iHeartRadio introduces 3D / binaural audio for podcast production

iHeartRadio is announcing the launch of iHeart 3D Audio, using binaural recording and production techniques. The company will debut a new slate of podcasts in this new category of experiential media — Aaron Mahnke will be involved in that effort. Bonus episodes of The Ron Burgundy Podcast will also be created in 3D mode. Click through for a link to a demo reel. Continue Reading

President Biden’s not-podcast, not-radio weekly address

Following a tradition of weekly radio addresses started by Franklin D. Roosevelt, revivied by Reagan, and carried forward in different forms by other chief executives, President Biden has launched a weekly communication series. It won’t be on the radio, though — a White House spokesperson told Engadget that Biden’s weekly chat with Americans will be “where people are.” (That has to feel insulting to radio, especially considering radio’s 93% reach.) So … what is this thing? Continue Reading

84M people listen to 2.2M podcasts on Spotify. More investments to come. Spotify targets radio.

Much, but not all, of the conversation in Spotify’s earnings call yesterday was about podcasting and the company’s investments. “We are very much still in the investment phase of Spotify,” Ek stated. He also explicitly targeted radio in the tradition of Pandora earning calls of the past: “The primary opportunity, as we think about the long-term is in the linear radio experience by moving online and into on-demand. That is the eye on the prize, the one that we are chasing.” Continue Reading

iHeartRadio Podcast Awards 2021 (virtual) — all the nominees here

iHeartRadio announces today that its Podcast Awards program will continue in 2021, in a virtual format. In past years the January event was staged at the iHeartRadio Theater in Burbank, CA. The 2021 iHeartRadio Podcast Awards will be on January 21, streamed on iHeart’s Facebook and YouTube locations, the iHeartRadio app (naturally), and broadcast or streamed on some iHeartMedia radio stations and virtual sites. Click through for a complete list of categories and finalists. Continue Reading

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Spotify/Anchor launch radio-style DJ’ing, leaping into both radio and music-rich podcasting

“Think of your favorite drive-time radio show,” Spotify says in an announcement. That is the only mention of “radio,” but it is telling. The company has launched a new listening product which jabs an arrow straight into radio’s underbelly, or apparently aspires to. This new product is (oddly) unnamed, but it mixes music and commentary similar to radio and enables users to become public DJs within the Spotify app. Click through for details, commentary, and how to find it. Continue Reading

Audio/podcasting entrepreneur Jake Shapiro leaves RadioPublic for Apple

As announced on his LinkedIn feed, RadioPublic and Podfund Founder/CEO, and RAIN Summit keynote speaker Jake Shapiro has joined Apple as Head of Creator Partnerships, Apple Podcasts. Shapiro notes that his former companies will continue with new leadership, as of now undisclosed. Shapiro’s appointment seems to indicate Apple’s growing interest in becoming an original content network. Continue Reading

NPR podcast revenue to surpass radio, as “sea change” shifts listening

If Q2 was the Covid Quarter, NPR was infected. The U.S. public radio network lost about a quarter of its audience during that period. The main influence? Loss of morning and evening car commuting. But this trend is balanced by shifts to in-home device listening, increasing reach overall. Podcast revenue will surpass broadcast ad revenue for the first time. Click through for details. Continue Reading

Inside Radio’s Top 10 Most Powerful People in Podcasting

After soliciting over 400 nominations, Inside Radio and its sister publication Podcast News Daily have released a top-10 list of podcasting executives. That evidently not being sufficient to represent the field, there is also a second list of 32 “Podcast Power Players.” Conal Byrne (President, iHeartPodcast Network and RAIN Summit speaker) took the top honor. Click through for the top-10 list. Continue Reading

A new podcast incupator project: iHeartRadio with Tongal

iHeartRadio, one of the world’s largest podcast publishers, and Tongal, a content creation and talent crowdsourcing platform, are teaming up on The Next Great Podcast, an open call for submissions to win resources for developing a new iHeartRadio podcast. Tongal, which has been a resource for film production, will likely gain more recognition in podcasting with this venture. Semi-finalists get $1,000 each, and the winner gets an on-ramp to making an iHeartRadio podcast. Continue Reading