Student discounts to streaming services are not new, and classical specialist Idagio is leveraging that user acquisition strategy. The pitch is based on the idea that classical music fosters relaxation, brain benefits, better sleep, and lower stress — in time for final exams. Continue Reading
MIDiA Research has published data about the global streaming market shares of different services for the first half of 2019. The report found that there were 304.9 million streaming music subscribers around the world at the end of June 2019. That’s an increase of 34 million subscribers fro the end of December 2018 and 69 million from the close of June 2018. Continue Reading
Amazon has developed several smart speaker iterations for its Echo line of devices. The latest is a battery-powered, portable option that is rolling out in India. The product is called the Echo Input Portable Smart Speaker Edition Continue Reading
Sony has been making deals in the podcast space, and it has spent the past several months assembling a team to help drive those partnerships. A leaked internal memo introduced four executives for the Sony Music Entertainment offices in New York who will focus on the company’s efforts in podcasting. Continue Reading
The latest startup in the podcast business is promising monetization through sponsorships rather than pre-recorded ads. Podcorn has officially launched its service for podcasters to acquire in-broadcast sponsorships. The strategy takes its inspiration from influencer marketing. Continue Reading
Genius Media Group has filed a lawsuit against Google and LyricFind, alleging that the two parties have been unlawfully taking content from its online lyrics database. The suit seeks at least $50 million in damages, as well as injunctions against both companies to bar them from continuing the practice. Continue Reading
Podtrac released a special ranker of the top new podcasts released during 2019. Wondery had an impressive showing in the ranker, with eight podcasts in the top 20, mostly investigative projects with partners such as Bloomberg and the Los Angeles Times. Continue Reading
Pandora announced the full rollout of its latest mobile redesign. The new look was introduced to a limited number of users in October. Its new features include a personalized “For You” section and the Pandora Modes option for tweaking the curation algorithms of a station. Continue Reading
RadioPublic has ended its Paid Listens program. This service, which offered payments for every thousand listens accumulated, debuted in February 2018. It was intended to help smaller podcasters monetize even if they lacked the resources to support advertisements in their episodes. Continue Reading
British audio production house and consultancy Listen Entertainment has renewed an agreement with leading audiobook marketplace Audible.com to produce a follow-up in the “A Grown-Up Guide” audio franchise. The project is an interesting combination of multi-episode podcast and audiobook. Continue Reading
Podspec: Detailing the podcast space. In this inaugural Podspec, we look at the top daily news shows to survey their attributes including length, use of music, use of pre-roll, mid-roll, and post-roll ads, and their ad loads. Continue Reading
The Reuters Institute has published its foundational Digital News Report 2019. It mentions podcasting 186 times. A key point is a so-called Pivot to Audio, which describes how phones and smart speakers are fostering the growth in podcast news shows. Continue Reading