When we heard that Neil Cowling, Creative Development Director of the UK’s Maple Street Creative, was putting more resources into Fresh Air Production, which specializes in branded podcasts, we sent a few queries about what seems to be changing in the UK podcast scene. Continue Reading
James Cridland’s Future of Radio is a column by the Australia-based radio futurologist. THIS WEEK: Contrasting systems for measuring radio listenership. After-effects from the GDPR. Much more from around the world of radio and audio. Continue Reading
Merlin, the global digital rights agency for the independent label sector, is sending out a 10th-birthday notice. To mark the milestone, Merlin is announcing three hires. the agency started operating in May, 2008, with three people. It now employs 21 people across four offices on three continents, serving tens of thousands of indie labels. Continue Reading
Venerable media metadata company Gracenote (a Nielsen subsidiary) today announced a new technology product called Sonic Style, which classifies tracks into micro-categories that more exactly match up to what consumers with to hear in playlists. The technology aspires to create smarter playlists in a voice-first world of smart speakers. Continue Reading
The British Podcast Awards recognized the best shows created in Great Britain during the year. The winner for 2018 podcast of the year is Griefcast by Cariad Lloyd. Show in several categories received recognition, including family, true crime, comedy, sports, and branded content. Continue Reading
James Cridland’s Future of Radio is a column by the Australia-based radio futurologist. THIS WEEK: Further dives into buying spots on the Apple Podcast Chart. More on radio and podcasting from around the globe. Continue Reading
WorldDAB shared an infographic claiming that nearly 12 million DAB receivers were sold in Europe and Asia Pacific in 2017, a new record for annual sales. Cumulative DAB and DAB+ set sales in the UK have exceeded 35.6 million, while Norway has seen sales of 5.6 million and Germany sales of 9.91 million. Continue Reading
A new report from James Cridland’s Podnews reveals that algorithmic one-upmanship has entered the scene — podcasters can now buy their way to a high placement in Apple Podcast charts. We’re not certain it works, but it shouldn’t be surprising. Where there is an algorithm, there is an attempt to hijack it. Continue Reading
James Cridland’s Future of Radio is a column by the Australia-based radio futurologist. THIS WEEK: The MIDAS survey explores radio listening habits in the UK ahead of of the Q1 RAJAR results later this week. Continue Reading
What comes after digital music? Hint: The artist is coming into control. Also lawyers. Vickie Nauman, Founder of CrossBorderWorks contributes a guest column which is reasoned, speculative, and optimistic. Continue Reading
In a pivotal deal, NPR announced that its entire podcast catalog is now available on Spotify for the first time. All shows from the public media outlet, both familiar favorites and new titles, will have a home on the streaming audio service. The arrangement brings the world’s largest podcast publisher into one of the largest podcast distribution platforms. Continue Reading