In an unprecedented shift in how streaming music royalties are assessed, Universal Music Group (UMG) has reached agreement with Paris-based global streaming service Deezer. It is an artist-centric model which scales payouts upward in an attempt to reward musicians who are most favored by fans. Click for the details. Continue Reading
New York-based audience measurement company Nielsen is undergoing a round of layoffs today, reportedly dismissing nine percent of its 15,000 employees. The action was presaged internally, as Nielsen employees shared apprehensions and reported today’s event on a public message board. Continue Reading
Dr. Seuss Enterprises, owner of the epochal children’s books, is partnering with Wondery to enter podcasting. Rather than make literal audio dramas of the books, the approach of this partnership appears to create original content in audio. It drops September 18 and is an exclusive presentation; only Wondery+ users will gain access. Lots more details here. Continue Reading
Here’s what we’re learning from global podcast company Acast: People who fall asleep listening to podcasts can be sorted into two groups. Both groups take longer to fall asleep than non-listening people. Bedtime listeners are less likely to skip ads… Continue Reading
The latest Podcasting Today report from Nielsen leverages the company’s Scarborough Podcast Buying Power resources to create Nielsen Podcast today 2023. In it, Nielsen tells a relentless story of growth: More listeners, more time spent, more podcasts consumed. Click for metrics, charts, and a download link. Continue Reading
— Next (Lizzo Pollott)
— People Power (Jacobs Media)
— Funny With Purpose (Spotify)
Sounds Profitable has released a revealing study of podcast listeners: The Podcast Landscape. Ninety-five percent of respondents, whether they were listeners or not, were familiar with the term podcasting. Not everybody is a listener, but this research defines a cohort of “Persuadables” and delivers a raft of metrics about them. Continue Reading
“We need to look for early warning signs to try to understand when change is coming,” MIDiA Research head Mark Mulligan asserts in his latest guest column. “The music industry is full of them right now and the change to come will likely be so fast that music licensing will need a new playbook.” A must-read from one of the sharpest media observers. “If you thought change was fast this last decade, wait for the next one.”
In a corporate reorganization, NPR is unifying its news and programming divisions into one vertical stack: NPR content. In simultaneous news, SVP Anya Grundmann will leave the network at the end of the year. CEO John Lansing explains everything, and honors Grundmann, in a public post.
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Podcast content/advertising platform is announcing what it calls a groundbreaking educational program. Targeted to high school and college educators and students, it aims to “revolutionize podcast education.” Additionally, Libsyn has created a fellowship for a graduate student at NYU. Click for details. Continue Reading
Acast announces a new podcast called Your Mama’s Kitchen, spawned from the company’s partnership with Higher Ground, the podcast company launched by Michelle and Barack Obama. Acast announced its sales and distribution deal with Higher Ground in April. This new show is the first result of that alliance. Click for details and a link to listen. Continue Reading
How do advertisers regard podcasting as a potential marketing medium? Where are they in that thinking, from discussion to action? Those are the questions addressed in the latest Cumulus Media / Westwood One research — Advertiser Perceptions: The state of podcast advertising, a nine-year tracking study. Click for results, graphs, key points, and a download link. Continue Reading