VURBL selects DAX to exclusive ad-repping in U.S.
VURBL, a free streaming audio platform for all audio types, has struck an agreement with DAX for U.S. ad reselling. It is an exclusive deal for DAX. Continue Reading
James Cridland’s International Radio Trends — Switzerland: To FM or not to FM?
by James Cridland
James Cridland returns with a richly informative newsletter about radio around the world. In this edition: As one European country readies its abandonment of FM radio, a campaign to rescue it begins. BBC Sounds releases Q2 stats. And much more. Continue Reading
Australian Radio Network ditches “Radio” in rebrand to ARN, bringing the ARN Audiosphere to market
The Australian Radio Network is frequently known as “ARN,” and today begins a new era in which the company formally adopts that acronym as the enterprise brand. The rebrand signals a recognition of, and commitment to, the broader defining concept of audio. Click for details and a clarifying graphic. Continue Reading
Google smart speakers take U.S. lead from Amazon in Q2 (Omdia)
In its quarterly report of smart speaker shipments, London-based research company Omdia reports that Google took the top spot from Amazon in the U.S. And interestingly, Apple’s HomePod increased its shipments from a year ago at a surprising rate. Click through for the chart. Continue Reading
RAIN Notes: Friday July 30
Jottings of Note
— Charting a Career Move (Karo Chakhlasyan)
— More Than Opinionated (NY Times)
— Not Called Artists for Nothing (TuneCore)
Spotify podcasting in Q2: Higher gross, higher margins, mix of exclusive and open strategies
Yesterday we covered the financials of Spotify’s Q2 earnings report. The broad strokes in the financials are: positive numbers, slightly missed expectations, and a stock drubbing. (SPOT stock has recovered about half of yesterday’s loss as of this post.) Today we look at podcast news. Huge year-over-year revenue jump. Continue Reading
Acast Creative expands from Europe to U.S.; Shantae Howell will lead
Acast Creative, a unit of the global podcast company which produces podcast content (shows and/or episodes) for brands, is expanding with a U.S. launch this week. Acast has tapped Shantae Howell as Creative Director of the Americas to lead the team and expand the success of Acast Creative in the U.S. market. Continue Reading
iHeartMedia and TuneIn enter wide-ranging partnership: iHM stations added, iHeart to rep, Triton to monetize
In a hefty, wide-ranging partnership, iHeartMedia and its Triton Digital subsidiary are going into business with TuneIn. In the agreement iHM’s 850 radio stations will be piled into TuneIn. iHeart will also become TuneIn’s premier local ad sales representation partner. Further, Triton will monetize TuneIn’s local inventory, which promises to help advertisers reach new audiences at scale, according to the press notice.
Continue Reading
Programmatic audio and contextual targeting both evangelized at RAIN Summit, along with research
In a very interesting Zoom event produced by RAIN today, digital audio advertising was discussed from perspectives of survey research, a comeback of contextual targeting, and the growth of programmatic advertising. Click for details, quotes, and images. Continue Reading
Spotify Q2 earnings: Users and revenue up slightly; stock down harshly
Spotify released its Q2 financials and user metrics today. The story for investors seems to be disappointment with missed guidance around user growth. The story for everyone else appears as positive change in all key metrics. Click for graphics and charts. Continue Reading
Echoverse podcast studio announces ambitious & celeb-studded new podcast slate
L.A.-based Echoverse, a podcast creation studio specialized in science fiction, supernatural and fantasy audio dramas, is releasing its new portfolio of projects. “It’s been a very busy year,” said Mark Stern, head of the network who owns a long executive resume in SciFi production. Click for show summaries. Continue Reading
AIR bestows “New Voices” awards to 16 honorees in podcasting and radio
Audio industry advocacy group AIR (Association of Independents in Radio) is announcing today its 2021 group of “New Voices” — an annual award and career support program. Each of the 16 honorees will receive personal mentoring and networking opportunities over a five-month period, and a $1,000 stipend. Click for honoree profiles. Continue Reading