As the CRB unleashes higher music licensing fees for webcasters, we ask two pioneering and enduring webcasters for their reactions. Rusty Hodge (SomaFM) and Bill Goldsmith (Radio Paradise) gave us insights and wishes for the industry. Should there be a zero-royalty zone? And how will YouTube play in this field? Continue Reading
This guest column from Mark Mulligan poses an intriguing question: Is podcast listening cannibalizing listening to streaming music? After all, there are only a set number of hours in a day. Mark digs into recent Spotify metrics to outline a potential answer.
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This vital guest column by David Oxenford summarizes the royalty rate arguments put before the U.S. Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) for a ruling expected by mid-June. In normal times that ruling would have been delivered before January 1, but this every-five-year cycle has been delayed by Covid. The outcome will chart the financial course for webcasters of all sizes in the 2021-2025 period.
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James Cridland returns with a richly informative newsletter about radio around the world. An Australian radio station doesn’t give time checks — for a clever reason. BBC’s random traditions. Much more in this roundup of observations and insights. Continue Reading
This guest column from Mark Mulligan notes that Spotify is raising the price of some Premium subscriptions … and argues it is past time. The basic single-person subscription of $9.99 remains in place, but Mulligan anticipates that level will move upward, and needs to. “The fact that streaming pricing has remained locked at $9.99 since the early 2000s is an open wound for streaming,” Mulligan asserts.
This masterful write-up summarizes several important announcements which were clustered into a single week. There are three connecting threads: 1. The (continued) astronomic rise of the independent artist; 2. The growth of creator tools; 3. Streaming’s growing pains. A must-read from a global leader in digital audio industry analysis.
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James Cridland returns with a richly informative newsletter about radio around the world. The decline of top 40. Live radio on smartphones. A song list from 1996. Much more. Continue Reading
by Jeff Vidler
In this valuable column, Signal Hill Insights President Jeff Vidler lays out the six keys to podcast discovery on the creator side. It’s based on survey research conducted as part of the Canadian Podcast Listener 2020. Continue Reading
by Jeff Umbro
In this week’s column, The Podglomerate CEO Jeff Umbro rounds up recent earnings reports from Spotify, SiriusXM, The New York Times, and Amazon. (With stock charts.) A nice grab-bag of industry updates rounds out the issue. Oh, also a podcast recommendation. Continue Reading
by Jeff Umbro
In this week’s column, The Podglomerate CEO Jeff Umbro grapples with the often-overlooked, always-challenging topic of podcast content moderation. Should podcasting undergo the level of scrutiny that social networks do? Along with these ruminations, the column catches up with news from Spotify, Apple, and elsewhere. Continue Reading
by Jeff Umbro
In this week’s column, The Podglomerate CEO Jeff Umbro catches up after a mini vacation, rounding up the latest acquisitions, a prediction, a podcast recommendation, and other topical items. Continue Reading
by Jeff Vidler
Signal Hill Insights President Jeff Vidler says podcasting has key differences from broadcasting. “Podcasts and broadcast radio are vastly different. Yes, they’re both based on audio, so certain audio skills are transferable. But that’s about it.” He breaks out three important podcast characteristics that radio professionals could be aware of. Continue Reading