Spotify has posted a baffling explanation of why it makes some of its podcasts exclusive to the platform, even though exclusive distribution is a standard business maneuver for customer acquisition and retention. We don’t know why this was necessary, or how it managed to be so confusing. Continue Reading
Jottings of Note
— Bungling (The Verge / Apple)
— Global View (TuneIn)
— New Stoop (Radiotopia)
Riverside, the video+audio podcast creation platform, has formally launched Riverside 2.0. We have tested most of the announced features in past weeks, and they have been public-facing, so we see this announcement as a formal launch and attention-getting splash. Here, we run down the most differentiating features. Continue Reading
Triton Digital released the Netherlands Podcast Report for July. While Dutch networks and podcasts dominate, some brands and shows familiar to the English-speaking audience are placed highly. Continue Reading
Global podcast company (HQ in Sweden) reported second-quarter financials this morning. Sales growth and content enlargement resulted in net loss — not an uncommon financial scenario for digital audio platforms. Click for key financials and other announced metrics, and a link to statements. Continue Reading
Audio search and discovery platform Audioburst has introduced a podcast player called Finder, which offers search and discovery of keywords and topics within a podcast episode. We test it and are impressed. The company says it’s “one step closer to solving the challenge of audio discovery.” Click for details and a screenshot. Continue Reading
Jottings of Note
— Paying it Forward (NPR)
— The Winners Are… (AudioUK)
— Podcast Blog (Audry)
As we noted a few weeks ago, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) appears to be installing a twice-a-year podcast upfront schedule. Following the first-ever spring presentation in May, the full schedule for Podcast Upfront on September 9-10 has been released. Click for details. Continue Reading
Podcast hosting platform Omny Studio, a unit of iHeartMedia’s Triton Digital subsidiary, has introduced an interesting tool for its network clients which host multiple shows. Called Shared Listeners, the new feature allows publishers to determine how many listeners are unique to a particular show and/or shared across other programs in their network. It adds up to better promo decisions. Click for details and a screenshot. Continue Reading
Jottings of Note
— Need to Know (Libsyn & Advertisecast)
— Network Addition (Vox)
— New Exec (Global)
This guest column from Mark Mulligan identifies a crucial trend: After years of relative stability, music consumption is shifting, with the streaming model exemplified by Spotify is beginning to lose some ground — as evidenced by financial reports and the growth of “social music.” Mark asks whether Spotify and the other Western DSPs are going to find themselves left behind by a fast-changing market, or will innovate to keep up the pace.
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James Cridland returns with a richly informative newsletter about radio around the world. In this edition: A new and fascinating study of language use in podcasting, which James connects to how to articulate concepts in radio. And there’s also a similar analysis of on-air speaking habits. Links to both. And much, much more. (Because one “much” wouldn’t be enough.) Continue Reading