Quick Hits: Age of the artist. Digital radio in Italy. March Madness, podcast edition.

Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web:

This is the dawning of the age of the artist: MIDiA Research’s Mark Mulligan penned a piece dubbing the new phase of the music industry the “age of the artist.” Performers certainly have more tools at their disposal than ever before to create and to reach audiences. Given the importance of fan following, personal branding, and the potential to do it all yourself, artists will likely have more power than ever before in driving the industry.

A history of digital radio in Italy: Europe has been one of the leading adopters of digital radio, and a new wave of markets is getting more familiar with the technology. Radio World profiled Italy’s uptake of DAB over the past thirteen years. Worth a look for anyone with a particular eye on the European markets.

The 2020 Ultimate Podcast Bracket: Who says March Madness is only for basketball? USA Today is running its own bracket about podcasts, where fans can vote for their favorite shows in head-to-head matchups. This American Life has already been knocked out, so it’s a wide open field going into the Sweet 16 today.

Anna Washenko