RAIN Notes: Wednesday, April 5
Jottings of Note
— Joining (iHeartMedia)
— Serving the Underserved (Libsyn)
— No Longer Live (Spotify)
Mark Mulligan: Music fandom’s problem is TV’s opportunity
by Mark Mulligan
This guest column from Mark Mulligan examines the evolution of music fans in what he calls the “endless hustle of the song economy” as streaming listeners rely on algorithms to furnish an endless succession of songs. TikTok is a better venue for developing a personal relationship between musician and listener. But TV is also a surprising source of music discovery for many people. Click for Mark’s analysis and an illustrative data chart.
TuneIn announces addition of 120,000 audiobooks
Two-tier streaming service TuneIn has reportedly added 120,000 audiobooks to its streaming library. The collection is available to Premium membership, which is priced at $10/month. The newly assembled library makes a competitive posture with Audible, the Amazon-owned leader in audiobook publishing. Continue Reading
Annalise Nielsen: The Ultimate Guide to Your Brand’s Video Podcast Strategy
by Annalise Nielsen
RAIN’s newest guest columnist, Annalise Nielsen (Senior Manager of Business Development, Pacific Content), presents a thorough exploration of creating a sensible video strategy for podcasts, including flow charts and video examples. It’s not a one-size-fits-all decision, for sure, and this piece helps any podcast publisher consider a brand’s goals to determine an optimal video plan. Continue Reading
Podcast ad rates edge upward in March
The average cost per thousand (CPM) for podcast ads inched upward in March, across all measures of audience size. This according to AdvertiseCast’s monthly tracker, where average CPM for all audience size buckets (1,000 to 100,000+) settled in at $22.14, rising from the February average of $21.99. Click through for a 3-year trend chart. Continue Reading
Sonos launches spatial audio Era 300 speaker
Hifi home speaker company Sonos has launched its first speaker using Apple’s spatial audio, a Dolby Atmos technology which promises to create a surrounding effect for the listener. The new Sonos speaker is called Era 300. Marketing the device is problematic because it
is challenging to convey the experience without the speaker itself doing the marketing. Sonos does it visually. Click for video. Continue Reading
Steve Goldstein: Belt-tightening will be good for podcasting
by Steve Goldstein
There is a lot of chatter about the new era of “efficiency” in business today, says guest columnist Steve Goldstein. “Going forward, the podcast business will be scrutinizing everything more closely,” he notes. Good? Bad? Goldstein observes a shift to quality over quantity. Click for more. Continue Reading
New podcasts dropped to new 13-month low in March
March saw the launch of 12, 408 new podcasts, the fewest in the 13-month period which includes March 2022. That metric from Listen Notes, which produces monthly and annual statistics of podcast creation. The high point of that 13-month span came in March 2022, when 22,533 new shows were created. Click for annual productivity and charts. Continue Reading
James Cridland’s International Radio Trends: Ken Bruce hits the air and Bauer hits its stride
by James Cridland
In today’s guest column, James Cridland fixes 4ZZZ in Brisbane. An odd choice on BBC Breakfast. A note from Radiodays Europe. An FM in New Zealand is pulled off the air, bafflingly. ABC Australia starts dealing with its ratings slump. Bauer Media announces Rayo. And much more. Continue Reading
GM to reject “phone projected” audio; will develop in-car subscription platforms
General Motors has announced a plan to thwart in-car audio generated from connected personal phones, in the company’s electric vehicles. In place of that common type of listening, the car manufacturer will develop its own platform of audio and navigation. With this change, GM aspires to provide its own subscription revenue, potentially reaching $25-billion by 2030. Continue Reading
Leading online radio service AccuRadio to debut AI-driven channels designed for every human activity; April 1 launch
AccuRadio is leveraging its newly created AccuGPT AI tool to create a dazzling array of micro-topical, hyper-targeted music channels. Pre-populated channels include, “Waiting in Line at the DMV” and “I Can’t Find My Glasses,” assisted by AI-enabled video monitoring of AccuRadio users. “It’s more than on-demand, it’s a music experience that AccuGPT creates instantly upon observation,” said CEO and Founder Kurt Hanson. The AccuGPT plan will be put in place April 1, and a large tranch of 47,000 new AI-programmed music channels will debut on Monday, April 3rd. Continue Reading
Case study produces ASMR audio ads for Sport Clips, with Veritonic research
In a fascinating and experimental case study, haircutting shop Sport Clips leverage audio effectiveness research by Veritonic and audio design agency Play Audio Agency, to create ASMR audio spots. SMR (autonomous sensory meridian response) is an audio experience which stimulates tingling sensations in some people which travel down from the top of the head into the back. Audio elements often used in ASMR videos include whispering, tapping, and rustling. Click for an audio sample, and good luck continuing to work after listening. Continue Reading