by Matt Deegan
Guest columnist Matt Deegan (Folder Media) delivers a cogent analysis of Clubhouse, the hot new audio app– or is it about audio at all? Matt identifies key attributes of the Clubhouse experience. Continue Reading
UK-centered media and technology company Global has activated its investment arm, Honeycomb Investments LTD, to acquire 8.8% of iHeartMedia, the largest American commercial radio group and top podcast publisher. Remembering that Liberty also owns a stake in iHM, we speculate a brewing battle of buyers, as listener reach and advertising pull are increasingly parts of a cross-category landscape. Continue Reading
NPR unleashed its Podcast Report Winter 2021. This interesting document is a combined growth report, best practices manifesto, and case study. Click through for details and a link to the free report. Continue Reading
In a venture to encourage kid-friendly podcasts, PRX has launched Ready To Learn, an accelerator program for producers who have the same goal. It’s a 16-week training course, and five production teams will be accepted. Winning teams get $10,000 plus travel expenses. Click through for details and the application website. Continue Reading
One of the world’s largest podcast hosts, Libsyn, has acquired the Auxbus podcast creation platform. The deal expands Libsyn’s suite of podcast hosting and measurement, adding tools for planning and recording shows. Auxbus has developed proprietary (patent-pending) tech that automates parts of the audio creation process. Continue Reading
MelodyVR will rename as Napster after acquiring the brand and assets last summer, and will list on the London Stock Exchange. This will be Napster’s fifth incarnation. As a branding asset, it is still trading on its revolutionary reputation, even though its revolutionary impact is an echo from the past. For anyone who has been following online audio for 25 years, there is a coherent historical line between the original Napster and today’s ecosystem of on-demand streaming music. Click through for details. Continue Reading
Yes, another ranker. But the Edison Research Top 50 is distinguished by its underpinning of in-the-field survey work, part of the company’s Podcast Consumer Tracking Report. Over 10,000 podcast listeners were queried about their show preferences “continuously throughout 2020.” This means that, unlike server-side measurement by online tech companies, no podcast on earth is excluded. Click for details and the entire list. Continue Reading
New podcasts of note.
The Jab (The Economist) / The Washies (Westwood One) / Suave (Futuro Studios & PRX)
Tap for details. Continue Reading
WNYC Studios’ Radiolab has been honored with two Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards. One is for the serialized series The Other Latif and the other is for The Flag and the Fury. It’s not the first time WNYC has been recognized by duPont-Columbia. Continue Reading
In a new eMarketer report, US Time Spent with Media 2021 Update, the company states that time spent on digital audio listening grew 8.3% in 2020. Projecting to this year, eMarketer expects a further time-spent gain of 4.8%. The time-spent gap between digital media and “traditional” media is widening over several years. Continue Reading
iHeartRadio is announcing the launch of iHeart 3D Audio, using binaural recording and production techniques. The company will debut a new slate of podcasts in this new category of experiential media — Aaron Mahnke will be involved in that effort. Bonus episodes of The Ron Burgundy Podcast will also be created in 3D mode. Click through for a link to a demo reel. Continue Reading
The buzz and activity surrounding Clubhouse, a new audio social app for chatting and meetings, indicate an appetite for social audio experiences. Reports are swirling about a looming, well-funded competitor called Fireside, reportedly co-founded by Mark Cuban. Click through for what we know now, and perspective on a growing category. Continue Reading