RAIN Notes: Tuesday, December 5
— Warning (Colin Rushing)
— Realignment (iHeartMedia)
— Change At The Top (Cumulus Media)
Podtrac releases top new podcasts for 2023; no matches with top October podcasts
Podtrac has released its annual Top 25 New Podcasts. We compare the 2023 edition with Podtrac’s Top 20 Podcasts for October. One of the values in the New Podcasts list is discovery. These are shows that have succeeded in building and retaining audience, but are largely unknown in the broad market. Continue Reading
Spotify latest layoff sweep: 1,500 employees, 17% of staff, public memo
In an internal memo also posted publicly, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek announced the company’s third layoff sweep of 2023. Seventeen percent of the company — about 1,500 employees — will receive severance packages. Click through for detailed coverage, quotes, severence package details, and SPOT stock activity. Continue Reading
James Cridland’s International Radio Trends: A Look Round Radio Formula (Mexico)
by James Cridland
In his latest piece, guest columnist James Cridland reports on a recent visit to Radio Formula, a national radio station in Mexico, owned by Grupo Formula. A new facility, opened in March of this year, offer gleaming photos. “It was astonishing how much the company had packed into what seemed to me like a quite small space.” James reports. He also reports on the latest RAJAR MIDAS report. Continue Reading
Collin Campbell leaves Gimlet for high-exec podcast role at NPR
NPR has a new head of podcast strategy; it is Collin Campbell, who takes the title Senior Vice President of Podcast Strategy and Franchise Development starting sometime this month. He carries a long history of executive positions in news content and audio. Continue Reading
RAIN Notes: Friday, December 1
— Transition (RAB)
— Turned Off (Spotify)
— Enough Is Enough (The Podcasting Playbook)
Spotify Wrapped 2023 launches, aspiring to an “unforgettable experience”
We have noted over several years that Spotify Wrapped has become a cultural touchpoint. Wrapped is both an individualized personal account of listening patterns for millions of users, and a global summary of trends and “top of” lists. It launched today. Click for details and two of its many lists.
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RAIN Notes: Thursday, November 30
— Backing Away (Spotify)
— It’s A Wrap (Edison Research)
— Discoveries (The New Yorker)
Apple reveals 2023 top podcasts, new podcasts, podcast episodes, most followed, most shared … and more mosts.
Apple showed off its podcasting influence with the 2023 edition of its podcast tabulations. Called “Apple shares the most popular podcasts of 2023,” the release explores many variations of popularity. Starting off, we learn that Crime Junkie was the top podcast… Continue Reading
Three brands dominate podcast ad spend; $48M in top-15 (Magellan AI, October)
In Magellan AI’s reckoning of the top podcast advertisers (by spend) in October, we see a lot of repetition from the previous months. Nine of the top 15 in the previous month of September landed on the October list again. BetterHelp was the top advertiser, continuing a long streak of supremacy. Click for more analysis and graphs. Continue Reading
Steve Goldstein: Podcasting’s Multiplatform Imperative
by Steve Goldstein
In his latest guest column, Steve Goldstein shares insights from students in his Business of Podcasting course at NYU. Most notably, these students consume podcasts in many venues, from Tik Tok to Spotify to YouTube. The lesson for podcasters? Keep students in mind. “For most podcasters, relying on a single platform for distribution is no longer sufficient.” Continue Reading
iHeartMedia will get $100-million in BMI sale. So will creators. Not everyone is thrilled.
The acquisition of performance rights organization BMI by New Mountain Capital, which transpired late last week, will put approximately $100-million of cash into iHeart’s balance sheet. Along with that, BMI announced that $100-million of post-sale proceeds will be distributed to music creators. There is some controversy. Continue Reading