This masterful write-up summarizes several important announcements which were clustered into a single week. There are three connecting threads: 1. The (continued) astronomic rise of the independent artist; 2. The growth of creator tools; 3. Streaming’s growing pains. A must-read from a global leader in digital audio industry analysis.
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Thursday, March 11 THE INFINITE DIAL 2021 SPECIAL The annual benchmark study of American listening, released today by Edison Research and Triton Digital Pandora is more recognized, but Spotify is more used In a peculiar perception vs. reality quirk,… Continue Reading
Thursday, March 4 Wondering about CPMs for programmatic podcast advertising? Triton Digital reports a range. Posted on March 4, 2021 by Brad Hill Two questions about digital audio programmatic advertising were addressed in Triton Digital’s presentation at the RAIN Podcast Business Summit… Continue Reading
Two questions about digital audio programmatic advertising were addressed in Triton Digital’s presentation at the RAIN Podcast Business Summit yesterday: 1. Is programmatic advertising a “race to the bottom” in ad revenue? 2. What are actual CPM rates in podcasting? Triton SVP Stephanie Donovan answered both with a view of average CPM rates for podcast programmatic advertising. Continue Reading
The Podcast Academy has announced nominees for its inaugural Awards for Excellence in Audio — nicknamed The Ambies. The nominees were sent around this morning in a press release. They also appear HERE. Through a membership vote, 164 nominees have… Continue Reading
Financial services company Square is acquiring a majority ownership stake in the TIDAL music streaming service, as announced by Square founder/CEO Jack Dorsey on Twitter (which he also founded and runs). Dorsey made the announcement on Twitter, befittingly. Click through for his statement and rationale. Continue Reading
Jottings of note:
— Evergreen Podcasts awarded “Top Media Startup”
Evergreen Podcasts has been named a Top Startup in the Audio Content category by MDI Ventures. Evergreen CEO Michael DeAloia will speak at the Media Top Startups Summit, March 24-26. Free registration HERE
— Tyler Moody leaves Warner Media
Tyler Moody has left Warner/CNN. “I wore a lot of hats from CNN to Turner to WarnerMedia, but always worked on audio in some way.” Find him on LinkedIn to discuss the future.
— Entercom podcast hire: Brian Swarth
Entercom’s Cadence13 and Pineapple Street Studio name Brian Swarth Head of Marketing, Podcasts, a newly created position. He was previously SVP at Showtime Networks.
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The fifth annual RAIN Podcast Business Summit played on Zoom to a large virtual audience today, presented by iHeartRadio, Stitcher, Triton Digital, and founding partner NPR. Other sponsors supporting this event were Megaphone, AdsWizz, WideOrbit, and AccuRadio. In a compact 3.5-hour schedule, 22 speakers held forth on the business side of podcasting. Click for lots of quotes. Continue Reading
Mark Mulligan of MIDiA Research published research showing a long tail of music providers which is gradually taking Spotify listening share from major labels and the mighty Merlin aggregate of indie labels. This cohort of providers, growing over three years, represents a “new independent.” Click through for a revealing graphic.
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Podcast creation and monetization web service Sounder has raised $2.1-million, a year following $1.8-million the young company scooped up in March 2020. Over 14 months, the company has attracted about 4-million of seed financing. Continue Reading
In the company’s Q4 earnings call last week, iHeartMedia CEO Bob Pittman and COO/CFO Rich Bressler emphasized podcasting and recent digital audio acquisitions, and touched on a new view of international opportunity for iHeart. Click of tap through for details and quotes. Continue Reading
New podcasts of note.
In Plain Sight: Lady Bird Johnson (ABC Audio)
Stolen: The Search for Jermain (Gimlet/Spotify)
La Brega (WNYC & Futuro Studios)