RAIN Notes: Tuesday, August 17
Jottings of Note
— Need to Know (Libsyn & Advertisecast)
— Network Addition (Vox)
— New Exec (Global)
Mark Mulligan: Can Spotify break out of its lane?
by Mark Mulligan
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’s International Radio Trends — Why the words we use matter
by James Cridland
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
LiveXLive discloses PodcastOne metrics (2.38B downloads/year) in earnings call
Streaming concert service LiveXLive acquired PodcastOne in May of last year. In its Q2 earnings report, LiveXLive CEO and Chairman Rob Ellin evangelized the acquisition and disclosed portfolio and download metrics. Continue Reading
Steve Goldstein: Podcasting’s Grid of Pain
by Steve Goldstein In this guest column, Steve Goldstein charts two crucial aspects of a podcast: Content value, and awareness. They are not always correlated ideally, which leads to the “Grid of Pain.” Click for the graphic and why it’s essential.
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Jeff Vidler: Increased Data Privacy Controls – New Opportunities for Audio
by Jeff Vidler
Guest columnist and Signal Hill Insights President Jeff Vidler discusses an emerging trend in the underlying technology of digital audio advertising. “The sands are shifting under the feet of digital marketing as we march towards an online future that promises less personal tracking,” he writes. What is the opportunity for audio? Continue Reading
China podcast listening grows larger in numbers, remains small in percentage
Podcasting is “coming of age” in China, according to a new report from eMarketer. The research firm projects double-digit growth through 2025. However, even as the growth involves large numbers of people consuming podcasts due to China’s immense population size, the percentage of that population remains small compared to the U.S. Continue Reading
FieldCast partners with Blue microphones to co-evangelize corporate podcasting and gear
We’ve noted FieldCast as a company which evangelizes and enables corporate podcasting — enterprise audio produced by executive leaders to communicate with company staff. Now comes a note that FieldCast has partnered with Blue, the venerable microphone maker whose cost-effective Yeti USB desktop mic is much used by podcasters bootstrapping new shows. Continue Reading
InternetFM customizes online radio streaming app with new features
InternetFM, the venerable streaming radio app, has issued an update to its Android and iOS versions, providing smart new customization options that add an on-demand feeling to the app experience. Click for details. Continue Reading
Triton Digital Australian Podcast Ranker: Hamish & Andy move into #1
Triton Digital has released its Australian Podcast Ranker for July. “Hamish & Andy” is in the top spot — a weekly podcast. Australian media group ARN is the top publisher for July. Click for details. Continue Reading
Pineapple Street Studios starts “mystery box” monthly podcast with no set structure
Called The 11th, a new podcast from Audacy-owned Pineapple Street Studios, is starting with a monthly episode release date of — yes, the 11th of each month. That is the only structure of a show whose producers call a “mystery box.” Episodes are called editions, and can contain multiple episodes. Click to untangle. Continue Reading
Joe Rogan tops Edison list (again); survey method broadens ranker reach
Edison releases the U.S. Top 50 Podcasts for the full year span of Q3-2020 through Q2-2021. It is characterized by the same level of stability shown in all rankers — eight of the top 10 shows are identical to the full-year 2020 list from Edison. But as a consumer research project, Edison’s ranker has much more reach than server-side client measurement such as Podtrac’s monthly rankers. “The Joe Rogan Experience” lands in the #1 spot … again. Continue Reading