New player in on-demand personalized audio announces financing

Posted on by Anna Washenko

Audioburst announced that it has secured series A funding of $6.7 million for its mission of automating the indexing, organization, and discovery of audio content. The company’s platform promises real-time analysis of an audio clip, which allows fast and easy searching of content. The metadata it applies to each audio clip guides the creation of audio streams personalized to a listener’s preferences and patterns. Continue Reading →

PwC Entertainment and Media Outlook, Part 1: Global results

Posted on by Anna Washenko

PwC has published its 18th Global Entertainment and Media Outlook 2017-2021. The annual report offers intensive analysis of several entertainment industries around the world. For music, the outlook seems positive for a digital future, with streaming expected to be the top source of global revenue for the sector. If that prediction bears out, 2017 would be the first year when digital revenue will exceed physical sales on a worldwide scale. Today we’ll dive into the global data, and tomorrow will focus on just the U.S. analysis. Continue Reading →

Rumor Fact(ory): Verizon reportedly might invest in Pandora pending Sirius deal

Posted on by Anna Washenko

We’ve been hearing speculation for many months that Pandora and Sirius XM are interested in building a closer relationship. Sirius XM has been rumored to want to acquire the online audio company, but the two parties have been at odds over price. New information from the New York Post’s Claire Atkinson indicated that if Sirius does back away, Pandora might have another interested suitor. Continue Reading →

Test Drive: Finding new podcast treats with Audiosear.ch discovery

Posted on by Anna Washenko

Discovery has been a topic of great interest to the podcast creator and producer community, with top minds of the industry looking for better ways to get shows to the ears of excited listeners. Several companies and hosts are working on solutions to the problem, but some of the most promising answers have emerged from totally new startups. One such fresh endeavor is Audiosear.ch. Its discovery tools scale well to accommodate both new and veteran podcast listeners, and the initial trial of using it shows a tool with lots of promise. Continue Reading →

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Apple’s WWDC 2017 debuts the HomePod voice-activated speaker

Posted on by Anna Washenko

This year’s WWDC announced Apple’s foray into WiFi speakers, bringing it into direct competition once again with Google and Amazon for control over music and audio in your home. The new device is called HomePod, and it will retail for $349. The initial launch is this December for the U.S., the UK, and Australia, with a broader global rollout next year. Continue Reading →

audioBoom/Edison study follow-up: Smartphones dominate podcast listening

Posted on by Anna Washenko

Last week, audioBoom released the first results from a podcast listening study conducted in conjunction with Edison Research. Today, we have access to the full slideshow presentation for the study, which offer addition insight into the podcast audience. It covers listening platforms and places of choice. Continue Reading →