RAIN’s top five posts (plus one) of 2021

Some news items have import that goes beyond the moment. So it is that two of our five most-read articles in 2021 were posted in 2020.

On another note, hurrah to RAIN’s stellar lineup of guest columnists. Two of them landed in the 2021 top five.

#1 Podcast Music Licensing: 4 Things You Need to Know

This guest column by Deborah Mannis-Gardner, owner of DMG Clearances, was posted in February, 2020, and took on a viral life that delivered the top spot in 2021. Mannis-Gardner elucidates four key points about the legalities of music in podcasting. [READ]

#2 Steve Goldstein: Who Were the Big Advertisers During Tom Brady’s First Super Bowl?

In February, Amplifi Media chief Steve Goldstein looked back to Tom Brady’s first Super Bowl, and scrutinized the advertiser list. “A good reminder that while some brands endure, many more perish because they fail to stay in sync with customers,” Goldstein noted. A clever and interesting post for 2021’s #2 spot. [READ]

#3 Forbes lists the (very) top-earning podcasters

Another post from 2020 getting superb traction in 2021. Who doesn’t love lists? Especially lists with money in them. (And perhaps typos; we are leaving one uncorrected.) [READ]

#4 Spotify 2021 Wrapped: Launch, crash, technical elitism, and no solution for disappointed users

Spotify Wrapped is an annual, personalized, data-infused summary of listening on the platform, delivered to each Premium subscriber. The feature garners widespread interest and attention. We were pained by how broken the 2021 edition is for some users, and perplexed that Spotify did not fix things with an easy solution. [READ]

#5 Pivoting to podcasts: An ad agency builds scalable success producing local newspaper podcasts

A business profile of BG Ad Group in Marietta, Georgia, which has partnered with several local newspapers to create hyperlocal podcasts. The result is a business spinoff called BG Podcast Network. [READ]

EXTRA: A Top-50 Highlight

In startling reversal, AccuRadio moves to radio, citing high music royalty costs

RAIN enjoys the spoofing opportunity of April 1, and this year one of our don’t-believe-it items made the top 50. Composed by RAIN founder Kurt Hanson, it describes how his streaming music service AccuRadio ditched digital and moved to radio. [READ]

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Brad Hill