: Friday, May 6
Jottings of Note
— Expansion (AdsWizz)
— Assessing Value (Audio UK)
— Incoming CFO (TuneIn)
News
India’s Mirchi signs with Triton Digital for streaming and podcasting tech
Triton Digital is announcing that India/US radio company Mirchi has signed with the global tech giant to power Mirchi’s audio streaming and podcasting strategy. The deal has Triton providing its new client with a suite of advertising, measurement, and podcasting technologies. Content delivery, audience measurement, and monetization are all part of it. Continue Reading
Cumulus Q1 earnings: Digital and podcasting exhibit sharp growth
In the Q1 earnings report for Cumulus Media, overall revenue increased 15% year-over-year, representing the fifth consecutive revenue gain. In that broad picture, local spot revenue, the traditional radio revenue metric, increased 13%, and digital revenue grew 18%. Naturally, digital revenue received a lot of attention during the call. Click for details and quotes. Continue Reading
Ben Calhoun jumps from This American Life to The Daily
Ben Calhoun, formerly editor of pioneering public radio show This American Life and Serial Productions, has taken the role of Executive Editor of The New York Times’ “The Daily”, one of most successful podcasts in the world and the #1-ranked American show by Podtrac. Calhoun will manage the 50-person editorial and production team at the morning news show. Continue Reading
RAIN Notes: Tuesday, May 3
Anchor co-founder Michael Mignano to leave Spotify
Anchor co-founder and Spotify’s Head of Talk, Michael Mignano, has announced that he is leaving the audio giant for a new career phase. He announced the decision on Twitter after some leakage of the news. He hints at what’s next. Continue Reading
Transcript: Cassandra LaPrarie (Wise) and Scott Davis (NPR) on Podcast Business Lunch
The RAIN Podcast Business Lunch features Cassasndra LaPrairie, Performance Marketing Lead at fintech company Wise, speaking with Scott Davis, SVP of NPR Sponsorship. Continue Reading
Wondery opens The Booth: First look at new podcasts in exchange for tasks and surveys
Podcast network Wondery has announced and opened The Booth, a free opportunity to participate in surveys, see new podcast ideas before they become public, and (in the promo language) “shape the future of podcasts.” It starts with a survey. Continue Reading
Tom Webster to exit Edison Research
Tom Webster, SVP of Edison Research and a widely recognized keynoter at audio industry events, will leave Edison Research at the end of May. He announced the decision in today’s issue of his I Hear Things newsletter. Click for more info. Continue Reading
Transcript: Time travel with Manoush Zomorodi on Podcast Business Lunch
The trascript of Manoush Zomorodi’s appearance on the Podcast Business Lunch on April 6, 2022. We asked her to review her entire podcast career, starting as a network producer, migrating to startup entrepreneur, and returning to a big network as host of The TED Radio Hour. It’s a fascinating trip with one of the most accomplished audio producers and personalities. Continue Reading
Spotify earnings: Users at all-time high; stock at all-time low; company differentiates from Netflix
Spotify slightly missed its MAU (monthly average user) growth for the first quarter in an insistently upbeat investor call. No matter how the analysts received it, the public stock dropped to its lowest level ever, dipping below the IPO opening… Continue Reading
Spotify Q1: 422-million monthly active users
Spotify released its quarterly inancials for Q1 today, revealing a four percent month-over-month growth of monthly active users (MAUs), from 406-million to 422-million. Those numbers include both parts of Spotify’s platform model: paying subscribers and non-paying listeners who hear ads. Continue Reading