Podcast company Acast announced the launch of an Alexa voice skill. This development allows listeners to start, pause, and skip their way through Acast’s programming lineup on Alexa-enabled devices. It will also encourage discovery, with podcast fans having the option to explore new shows through playlists curated by Acast. Continue Reading
CISAC, the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers, has released its annual report. The organization saw a 6% uptick in global music royalties to reach €8.34 billion in 2017. Digital music collections grew 23.1% to surpass €1 billion. Continue Reading
YouTube paid more than $1.8 billion in ad revenue to rightsholders in the music industry from October 2017 to September 2018. According to the How Google Fights Piracy report, that figure brings YouTube’s total music industry payments to more than $6 billion in ad revenues. Continue Reading
Nielsen announced that Westwood One and Panoply Media will use its technology for auto marketing and measurement. Both parties will leverage the Nielsen Auto Cloud fueled by J.D. Power to target car buyers across radio, streaming audio, and podcast media with relevant messages that meet the changing needs of their audiences. Continue Reading
Digital audio advertising platform Targetspot has announced its upcoming Podcast Marketplace, an all-in-one ad marketplace for connecting podcast producers with advertising revenue sources. This venture will start in December when the new platform will open to Targetspot’s existing premium publishers and partners. That launch effort will represent 100-million monthly podcast downloads. It will eventually open to all podcast producers. Continue Reading
Spotify has been making a big effort to put more data in front of the music industry. The latest move in that vein is the beta launch of Spotify Publishing Analytics. The streaming audio company will offer daily streaming statistics such as playlist performance for the works and recordings a publisher identifies. Continue Reading
Pandora has unveiled a new promotional campaign centered on holiday travel. The multi-channel Sound On brand narrative positions Pandora as connecting listeners with the music and audio they love, especially centered on cultural moments. Continue Reading
Pandora is continuing to give podcasts a more visible role in its audio platform. The company has hired Lindsay Bowen as its vice president of podcasts and entertainment content partnerships. Continue Reading
Radioplayer has introduced a prototype touchscreen radio for car dashboards. The Reference Radio is a hybrid technology that can play DAB digital radio, FM broadcasts, and Internet radio streams. All of the varied sources appear on one list rather than separated by format. Continue Reading
iHeartRadio has unveiled a new family plan level for its All Access on-demand subscriptions. The service supports up to five people on the plan. Continue Reading
Apple has hired Rebekah Horne as its new head of music and other services for Australia and New Zealand. In this capacity, she will guide services including Apple Music, iTunes, and the App Store for those markets. Continue Reading
Pandora has released its third-quarter financial results, capping off a busy three-month period that included its acquisition by Sirius XM. Quarterly revenue for Pandora totaled $417.6 million, up 16% from the year-ago period. “I’m proud of the progress we’ve made over the past year to reinvigorate Pandora,” CEO Roger Lynch said. Continue Reading