RAIN Notes: March 17
— The How of Change (NPR)
— Alexa, Whither My Privacy? (Amazon)
— Time (J.D. Crowley)
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Amazon
Wondery cuts staff: “No longer required.”
Prominent podcast studio Wondery is trimming staff, but details are not in focus. The story broke in Reuters, which quotes an unnamed source estimating the scope of the action as “dozens and dozens.” Amazon’s public remarks refer to a small number of jobs. Continue Reading
Amazon slashes staff in half at its “reinventing radio” Amp division
The Amazon initiative intending to “reimagine radio,” Amp, has hit a roadbump, as the company is making staff cuts, Business Insider reported on Friday, saying that “roughly 150 people,” or half of the division, were let go. When the division… Continue Reading
Amazon digital ad business growing nicely, bucking trends
While other ad-supported online brands like Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest showed weak Q2 year-over-year growth rates in ad revenues, Amazon showed healthy growth, CNBC reported yesterday. According to CNBC, “While the bulk of its business comes from e-commerce and cloud… Continue Reading
Amazon launches Amp, a social audio / music show competitor to Clubhouse and Spotify Shows
Amazon has launched Amp, a social audio platform with an interesting focus on building music shows. While early reports compare Amp to Clubhouse, Amazon’s promotional emphasis is on building interactive music shows, something like live, interactive radio. It also takes a stab at Spotify Shows. Continue Reading
Google smart speakers take U.S. lead from Amazon in Q2 (Omdia)
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
Amazon acquires ART19, fills out its podcast capabilities
Amazon has acquired ART19 for its Amazon Music distribution platform. ART19 has long been one of the most innovative and future-tech podcast hosting and monetization platforms. The acquisition puts a third leg on Amazon’s podcast stool, joining the Wondery acquisition in December and Amazon Music’s distribution power through Alexa smart speakers. Continue Reading
Apple TV+ developing TV show from Wondery podcast
Wondery founder Hernan Lopez announced that Apple TV+ is set to produce We Crashed, an adaptation of Wondery’s podcast WeCrashed: The Rise and Fall of WeWork. The limited run series will star Jared Leto and Anne Hathaway. It will be produced by Apple Studios. Continue Reading
Jeff Umbro: SiriusXM, Spotify, Amazon, and the New York Times Announce Earnings
by Jeff Umbro
In this week’s column, The Podglomerate CEO Jeff Umbro rounds up recent earnings reports from Spotify, SiriusXM, The New York Times, and Amazon. (With stock charts.) A nice grab-bag of industry updates rounds out the issue. Oh, also a podcast recommendation. Continue Reading
Jeff Umbro: Content Moderation: Twitter, YouTube, Podcasts?
by Jeff Umbro
In this week’s column, The Podglomerate CEO Jeff Umbro grapples with the often-overlooked, always-challenging topic of podcast content moderation. Should podcasting undergo the level of scrutiny that social networks do? Along with these ruminations, the column catches up with news from Spotify, Apple, and elsewhere. Continue Reading
Audible makes changes to its maligned audiobook royalty rules
When was the last time you returned a book you purchased? If it was an audiobook you bought in Amazon-owned Audible, you might have benefited from a relaxed and encouraging returns policy which allows a listener to trade one audiobook for another within a year from purchase. Great for customers; bad for authors and publishers (and some voice performers) whose royalty statements were filled with deductions from payments received months earlier. There has been clamor for change. At the new year, Amazon has responded. Click through for the story. Continue Reading
Jeff Umbro: New Year, New Podcast Acquisitions
by Jeff Umbro
In this week’s column, The Podglomerate CEO Jeff Umbro catches up after a mini vacation, rounding up the latest acquisitions, a prediction, a podcast recommendation, and other topical items. Continue Reading