Intelligence company NuVoodoo Media Services shared information about smart speaker ownership from its Ratings Prospects Study. The company asked almost 3,000 participants between the ages of 14 and 54 about the Amazon Echo and Echo Dot, and found an overall ownership rate of 15.5%. Continue Reading
We were interested to see Tom Taylor’s note about the Tesla Model 3 electric car, which is apparently being delivered with no AM/FM or most other audio options. Tesla responded to the report with a promise that future audio capability will be added via over-the-air updates. Continue Reading
Many legacy media organizations have hopped on the podcasting bandwagon as the audio format’s popularity has grown in recent years. One such company is book publisher Macmillan. Macmillan Podcasts has a decade of experience in developing and distributing audio shows, and the division just announced its fall show lineup. Continue Reading
Rivet Radio has continued its collaboration with E.W. Scripps to create audio skills for use with devices enabled with Amazon’s Alexa voice controls. Following the completion of a pilot program in Tampa, Scripps contracted Rivet to expand their Alexa skill program to eight more markets that went live in August. Continue Reading
Integr8 Research conducted a survey to explore radio ownership trends and whether the emerging smart speaker product segment is growing into a replacement for radio sets. The company surveyed more than 3,000 radio listeners aged 15 to 39 who are dedicated to a local genre station. Ownership of radios appeared shaky. Continue Reading
Spotify has hired Adam Parness as its new head of global publisher licensing. Parness most recently spent about a year with Pandora as head of publisher licensing and relations. Continue Reading
audioBoom has entered a distribution deal to bring Jukebox, the audio entertainment operation from India-based ticketing platform BookMyShow. As a result of the deal, several audioBoom podcasts will be made available on Jukebox for Indian listeners. Continue Reading
Google is expanding its footprint in the smart speaker space with two new products. The Google Home Mini is a puck-shaped option priced at $49. The Google Home Max is a larger version of the original Google Home with a more powerful sound system. Continue Reading
PodcastOne has added two executives to its leadership team. Casey Jacobs is the company’s new vice president of sports and development. Allyson Marino also joins PodcastOne as director of special programs. Continue Reading
Sonos hosted a press event today to announce its latest developments in implementing voice controls into its wireless speaker product line, a pivot the company first announced in March 2016. First, the company introduced a new smart speaker with voice controls. Continue Reading
Nielsen has released its latest Music 360 report, an analysis that touches on several key trends in the U.S. music industry’s ongoing shifts into the digital space. First, it highlights a growing interest in playlists and music curation. Second, despite the high interest in streaming, radio continues to hold a strong share. Continue Reading
Podtrac has published its September 2017 podcast publisher rankings. It marked a somewhat unusual month, as the list of the top publishers showed no changes in names or order from August. Continue Reading