As if often the case, much of the interesting content during Spotify’s Q2 earnings call this week transpired during the investor Q&A. There, CEO Daniel Ek and Head of Investor Relations Paul Vogel spoke of the company’s global ambitions, how podcasting is shaking out for Spotify, and a mention of audiobooks. Click through for quotes. Continue Reading
Apple detailed its plans for revising category options in its podcast app back in June. Today, the new classification system is rolling out. Continue Reading
Human review of voice assistant recordings has been a fiery topic of late, and actions are already being taken to improve privacy for their users. Apple announced that it will globally suspend its grading program, while Google has stopped the practice in Europe. Continue Reading
PodCo Media Networks is being spun off from marketing firm Reed-Edwards Global as a separate podcast content network. Along with launching as a standalone, PMN has also acquired two business podcasts. Continue Reading
A new survey explored how podcasting is taking off in the United Arab Emirates. Broadcast specialist markettiers MENA and global podcasting consultancy 4DC found that the region has 1.3 million regular podcast listeners. Continue Reading
A new streaming service has launched for listeners in Suriname. The South American country is home to a new platform called TrackDrip. The service has a free tier and a premium subscription option for those who want offline access. Continue Reading
Mixcloud has been a regular experimenter with ways for audio creators to build their businesses. In line with the company’s goals about transparency, Mixcloud has published a blog post outlining the next wave of changes it will be implementing on the platform. Continue Reading
TuneIn announced that Juliette Morris is its new CEO. Morris joined the audio company as its first chief marketing officer in March 2018. Before her post at TuneIn, Morris held executive and leadership positions at several major media companies. Continue Reading
Podcasting company Castbox has introduced a new option for show creators to add a live audio component to their work. The feature, called Livecast, supports hosting interactive audio shows with live broadcasts and real-time listener engagement. Continue Reading
This guest column by Jeff Vidler, President of Audience Insights in Ontario, analyzes three important podcast attributes that give advertisers unique value. Engagement and Connection are key. The article also identifies a few challenges podcasting faces with advertisers. Continue Reading
Spotify’s second quarter financial results included notable growth in both its monthly active users and its subscriber base. The company now boasts 232 million monthly active users, up 29% on-year, and 108 million subscribers, a lift of 31% from the year-ago period. Continue Reading
In yesterday’s Q2 earnings call, Sirius XM executives mentioned Pandora 48 times, always with pride, optimism, and ambition — and a bit of detail. When it comes to podcasting, both Pandora and its parent company are committed to growing their footprints in the space, with tactical differences. Continue Reading