Interviews with, and contributions from, the most perceptive voices in the online audio industry.
With no fanfare or PR announcement behind it, leading online radio service Pandora has launched a major TV spot schedule in the past week or so. Click through to watch the ad. Kurt Hanson analyzes the tone and positioning of the campaign. Continue Reading
Guest columnist Steve Goldstein takes at aim at overly-long podcasts, with an eye to average radio listening time. He also notes that podcasting is a commuter-friendly format, and that the average commute time is shorter than many podcasts. “The empirical evidence is overwhelming.” Continue Reading
James Cridland Weekly Links is a column by the U.K.’s radio futurologist. THIS WEEK: Personal news about James Cridland’s relocation; the supposed death of AM in Europe; coverage of Radio X in the U.K.; DAB is London and Germany; more. Continue Reading
Morning drive team “Jeff & Jer” are departing the San Diego airwaves. Whatever the reason, says Kurt Hanson, stations should try hard to retain personality talent — a key strength of radio in its competition with satellite and Internet radio. Continue Reading
by Ari Shohat
Music curation means different things to different people…and to different services. Guest columnist Ari Shohat, CEO of Digitally Imported, explains how curation can be at the front end of buuilding a catalog, creating a good listening experience and freeing resources. Continue Reading
Stephen Colbert debuted as the new host of “The Late Show” on CBS last night. One of the highlights was seeing the return of live-copy testimonial advertising from the show’s host. It was hilarious, and effective. Kurt Hanson connects the creative tactic to podcasting and music streaming. Continue Reading
Guest contributor Mark Mulligan suggests that full-catalog music services cater to a top layer of music aficionados. Smaller online music services, serving specialized audiences, could bring streaming music deeper into the mainstream. Continue Reading
James Cridland Weekly Links is a column by the U.K.’s radio futurologist. THIS WEEK: The future of the BBC; articles about podcasting; new research about why people share content. Continue Reading
James Cridland Weekly Links is a column by the U.K.’s radio futurologist. THIS WEEK: Ad-blocking on iPhones, new locales for radio pirates, life without the BBC, and much more. Continue Reading
Guest contributor Mark Mulligan explains the structural issues facing streaming as a business model and why they need to be fixed. His thoughts cover the roles of labels and tech companies along with discussing who shoulders risk. Continue Reading
There is an even generational split between Millennials (13-34), the 35-54 group, and the over-55’s. How does each group listen to AM/FM compared to streaming audio? Edison Research President Larry Rosin answers and illustrates. Continue Reading
Roger Lanctot is Associate Director of Strategy Analytics, and a thought leader in the connected-car space. In this guest article, he explains how in-car connectivity is wrongly perceived by car companies, driving both talent and product development to Silicon Valley. It’s not entirely about infotainment, but it explains why Apple and Google are grabbing that initiative.
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