Spotify has secured a licensing deal with Warner Music Group, meaning the streaming service now has agreements with all three major labels. The Warner deal is one of the final pieces Spotify needs to progress with any means of going public. Continue Reading
With podcasts and audiobooks continuing to grow in popularity, it makes sense that other forms of audio narration have been taking off too. The latest we’ve found is a startup called Audm, which delivers audio versions of select long-form journalism. Continue Reading
Podcast database Podxref is developing new technology for sharing show information with mobile listeners. The tech presents information about the personalities involved in a show episode, including both the hosts and guests, within a podcast player. It is a path toward possible podcast discovery by allowing listeners to tap for more content by a person whose work they enjoy. Continue Reading
Pandora is exploring new approaches to improving its audio ads. The latest experiment is a shift in the length of ads, investigating whether short spots can still yield positive results with listeners. Based on the early findings from Pandora, ad recall had double-digit increases for both 10-second and 30-second spots. Continue Reading
E.W. Scripps had some shake-ups within its top leadership this month. Adam Symson took on the role of president and CEO on August 8. Since stepping into that CEO position, Symson has made some additional changes to Scripps’ executive team. Continue Reading
DGital Media sent RAIN News an exclusive preview of pivotal news which includes a new company name, a raft of new executive hires, and an expanded suite of production studios nationwide. Continue Reading
Podcast Movement, the podcast creator conference in its 4th year, is unfurling an ever increasing wing span in Anaheim this week. Unlike last year’s event in Chicago, this year’s installation in a coastal locale and larger venue seems to reflect the growth and maturation of podcasting. Continue Reading
Nielsen has released its Podcast Insights report for Q3 2017, which found that a full 50% of U.S. households now identify as podcast fans. The analysis focused on the crossover between those millions of podcast fan-households and three advertising categories to provide a snapshot of the value podcast listeners can offer to brands. Results draw on the Nielsen Homescan Panel. Continue Reading
The Interactive Advertising Bureau has released a new guide for podcast advertisers. The publication marks the first-ever buyer’s guide from the IAB about podcast advertising. With podcast advertising a continually hot topic for the audio industry, this guide consolidates some of the key talking points about why this format has so much potential for advertisers. Continue Reading
ART19 has closed a Series A financing round of $7.5 million. Bertelsmann Digital Media Investments and DCM Ventures led the round, with United Talent Agency, Gallo Digital, Zach Coelius, and Array Ventures also included as investors. The podcast technology company is now predicting 300% revenue growth in 2017. Continue Reading
AdLarge Media announced the addition of hey, girl. to its cabana brand of podcast services and digital audio ad buying. Author Alex Elle created the program, where she interviews inspiring, interesting women for this show about self-discovery, sisterhood, and storytelling. Cabana is AdLarge’s division for podcast creation and ad representation. Continue Reading
RAIN Summit is heading to Australia! RAIN Summit Australia will take place in at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre on October 13, in collaboration with Commercial Radio Australia (CRA), and will be produced as part of Radio Alive 2017, the Australian radio industry’s annual national conference. Continue Reading