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RAIN Notes: February 3

Jottings of note:

Closing the (Audio)book, Spotify Prevails in Lawsuit Defense

It started in May, 2024, when Spotify was sued by the Mechanical Licensing Collective over bundled subscription plans. Specifically,the bundling of audiobooks and music, which resulted in lower royalties paid to content owners. (RAIN coverage HERE.) The outcome: Spotify has won that suit, verifying the legitimacy of its Premium tier bundling of music and books. “Audiobook streaming is a product or service that is distinct from music streaming and has more than token value,” the judge wrote. “Premium is, therefore, properly categorized as a Bundle.” More HERE. (h/t Michael Robertson.)

 

Nominations Welcome

The Women Podcasters Awards has opened an open nomination process for its second annual honoring womens’ achievements. The program is designed to elevate and amplify women’s voices globally and within the podcasting industry. Not only hosts are celebrated; awards are also given to broadcasters, producers, and (this is novel) expert guests — we like the idea of podcast guesting as a competitive professional skill. Within the main Podcasters category, awards will be distributed across a robust range of 25 categories. Last year nearly 400 individuals were nominated, and the process was powered by 15,000 voters. The website is HERE; scroll down a bit to nominate.

 

 

Onward and Upward

PQ Media predicts steady ad spend increase in 2025, the company reports in a new data release. Not strictly about audio advertising, this is part of the 12th edition of an ad market benchmark report. “Many key stakeholders are no longer questioning whether the advertising & marketing industry has rebounded from the deep drop in spending in 2020 due to the impact of COVID-19 on the global media industry,” the report asserts.  “The question in 2025 is how much are brands using artificial intelligence and other smart technology marketing tools as well.” The data are derived from proprietary databases and methodology, plus survey results from the company’s Global Opinion Leader Panel. More info HERE.

 

February 3, 2025


Brad Hill

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