Voice assistants have a steadily growing presence in smartphones and at-home entertainment. Now the technology is making a decisive move out onto the road with industry-leader Amazon. Continue Reading
Podtrac has released its monthly ranking of podcast publishers for July. Total global downloads for the ten parties on the list dipped 2% from the June 2018 figures, but increased 57% year-over-year. NPR tops the chart yet again. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Spotify adds songwriter and producer credits on iOS. Audio Recording Through the Ages. Continue Reading
AdsWizz has entered a partnership with Univision, a media company specializing in Hispanic-American audiences. Under the terms of the arrangement, Univision will use the AdsWizz AudioMax platform for programmatic ad buying on its Uforia radio and streaming music service. Continue Reading
RadioPublic has attracted yet another investor for its podcast listening and discovery platform. Automattic, the parent company behind blogging and web content service WordPress.com, is the latest to put resources into the venture. Continue Reading
Pandora is announcing today the addition of Premium controls to its Google Home presence. Pandora Premium is the fully on-demand music service in Pandora, and this release enables subscribers to voice-control their accounts. Continue Reading
Bell Media, which operates the iHeartRadio product in Canada, has reached a deal with Spotify which extends distribution of Bell’s podcast catalog to that global giant. The arrangement includes The Jay and Dan Podcast, TSN Overdrive, and Mike On Much — all part of the iHeartRadio Canada Podcast Network Continue Reading
Hundreds of radio professionals attended the Podcast Movement gathering in July. Yet, says Amplifi Media’s Steve Goldstein, radio is responsible for very little podcasting output. He identifies six main reasons why. Continue Reading
Apple Music is putting a brighter spotlight on classical music thanks to its partnership with Deutsche Grammophon. The classical music label is helping to curate The DG Playlist, which will feature recordings from across its 120 years in operation. The pair is also tapping some of the label’s younger talents to aid in the curation. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Music Biz Slams Citi Report on Industry & Artist Revenue as ‘Inconsistent,’ ‘Inaccurate.’ The future is ear: Why “hearables” are finally tech’s next big thing. Spotify’s $30 billion playlist for global domination. Cook says Apple not in music streaming for the money. Your Favourite BBC Podcasts, Now on Spotify in the UK. Continue Reading
Pandora has hired Heidi Anne-Noel as its new senior manager of communications. In this position, she will be responsible for overseeing the music communications strategy as well as outreach to the music press and business communities. Continue Reading
Veritone One, the full-service ad agency branch of AI tech giant Veritone, has acquired podcast ad sales company Performance Bridge Media. The deal will make Veritone One a larger player in the field of podcast and radio solutions. Continue Reading