by Jeff Umbro
In this week’s column, Podglomerate CEO Jeff Umbro provides news and commentary about the podcasting launch in Amazon Music, executive shuffling at SiriusXM, Chartable fundraising, the Black Podcasting Awards, and more. Continue Reading
U.S. stream listening slipped about 3% month-over-month in July, according to the Triton Digital Webcast Metrics Top 20 Ranker. The two leaders, Pandora and iHeartRadio, each slipped a bit from the month before. Click through for other details and RAIN’s unique long-term Webcast Metrics tracker. Continue Reading
ART has announced an expansion of its monetization and advertising intelligence capabilities by adding support for the VAST standard, and broadening its partnerships. VAST was originally a video ad delivery standard, but is now merged with DAAST, the audio counterpart. Continue Reading
Streaming has grown from 80% to 85% of all recorded music revenue in the U.S., according to the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) in its mid-year 2020 report. In dollars, the 85% of revenue for the six month period totals $4.8-billion. Other revenue categories have been withering on the vine for years, and now are nearing flatline. Physical sales were just 7% or revenue, and digital downloads were 6%. Click through for other details and a link to the downloadable report. Continue Reading
The Black Podcasting Awards, a first-year enterprise started just before COVID, is within the final two days of a Kickstarter fundraising effort. The crowdfunding goal is modest by Kickstarter standards: $7,500, with 30 hours remaining in the drive as of this post. Click through for the link. Continue Reading
Amazon Music has launched its expected Podcasts listening section. It is straightforward, cleanly presented, and unconcerned with innovation. (That last point not necessarily a bad thing for a mass-market platform.) We cruised through the mobile and web version of the new platform. Click through for details and loads of screenshots. Continue Reading
CNN is announcing this morning the launch and first-episode drop of Election 101, which the network calls a political-explainer podcast which “demystifies the American political system while offering a unique perspective on the inner workings of the electoral process.” The show is produced in affiliation with iHeartRadio. Continue Reading
Pod Drop features new and returning podcasts. Today: Futuristic galactic retribution from DUST, Jon Meacham returns with great American speeches, and Expedia brings back a podcast about … travel. Continue Reading
Triton digital is sending out an interesting announcement this morning: The company has linked up with Tru Optik Political Data Cloud to offer digital audio advertisers audience targeting by political inclination. These segments include Leaning Democrat, Leaning Independent, Leaning Republican, Swing Voters, and Undecided. It’s easy to imagine that the availability of these targeted segments could bring more political ads into digital audio during this election season. Continue Reading
On December 31 SiriusXM CEO Jim Meyer will leave the company. Replacing him will be Jennifer C. Witz, currently Director of Sales. Simultaneously, Sirius CFO David J. Frear will step away, his role to be filled by Sean Sullivan, currently CFO of AMC Networks. Meyer has been CEO for eight years, overseeing the acquisitions of Pandora, Stitcher, and Simplecast. Continue Reading
One key takeaway from the drop of Westwood One’s annual Podcast Download report, released last Friday, is that “heavy” podcast listeners (6+ hours per week) are increasing. There is much more to this sprawling 65-page study, which covers podcasting’s rebound from the Covid disruption, listening apps, age breakdowns, and behavior of “newcomers” and “pioneers.” Click through for charts, key points, and the download link. Continue Reading
Macmillan Podcasts is launching a new show, Driving the Green Book, which will be extended into Apple Maps, Apple Music, and Apple Books. The podcast, which officially drops tomorrow (but we see the first episode online today), will serve as the hub of a cross-platform suite of experiences. While we hear of many enterprises connecting podcasts to television and movies, this one is different, crossing online media categories. Click through for details and to hear the trailer. Continue Reading