Alexa

RAIN Notes: March 17

Posted on March 17, 2025 by Brad Hill

— The How of Change (NPR)

— Alexa, Whither My Privacy? (Amazon)

— Time (J.D. Crowley)
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Google smart speakers take U.S. lead from Amazon in Q2 (Omdia)

Posted on August 2, 2021 by Brad Hill

In its quarterly report of smart speaker shipments, London-based research company Omdia reports that Google took the top spot from Amazon in the U.S. And interestingly, Apple’s HomePod increased its shipments from a year ago at a surprising rate. Click through for the chart. Continue Reading →

Sony Music recording artist Paloma Faith releases new Alexa programming with “In-Skill Purchasing”

Posted on June 9, 2021 by Brad Hill

Singer, songwriter, actor, and Sony Music artist Paloma Faith has revamped the Paloma’s Bedtime Alexa experience, and added “In-Skill Purchasing” (ISP), an Amazon/Alexa technology. Paloma Faith is the first Sony artist to introduce premium content in the voice-driven Alexa OS. Continue Reading →

Spoken Layer expands from media narrations to audio for brands with Lucky Charms adventures

Posted on August 24, 2020 by Brad Hill

Short form audio producer SpokenLayer, best known for audio narrations of articles published by media juggernauts Heart, Tribune, TIME, and others. According to CEO Andy Lipset, the company is increasingly doing original programming production for branded content. The latest to launch is Lucky Charms Magical Mission, a leprechaun-hosted adventure to magical lands. Click through for Alexa sample. Continue Reading →

Whooshkaa enables podcast skills in Alexa

Posted on April 28, 2019 by Brad Hill

Australian podcast company Whooshkaa starts the week with a new tech development that enables its hosted podcasts to become Alexa skills. That means that the podcast can be played through an Alexa device by invoking the show name rather than accessing TuneIn, which is Alexa’s standard podcast platform. Continue Reading →

Zach Fuller: Free Streaming Goes To Voice: Should Radio Companies Be Worried?

Posted on April 26, 2019 by Brad Hill

Guest columnist Zach Fuller, of MIDiA Research, looks at the history of audio disruption, and explores how Amazon’s free streaming service could advance the company’s global aspirations. “Embellishing the Prime pipeline through a free-streaming service is effectively the same strategy that RCA employed to incentivise radio adoption.” Continue Reading →

Amazon Alexa gets a newscaster voice; RAIN tests it (AUDIO)

Posted on January 23, 2019 by Anna Washenko

The latest development from Amazon Alexa is a more nuanced change in its language skills. The assistant now has the option to adopt the speech cadences and delivery of a professional newscaster. We tested it — click for the audio. Continue Reading →

Amazon releases developer kit to bring Alexa voice platform into cars

Posted on August 15, 2018 by RAIN News Staff

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 →

iHeartRadio to be default live music provider for Alexa children’s products

Posted on April 25, 2018 by Brad Hill

We know from The Smart Audio Report conducted by Edison Research and NPR, that smart speakers have a special (and perhaps unpredicted) appeal to kids, and therefore to parents who are bringing Alexa devices into their homes. research summary. iHeartRadio is leaping into that space with an announcement today that it will be the default provider of live music content for the newly launched Echo Dot Kids Edition, and the FreeTime Unlimited skill in Alexa. Continue Reading →