TuneCore CEO to step down in April
TuneCore CEO Scott Ackerman will exit the digital distributor on April 15. He has been at the helm of TuneCore since 2012, and spent the two years prior as its chief operating officer. Continue Reading
Anchor updates its “Record With Friends” to reach more potential podcasters
Anchor has updated its tool for creating podcasts with people in different places. Record With Friends 2.0 is now in beta, and it aims to offer users more options in supported devices. Why we like it. Continue Reading
Google Podcasts brings its new look to iOS
Google Podcasts has made its debut on iOS. Anyone with a Google account can make use of the podcast app. The service recently got a new look for Android, and that version is being rolled out to web and iOS platforms too. Continue Reading
Over 50 Covid-19 podcasts launched in one week; from network to personal
Yesterday we reported on three new measurements of podcast listening during the shelter-at-home phase of the coronavirus emergency. Today, we dive into podcast creation in the stay-at-home era. Most of the newly launched shows are individual efforts, but some established media brands and networks have joined the Covid-19 launch frenzy. Continue Reading
Podtrac offers audience and download behavior during the Covid-19 crisis
Podtrac sent over some revealing charts of podcast audience and download trending, shining light on how listeners are consuming podcasts during the Covid-19 crisis. These charts will be updated weekly and released publicly. We are sharing the first round here, along with Podtrac explanations. Continue Reading
Global reaches new high in radio listening on smart speakers
European media and entertainment company Global released its own statistics about digital radio and podcast listening in March. These figures came from Global’s Data Platform and AudienceOne Data. DAX, Global’s digital advertising arm, provided the statistics for music streaming and Alexa briefings. Continue Reading
Acast saw global listens up 7% last weekend as pandemic drives podcasting
Acast announced that its global podcast listens increased 7% for the weekend of March 21-22. That’s the equivalent of more than 750,000 listens. The podcast company also noted that listening habits have shifted in response to the global outbreak of COVID-19. Continue Reading
Voxnest tracks podcast category spikes as Europe quarantines against coronavirus
Voxnest shared its latest statistics on podcast listening, offering a global snapshot of how COVID-19 has impacted audiences. The company noted that its Spreaker is the top hosting platform in Italy, which has been hardest hit by the pandemic in Europe. It also shared details from Spain, from across Europe, and some early figures from the U.S. as it prepares for the full force of the virus. Continue Reading
BBC Sounds begins connected TV app rollout
BBC Sounds has introduced an app for connected televisions. The app rollout is beginning on YouView and Virgin Media devices, but will launch on other platforms in the future. Continue Reading
January streaming flat, Pandora continues decline (Webcast Metrics)
Stream listening was level in January compared to December. The year-over-year view showed a 3% decline, powered in part by Pandora’s continued incremental decline in listening over nearly two years. Continue Reading
Researchers find “substantial racial disparities” in automated speech recognition
Speech recognition tools are known to be flawed systems that make occasional errors in comprehension. However, a new study revealed that those errors aren’t so occasional for black users. The research was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Continue Reading
New York Times Company acquires journalism text-to-voice platform Audm
The New York Times Company has acquired Audm, a startup that creates audio versions of long-form journalism for subscription access. Founders Ryan Wegner, the director of spoken word audio production, and Christian Brink, director of product, will join the Times Company along with the rest of the Audm team. Continue Reading