Facebook may be looking to launch its own voice assistant. Unnamed sources have claimed that the tech company’s team for augmented and virtual reality has been working on a voice platform since early 2018. Continue Reading
Sonos has added partial support for Apple Music to its smart speakers. For now, the streaming service is only accessible on Sonos One and Sonos Beam devices. This is a big move from two businesses that have been slow to adopt new partners in the smart speaker space. Continue Reading
Wondery has announced the launch of Sports Wars, a podcast modeled on the company’s successful Business Wars franchise. Two episodes have dropped to kick off the first series: “Favre vs. Rodgers.” The new show sticks to the established Business Wars formula. Continue Reading
Podcast group Wondery has entered a partnership with the Universal Music Group label. Under the terms of their agreement, Wondery will receive access to the major’s music catalog and will be able to use works from its artists and labels in new shows. Continue Reading
Sirius XM and Pandora have announced a content crossover which brings Sirius talk shows into Pandora as podcasts. Beginning now, about two dozen talk shows from Sirius XM are available in Pandora. We had trouble finding them; click through for a handy link from Pandora. Continue Reading
Steve Pratt of Pacific Content lays out data and charts backing the importance of average consumption for podcasters. This metric may offer a different picture of audiences and engagement than downloads alone. Continue Reading
Blueprint Radio, an independent radio promotion company based in the UK, announced a move into podcasting. The business launched a new branch called Blueprint Pods that will work on findings artists placements on podcasts. Continue Reading
Amazon has introduced a certification for developers building skills for its Alexa voice assistant. The certification is fittingly called AWS Certified Alexa Skill Builder – Specialty. Amazon said this marks the first time it has provided a certification for developers. Continue Reading
Podcast tech company Megaphone crunched numbers related to how and when listeners use Apple Watches for podcast listening. Megaphone characterizes the results as a “stealth success story.” The report, posted by Megaphone’s data analyst Luke Riley, is HERE. Listening via… Continue Reading
Independent music distributor CD Baby announced a partnership with Audible Magic, a specialist in digital content identification, licensing, and monetization. Under the terms of their arrangement, CD Baby will use the RightsRx service from Audible Magic to find content rights conflicts before music is sent to a digital platform. Continue Reading
The Crime Junkie podcast has signed cabana as its exclusive ad sales partner. The new deal expands on an existing relationship between the true crime podcast and the digital audio arm of AdLarge Media. Continue Reading
Apple Music is making some minor quality of life improvements to one of its signature features. The “For You” section of the streaming service, which has curated editoral playlists, will be updated with new content multiple times a day. Continue Reading