RAIN Notes: Monday, October 18
Jottings of Note
— 24 in 24 (Spotify)
— Change Is Mandatory (IAB)
— Up Early Now (NP)
Targetspot revenues up 56% in first half of 2021
Digital audio ad company Targetspot, the largest division of audio solutions company AudioValley, enjoyed a 56% rise in revenue in H1 2021, over the previous year. “Several months of record growth were recorded in Q2 in the US, the main driver of this growth,” the company stated in an earnings disclosure. Continue Reading
James Cridland’s International Radio Trends: 4BC switches frequency; and a landmark for UK commercial radio
by James Cridland
James Cridland returns with a richly informative newsletter about radio around the world. In this week’s edition: A frequency trade in Brisbane; a Flash review; a milestone in commercial UK radio; some on-brand whistling and much more. Continue Reading
RAIN Notes: Friday, October 15
Jottings of Note
— Walking Among (Acast)
— Talking Points (Audry)
— Her Secrets (C13 Originals & Campside Media)
Spotify’s “Car Thing” moves from free testing to pre-sale
Spotify Car Thing is for sale … almost. In April of this year spotify announced Car Thing, a dashboard device for streaming Spotify through the car’s audio system. Spotify Premium subscribers who joined the waitlist for a free unit, but didn’t get lucky, can now join a second waitlist for purchasing one. Click for details. Continue Reading
Exclusive look: AdLarge 2021 Podcast Buying Guide
Leading podcast ad sales network AdLarge kindly sent us an exclusive preview copy of the company’s new 2021 Podcast Buying Guide, the fourth in an annual series, set for release Monday. We have admired previous installations of this helpful document for its smart organization and lucid writing. This year’s edition carries forward those values and introduces new features. Continue Reading
RAIN Notes: Thursday, October 14
Jottings of Note
— Winning (Macmillan Podcas)
— Cross-media (PRX)
— Live Kickoff (KMG, TalkShow, Krantz)
Apple dominates stream share; Spotify catching up in audience
Podcast measurement service Podtrac released data measuring podcast listening platforms. The report compares download and audience shares across leaders Apple and Spotify, as well as iHeartRadio, Chrome, Alexa, and a single group other services. Podtrac also reveals how those shares have changed year-over-year (Aug 2020 to Sep 2021). Finally, a graph illustrates the average number of streams delivered per listener, on each platform. It’s all quite interesting. Click through. Continue Reading
Audio Up follow-up: New investors and board members
Following our report of SiriusXM’s engagement with, and investment in, podcast network Audio Up, we now learn more details of Audio Up’s network of investors and new board members. Continue Reading
DAX grabs Jon Hale from Spotify to lead North American growth
Digital Audio Exchange DAX announces today the appointment of Jon Hale as Chief Growth Officer, North America, in the DAX North America division headed by CEO Les Hollander. Hale comes from Spotify — as did Hollander — where he held several executive positions, most recently Head of LATAM Sales. Continue Reading
BBC World Service Performance Review: Expansion of digital audio “set to continue”
The BBC released its World Service Performance Review 2016-2020, a comprehensive status update comparing current metrics with goals across all BBC media categories. Global reach in all categories is nearing an end-of-2020 goal. Digital audio has seen growth, unsurprisingly, and that is set to continue. Click through for details. Continue Reading
CBC intros new shows to fall lineup
Canada’s public broadcaster CBC has released details of two new shows (and one second-season return) launching in the network’s fall lineup. All three drop next week. The new shows are added to a total portfolio of nearly 100 podcasts, and the CBC claims to be Canada’s #1 podcaster. Continue Reading