Quick Hits: Indies going mainstream; playlist curators; wireless audio survey
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Streaming pushes indies to the majors; curators vs creators; wireless audio survey results. Continue Reading
TagStation unveils Dial Report platform for targeted radio advertising
TagStation has released a new Dial Report, a collection of first-party radio station advertising data and smartphone user data. The platform measures more than 250 demographic, behavioral and listening data points in near real-time, allowing segmentation of the FM radio audience for precise audience targeting by advertisers. Continue Reading
Dash Radio launches pop-up station for BIG3 basketball league
Dash Radio has launched a live pop-up station in collaboration with BIG3, a 3-on-3 professional basketball league founded by rap icon Ice Cube. The BIG3 Radio channel will broadcast live for the final week of the league leading into its final game in Las Vegas. Continue Reading
Spotify lands Warner licensing deal, closing out major label trifecta
Spotify has secured a licensing deal with Warner Music Group, meaning the streaming service now has agreements with all three major labels. The Warner deal is one of the final pieces Spotify needs to progress with any means of going public. Continue Reading
Startup Audm offers narrated long-form journalism by subscription
With podcasts and audiobooks continuing to grow in popularity, it makes sense that other forms of audio narration have been taking off too. The latest we’ve found is a startup called Audm, which delivers audio versions of select long-form journalism. Continue Reading
Podxref adding tool for following podcast talent
Podcast database Podxref is developing new technology for sharing show information with mobile listeners. The tech presents information about the personalities involved in a show episode, including both the hosts and guests, within a podcast player. It is a path toward possible podcast discovery by allowing listeners to tap for more content by a person whose work they enjoy. Continue Reading
Pandora finds 10-second ads can yield results
Pandora is exploring new approaches to improving its audio ads. The latest experiment is a shift in the length of ads, investigating whether short spots can still yield positive results with listeners. Based on the early findings from Pandora, ad recall had double-digit increases for both 10-second and 30-second spots. Continue Reading
Scripps announces promotions for several executives
E.W. Scripps had some shake-ups within its top leadership this month. Adam Symson took on the role of president and CEO on August 8. Since stepping into that CEO position, Symson has made some additional changes to Scripps’ executive team. Continue Reading
DGital Media rebrands to Cadence13; hires slate of executives; builds studios nationwide
DGital Media sent RAIN News an exclusive preview of pivotal news which includes a new company name, a raft of new executive hires, and an expanded suite of production studios nationwide. Continue Reading
Podcast Movement conference expands as podcasting matures
Podcast Movement, the podcast creator conference in its 4th year, is unfurling an ever increasing wing span in Anaheim this week. Unlike last year’s event in Chicago, this year’s installation in a coastal locale and larger venue seems to reflect the growth and maturation of podcasting. Continue Reading
Nielsen: 50% of U.S. households are podcast fans
Nielsen has released its Podcast Insights report for Q3 2017, which found that a full 50% of U.S. households now identify as podcast fans. The analysis focused on the crossover between those millions of podcast fan-households and three advertising categories to provide a snapshot of the value podcast listeners can offer to brands. Results draw on the Nielsen Homescan Panel. Continue Reading
IAB launches first buyers’ guide for podcast advertisers
The Interactive Advertising Bureau has released a new guide for podcast advertisers. The publication marks the first-ever buyer’s guide from the IAB about podcast advertising. With podcast advertising a continually hot topic for the audio industry, this guide consolidates some of the key talking points about why this format has so much potential for advertisers. Continue Reading