NPR and iHeart Audience Network shine in Triton US Podcast Ranker (August 2024)

Yesterday we covered Triton Digital’s Australian Podcast Ranker and today we receive the U.S. ranker for perusal. This list ranks podcasts which use Triton’s download and user measurement services. Top line: NPR News Now claims the #1 spot as usual, sorted by weekly average downloads. That program was published 840 times during the measurement period, giving it a meaningful advantage in the download sweepstakes. Click for much more info and nuance, and links to both versions of Triton’s release. Continue Reading

Five new shows out of 200 (Triton Digital Australian Podcast Ranker)

Triton Digital’s Australian Podcast Ranker for august, a 10-page PDF listing 200 shows, has been released to our eager grasp. As expected from previous monthly releases of this accounting, the Hamish & Andy podcast, produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, owns the #1 spot as it has in previous months. We look for debut entrances to the list, and find just five of them. Click for more metrics and links to both versions (sortable and unsortable). Continue Reading

AI songs + fraudulent streaming + millions in royalties = FBI/DOJ seeking 60 years in prison

It had to happen, and possibly has happened before. Now it has definitely happened with severe potential consequences. An guileful North Carolina musician named Damian Williams has been accused of fraudulently streaming AI-created songs and dishonestly collecting royalties. We learn this from the United States Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of New York. It’s no small-scale gambit. Click for the impressively corrupt details. Continue Reading

James Cridland’s International Radio Trends: DAB means even more new stations

by James Cridland

In his latest column, James shares takeaways from the recent Radiodays Asia and Podcast Day Asia conferences. He brings back intel about the DAB digital radio format, which he reports is gaining interest in Asian countries. And James evangelizes the format, saying it offers a surprising amount of new choice for broadcasters, which helps draw new listeners. UK radio group Global announced twelve new stations. ALSO: a wide range of observations and news from Europe, Australia, and Connecticut. It’s not called International for nothing. Continue Reading

Steve Goldstein: Key Takeaways from ‘A View from the Top’

In his latest column, guest contributor and Amplifi Media CEO Steve Goldstein transcribes an industry discussion he moderated at the recently concluded POdcast Movement conference. The high-IQ panel comprised Ross Adams (CEO, Acast), Dan Misener (Co-founder, Bumper Media,) Andrew Mason (Founder/CEO, Descript) Elsie Escobar (Director of Community and Content, Libsyn), and Farid Haji (Senior Director – Partnership, The Roost Podcast Network). Key takeaways here include video importance, multi-platform strategies, engagement vs. reach, the evolution of monetization, AI, changing audience dynamics, and future opportunities. Without question a must-read, even for those who attended the session. Continue Reading

Podcasting breaks 50% barrier, reaching a majority of American adults (Sounds Profitable)

“Podcasts now reach 53% of Americans 18+ every month – the first report of monthly consumption reaching the majority of adults in the US.”

That is the #1 takeaway from The Podcast Landscape, 2024, released by Sounds Profitable as its largest survey ever, and claimed to be the largest publicly available study of podcast consumption in the U.S. We grab hold of the first several sections and plumb them for knowledge. Click for details, graphics, and a link to the original.
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Al Michaels went AI at the Olympics. Radio DJs don’t love the idea, but 20% would do it. (Jacobs Media)

While watching the recently completed 2024 Summer Olympics, we didn’t realize that the nearly ubiquitous voice of Al Michaels, heard round the clock, was not the physical (and presumably sleepy) Al Michaels. But while studying a new survey research deck from Jacobs Media this morning, we encountered “AI Al Michaels.” Jacobs surveyed on-air talent to discover their attitudes about AI generally, and the specific use in the Olympics. The result is part of a 66-page study. Continue Reading