Tech 4 - RAIN News

Media Creek becomes SoundStack in reorg-rebrand; launches SoundStack Engine; Live365 unchanged

Posted on April 21, 2022 by Brad Hill

Media Creek, an audio-tech holding company launched in February 2018, announces today a rebranding as SoundStack. In what a company representative calls “a unification/rebranding of all of the collective Media Creek brands,” SoundStack encompasses existing services Live365 and Empire Streaming. Also announced today: A newer service called SoundStack Engine, a platform for both live streaming and podcast distribution. Continue Reading →

Rumor Fact(ory): Spotify hints at moving toward web3, possibly NFTs

Posted on March 23, 2022 by Brad Hill

Some buzz has developed around the idea of Spotify taking interest in NFTs. The evidence for this seems to come mainly from job listings that mention web3, the buzzword for cutting-edge online trends that include meta environment, blockchain decentralized ownership of digital things, and NFTs. Click for details and speculation. Continue Reading →

Apple Podcasts releases metrics for creators; new audio specs for subscription podcasts

Posted on March 22, 2022 by Brad Hill

In a significant upgrade to its reporting features and production requirements, Apple Podcasts has released and defined new podcast metrics for subscription podcast owners, and audio guidelines for subscription podcast producers. Click for details and screenshot of the new metrics dashboard. Continue Reading →

Spotify’s Chartable starts sunset of advertiser tools to focus on podcast publishers, Megaphone

Posted on March 21, 2022 by Brad Hill

When Spotify acquired Chartable and Podsights last month, it was clearly stated that Chartable would be integrated with Spotify-owned hosting and monetization platform Megaphone. Today we learn of progress in that integration. Chartable is winding down its attribution work and throwing it over to former competitor Podsights. Continue Reading →

Podcast creation service Spooler launches with unique modular show building

Posted on March 1, 2022 by Brad Hill

Imagine you’re listening to a news podcast, and friend sitting next to you is listening to the same podcast — but you are hearing different segments of content. That scenario coud happen with shows produced on Spooler, a new podcast tech service. Click for more info. Continue Reading →

Veritonic releases software for analyzing the efficacy of audio

Posted on February 1, 2022 by Brad Hill

Audio research and analytics platform Veritonic is announcing the release of an API (Application Programming Interface) for accessing the company’s “audio scoring.” In this context “scoring” refers to a proprietary system of grading audio attributes and effectiveness. Those attributes include recall, engagement, and intent. Continue Reading →

Bulgaria’s largest radio group signs with Triton Digital

Posted on December 22, 2021 by Brad Hill

We don’t often receive news from Bulgaria, and today we learn that the country’s largest radio group, Fresh Media Bulgaria, has signed Triton Digital to leverage Triton’s streaming tech stack, services, and network. The imperatives are to increase ad revenue, build audience, and streamline day-to-day operations on the streaming side. Continue Reading →

Global acquires Captivate for heightened podcast exposure and monetization

Posted on December 20, 2021 by Brad Hill

UK-based radio group and worldwide media company Global has acquired podcast hosting/tech outfit Captivate. Global is the developer and holding company of DAX, the company’s international digital audio advertising exchange. Captivate will become part of Global Player, and will take advantage of DAX’s immense reach for monetization opportunities. Continue Reading →

Spotify 2021 Wrapped: Launch, crash, technical elitism, and no solution for disappointed users

Posted on December 2, 2021 by Brad Hill

After weeks of anticipatory promotion, Spotify unleashed its annual “Wrapped” feature yesterday. Unfortunately, the package is available only in the mobile app, and the video presentation requires memory and operating system resources that are unavailable on some phones. The result is a wave of social media complaints that the Wrapped experience crashes quickly, and closes the Spotify app. We present Spotify’s tech requirements, without providing a universally accessible format. We also review the Wrapped personalized playlists, which are quite enjoyable and don’t have special requirements. Continue Reading →

Deezer launches “jukebox” app for Samsung smart TV system

Posted on November 23, 2021 by Brad Hill

Global audio streaming app Deezer asks: “Why not turn your TV into your personal jukebox?” Providing the answer, Deezer has partnered with Samsung to create a Deezer-app listening experience on Samsung’s line of smart TVs. Click for details. Continue Reading →

Earned media agency Critical Mention signs Podchaser analytics

Posted on November 16, 2021 by Brad Hill

In a sign of podcasting’s influencer power, Critical Mention — an agency which tracks and measures earned media (unpaid publicity) — has announced a partnership with podcast database platform Podchaser. The arrangement will allow Critical Mention agency clients to track and measure brand mentions across podcasting, as Podchaser’s internal dataset is built internally into Critical Mention’s toolset. Continue Reading →

Amazon Music launches interactive transcripts to selected podcasts; we review

Posted on November 3, 2021 by Brad Hill

Amazon Music has introduced synchronized, navigable transcripts to selected podcasts. We test the new feature, and find it well executed on the whole, delightful to use, and an important usability innovation. Click for details. Continue Reading →