We saw a wave of startups looking to combine music and social media in meaningful ways back in 2014-2015. Now, a fresh crop of entrepreneurs is looking to apply social networks to podcasting. The latest startup to try this combination is Goodpods. Continue Reading
Spotify’s latest move in its pitch for podcast dominance is to bring on a new hire. The role is head of podcast editorial, and the company put an emphasis on reaching Millennial and Gen Z audiences in the description. Continue Reading
SOCAN, Canada’s music publisher and composer organization, announced that its CEO Eric Baptiste has resigned. Baptiste was nearing the end of his contract as chief executive for the society, and reached “a mutual decision” with the SOCAN board to close his term, effective immediately. Continue Reading
Liberty Media is a powerful force in music, with holdings in Sirius XM, Pandora, and Live Nation/Ticketmaster. After the Sirius XM and Pandora deal closed, the rumors turned next to Liberty having an interest in iHeartMedia. A group of consumer rights advocates and an artists’ rights organization have teamed up to send a letter to the Justice Department to oppose that possible acquisition. Continue Reading
RadioKing, an internet radio station provider based in Tourcoing, a city in northern France, reached out to us with news of a product update. There are two parts for existing and prospective stations — the Media Library where music is managed, and the server infrastructure. Our test listening went well. Continue Reading
ABC Australia, the public radio network down under, told us about a new podcast-oriented video series started by the Audio Studios team, which operates the organization’s podcasts. Called “Lockdown Podcasts,” it is a recommendation show which spotlights three podcasts per show for listening while sheltering at home. Click through for video. Continue Reading
Ever needed confirmation that success breeds success? Edison Research has released an important result from its Podcast Consumer Tracker, a subscription research product that illuminates what the company calls “a universal measure of reach.” The bullet point? Any podcast advertising campaign which buys the top five podcast networks will reach 50% of weekly podcast consumers. Continue Reading
Podtrac has shared a new batch of weekly listening figures. The company found that podcast consumption continued a dip for the week of April 6-12, falling from a recent high of March 2-8. Looking at weekly podcast download growth, last week was -3%. Continue Reading
Every data company is trying to understand how the coronavirus pandemic is changing media and entertainment habits. A report from Nielsen Music and MRC Data titled COVID-19: Tracking the impact on the Entertainment Landscape from Nielsen Music and MRC Data explored media and subscription use. The results found that 60% of the U.S. population is engaging with more entertainment during the outbreak. Continue Reading
iHeartMedia’s latest new podcast is an effort to recapture a note of normalcy for students. The new show is titled Commencement: Speeches for the Class of 2020. Each episode will feature insights and advice from celebrity speakers aimed at high school and college students who will not have graduation ceremonies because of the coronavirus pandemic. Continue Reading
Entercom released its latest statistics for RADIO.COM. The media giant’s digital audio and content platform recorded a record 40 million monthly active users in March. It included notable spikes on web and smart speakers. Continue Reading
Samsung is planning to phase out its voice assistant called S Voice. The service will reportedly be discontinued on June 1, 2020. This platform pre-dates the tech company’s Bixby voice assistant, which will remain in use. Continue Reading