RAIN Notes: Wednesday, February 22
Jottings of Note
— Sonic Adventuring (Studio Resonate)
— New Native (True Native Media)
— Automated Efficiency (Frequency / Sounds Profitable)
Search Results for: https
Spotify adds AI-powered DJ to music listening
If broadcast radio felt disgruntled by on-demand listening apps before, now there is a new offense: Spotify has introduced a DJ feature which uses a synthetic voice to create a radio-like presentation of the user’s saved music. It is called AI DJ, and the tool uses generative artificial intelligence to intro and extro a mix of tracks from the user’s library. Click for a launch video. Continue Reading
“This will be a major loss” — NPR plans 10% workforce reduction in erosion of ad dollars
National Public radio will lay off at least 100 people, about 10% of its workforce. The exact positions and layoff count will be determined by March 20. “We’re not seeing signs of a recovery in the advertising market,” CEO John Lansing said. Click for more. Continue Reading
Actionable audio ads, Zellennials, and the power of testing: More from Veritonic’s Audio Intelligence Summit
More notes from AIS2023, Veritonic’s Audio Intelligence Summit in New York, featuring Charles Cadbury, Scott Marino, Samantha Sweig, James Clarke, Thad Smith, and Danielle Linden. Continue Reading
Parcast founder and Spotify exec Max Cutler stepping down
Max Cutler, founder of the Parcast production and podcast content group, and Spotify VP, is leaving Spotify. Cutler was an influential force in Spotify’s podcast adventures, and this high-profile exit comes a month after Dawn Ostroff exited the company in a sweeping workforce reduction. It appears to be part of what CEO Daniel Ek promised in a recent Q4 earnings call. Continue Reading
RAIN Notes: Tuesday, February 21
Jottings of Note
— Podcast Programmatic Pickup (The Sonic Truth)
— Bubble Or Blip? (Bubble Trouble)
— From Bitter To Sweet (Sonic Seasoning)
James Cridland’s International Radio Trends: CBC to turn off transmitters (but not yet)
by James Cridland
A packed column this week from James. The CBC will stop broadcasting, in a projected move to all-digital. But the move doesn’t appear to be imminent, and James notes that in Britain the BBC laid out the same intent — they are planting flags in the future. Beyond that coverage, James gives us notes about Australia’s ABC network falling off the internet, interesting facts about the U.S. radio industry, and links to his personal blog.
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Sirius XM tops Edison ranking of top podcast networks
Edison Research has released its Top Podcast Networks for combined Q3-Q4, 2022. The list ranks podcast networks based on total audience reach from Edison Podcast Metrics, and reflects an expanded sample which now includes weekly podcast listeners age 13-17. Click through for the visual. Continue Reading
RAIN Notes: Friday, February 17
Jottings of Note
— Pre-Audible … Way Pre (NY Times)
— Taking the Measure (Westwood One)
— End of an Executive Era (YouTube)
Triton Digital January US Podcast Report: NPR retakes top spot; only one debut
Triton Digital released its January Podcast Report, which measures weekly downloads of Triton measurement clients. NPR regains #1, assisted with the highest number of episodes created in the month. Not much switching around within this stable ranking. Continue Reading
“Stuff You Should Know” milestone – 3B downloads. That’s billion.
iHeartPodcasts announced today that its acquired show, Stuff You Should Know, hosted by Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant, has been downloaded three billion times. “Chuck and I started this series with a passion for curiosity and had no expectation of ever being a leading podcast,” said Josh Clark. That’s the kind of rags-to-riches business story that launches thousands of newer shows. Continue Reading
From Joe Rogan to Freakonomics: Top 50 podcasts in H2 2022 (Edison Research)
Edison Research has released its measurement of the top 100 podcasts in the U.S. for combined Q3 and Q4. As the company emphasizes, this is the only podcast ranker which doesn’t count downloads, and isn’t restricted to clients. Edison builds this ranking through a survey of 10,597 podcast consumers ages 13 and older in the U.S. Continue Reading