Mixcloud dives further into brand deals with Loud consultancy
Mixcloud launched a new in-house brand consultancy called Loud. The new operation will have a multi-disciplinary team that helps companies to develop their ideas. Continue Reading
Merlin signs multi-territory licensing deal with TikTok
Merlin, the independent label network and rights organization, has signed a licensing deal with the short-form video platform TikTok. This multi-territory agreement will make Merlin’s repertoire of indie music available for legal use by any users of the social app. Continue Reading
Serial exploring sale; bemoaning ensues
A story in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal reported that Serial Productions, maker of influential podcast Serial, is seeking acquisition. While a great deal of institutional money has flowed into podcasting in the last three years, an acquisition headline focused on a single show is unusual and striking. Continue Reading
Audity to create original podcasts for Spotify
Spotify’s assertive growth in podcasting (see yesterday’s report of the company’s growing distribution influence) was headlined in 2019 by acquisitions of Gimlet, Anchor, and Parcast. But outright acquisition isn’t the only way to gain content. Continue Reading
Apple and Spotify dominate podcast distro — new numbers from Chartable
James Cridland’s Podnews apparently inspired podcast analytics and attribution company Chartable to crunch some numbers defining the share of podcasting distribution among leaders in that space. The question derives from Spotify’s rapid growth in this field. Apple is still #1, but Spotify’s influence in this field is growing impressively. Continue Reading
New Google Podcasts beta tests sharing episodes by timestamp
Google Podcasts is one of the newer listening platforms, and it has been making adjustments to the experience since launch. The latest beta test of the app includes sharing by timestamp. Continue Reading
Amazon Music surpassed 55 million customers, “nearly all” of them paying subscribers
Amazon Music announced that it has more than 55 million customers globally in its streaming music network. That growth includes a more than 50% increase in Amazon Music Unlimited subscriptions during 2019. Continue Reading
Omny Studio partners with Podchaser
Omny Studio, a subsidiary of Triton Digital, has entered a new partnership with Podchaser, a podcast discovery and database platform. This deal will allow Omny Studio clients to apply Podchaser tags within the Omny tools. Continue Reading
Audioboom surpassed market expectations in 2019
Audioboom released a trading update with a snapshot of its results from 2019. The audio company saw revenue grow 91% from the previous year for a total of $22.2 million. The business also saw its brand advertiser count grow 75%. Continue Reading
Steve Goldstein: 7 Ways Voice is Rapidly Evolving
by Steve Goldstein
The year kicked off with both the Voice Summit and Project Voice exploring the latest developments in technology centered on speech. Steve Goldstein of Amplifi Media recaps some of the trends emerging from those gatherings. Continue Reading
7digital expects to see operational profit for H1
The latest financial update from 7digital finds the B2B music provider on track to meet its 2019 expectations and see a full recovery in 2020. Thanks to new and renewed contracts and stable revenue for its direct-to-consumer content, 7digital expects to see an operational profit in the first half of 2020. Continue Reading
BBC Director General Tony Hall to step down this summer
The BBC will soon have new leadership. Tony Hall will step down as the venerable UK broadcaster’s director general this summer, ending a seven-year tenure. “If I followed my heart I would genuinely never want to leave,” Hall said of his difficult decision to exit. Continue Reading