RAIN Notes: Tuesday, August 22
— Returning (Dominick Milano)
— Importance (Hollywood Reporter)
— A Dream Role (Stacy Goers)
News
Podcast listeners split over how a podcast should be defined (Coleman Insights / Amplifi Media)
In a survey of 1,000 15- to 64-year-old podcast consumers in the United States, 75% say a podcast should be defined as ‘audio-only or available with video,’ 22% say a podcast is ‘audio-only,’ while 3% define a podcast as ‘video-only. This and other results from Coleman Insights and Amplifi Media. Presentation Thursday at Podcast Movement. Continue Reading
Triton Digital integrates YouTube views in Podcast Metrics
Global technology and services company Triton Digital announces this morning that it now includes podcast consumption data from YouTube in the company’s IAB-compliant Podcast Metrics product. “YouTube’s influence on video podcasting is undeniably transformative,” said Triton’s head of podcasting Sharon Taylor. Continue Reading
RAIN Notes: Monday, August 21
— Celebration (Pew Research)
— It’s a struggle (Insider Intelligence)
— MusicTok (Music Business Worldwide)
AdvertiseCast inks “Beautiful Anonymous”; host Chris Gethard emotionally describes the dealmaking
Libsyn subsidiary AdvertiseCast has signed an exclusive ad representation agreement with the podcast Beautiful Stories From Anonymous People, created, produced. It’s hosted by comedian Chris Gethard, who made a formal statement for the press release. Then he recorded a much deeper and emotional explanation on his podcast. Continue Reading
RAIN Notes: Thursday, August 17
Spotify tops Edison podcast network ranker (Q2)
Edison Research released the Q2 edition of its U.S. Top Podcast Networks ranker. It sorts the 10-position list by reach of each network’s shows. Unlike server-side rankers which measure downloads, Edison’s output is based on thousands of survey interviews. Continue Reading
SoundExchange sues Sirius XM (again) for misrepresentation and underpayment of music royalties
SoundExchange, the U.S. government-appointed organization assigned to collect royalties for the use of music in internet streaming, has sued Sirius XM. The charge is misrepresentation and underpayment of royalties in Sirius’ internet streaming service. Sirius vigorously denies any wrongdoing in its accounting. It’s an echo of a 2018 confrontation. Continue Reading
RAIN Notes: Tuesday, August 15
— Podcast Finances (Libsyn)
— Groundbreaking + New Heights (Interview Valet)
— Upshift (Sirius XM)
Descript podcast editor acquires SquadCast recording platform
Descript, the text-based audio editing platform, has acquired SquadCast, the cloud-based conversation recording system. As of today, SquadCast becomes a free-to-use component of Descript. Descript describes the acquisition as making a “complete stack.” Continue Reading
Bridge Media Networks invests in media which has “forgotten” the basics
Bridge Media Networks, an investment company owned by 5-hour ENERGY founder Manoj Bhargava, has announced widespread investment in major media companies across the categories of magazine, TV, and radio. Two major radio groups are part of it. Dollar amounts are not mentioned. Continue Reading
Startup turns any webpage into a podcast, accelerating an AI trend
At a time when AI is facilitating content creation in audio and other media categories, an ingenious new startup called PodStash reduces creative friction to practically zero. Not a creative tool for turning original content into audio, the key purpose is to turn any Internet text page into audio. (Wikipedia is a good example.) We dig in, and chat with the founder. Continue Reading