A rattling shakeup is underway at Audible, the audiobook and audio content platform owned by Amazon. According to reporting by NPR, the entire podcast staff has been laid off. SVP of Original Programming Eric Nuzum has resigned, and shared a letter to friends with RAIN News. Continue Reading
Warner Music Group posted its financial results for the period ending June 30, the major label’s fiscal third quarter. Total revenue for the period grew 4.5% on-year to $958 million. In addition to the financial updates, Warner also shared details about how it handled its Spotify stock. Continue Reading
Apple Music is expanding its standard set of discovery playlists. The streaming music platform has added a Friends Mix, which collects 25 songs that a listener’s friends on the platform have been listening to in heavy rotation. Apple has been expanding the social side of its streaming service with recent operating system updates. Continue Reading
iHeartRadio announced that it has reached another audience milestone. The audio platform now has 120 million registered users. This metric, which is distinct from monthly active users, has grown from the 100 million registered users it reached in in March 2017. Continue Reading
Scripps-owned podcast content and advertising company Midroll Media booked $9.97-million in operating revenue in the second quarter, according to the SEC-filed 10-Q for E.W. Scripps. The roughly $10-million revenue represents a substantial gain of 35% over last year’s Q2 revenue for Midroll. Company executive comments from the earnings call. Continue Reading
Austria will offer its first DAB+ licenses next year. Media authority KommAustria has granted a license for a nationwide multiplex under the digital terrestrial radio platform. Eleven private radio programs are expected to be aired on DAB+ across the country beginning in April, and more are slated to join in the fall. Continue Reading
Stream-ripping remains a top concern in music piracy, and several labels joined forces for a legal fight against the practice. Stream-ripping involves making an illegal copy off of legally accessed digital media. YouTube videos are a common source of this type of pirated material. Continue Reading
James Cridland’s Future of Radio is a column by the Australia-based radio futurologist. THIS WEEK: Statistics out of New Zealand and a familiar-looking feature joins iHeartRadio. Continue Reading
The RAJAR report for the second quarter of 2018 shows another period of growth for digital radio, even as the overall performance for radio dipped. The latest results showed that 48.8 million adults, or 89% of the adult population of the UK, tuned in to their preferred stations weekly. Continue Reading
AdsWizz continues to share insights from brands using its new ShakeMe mobile technology for audio advertisements. The ad format, which lets listeners take a pre-determined action by shaking their smartphones, was the center of a campaign for Shell Car Wash that aired on German digital streaming radio service Rock Antenne. Continue Reading
iHeartRadio has collaborated with artificial intelligence platform Super Hi-Fi to improve the digital listening experience by imitating some of the nuances of a live radio broadcast. Super Hi-Fi will provide smoother song transitions such as precise crossfades, volume leveling, and gapless playback to digital listeners. Continue Reading
After some sharp exchanges, the music industry may be reuniting in its support of the Music Modernization Act, at least when it comes to mechanical licensing. Last month, several companies that currently operate in the mechanical licensing space traded barbs with songwriter groups over an effort to change that portion of the proposed legislation. Yesterday, the parties announced a new compromise. Continue Reading