Pandora

SiriusXM company AdsWizz intros “Mood Targeting” for streaming music advertisers

Posted on by Brad Hill

Adtech company AdsWizz has introduced a new targeting technology for marketers who advertise in streaming music environments. Called Mood Targeting, “The new product seeks to match the mood or content of an ad, to the mood of the listener’s song or playlist.” Targeting music mood was a Pandora breakthrough years ago, and Pandora originally acquired AdsWizz (both are subsidiaries of SiriusXM). Click for details. Continue Reading →

With Spotify’s recent raise, major music services are settled at $10.99 subscription level

Posted on by Brad Hill

Spotify made news during its Q2 earnings report (See RAIN HERE and HERE) for raising its monthly Spotify Premium subscription rate from $9.99 to $10.99. Investor reaction, as a whole, could be characterized as “It’s about time.” Our survey of current music subscription pricing does support some investor impatience with Spotify, with six competing services having already boosted to that level.
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Brad Smith, Simplecast founder, named Head of Podcast Products at SiriusXM

Posted on by Brad Hill

Serial entrepreneur Brad Smith, who founded podcast hosting platform Simplecast, has been named Head of Podcast Products for SiriusXM, effective immediately, the company tells RAIN. Smith will manage a team responsible for SiriusXM’s podcast product strategy across all of its owned platforms – including SiriusXM, Pandora, and Stitcher. Continue Reading →

SiriusXM, Pandora, Stitcher launch new channels, podcasts, and events for Black Music Month

Posted on by Brad Hill

June is Black History Month, siriusXM is marshalling its sprawling inventory of audio platforms in a combined celebration and promotion. The company, along with its Pandora and Stitcher subsidiaries, announced the launch of three exclusive limited-engagement channels, a groundbreaking original podcast, and specialty music programming. Continue Reading →

TikTok to partner with SiriusXM (and Pandora) with new channels and “audio experiences”

Posted on by Brad Hill

TikTok Radio is a headline new channel coming to SiriusXM, expanding the reach of the shortform video platform’s influence on the music industry. SiriusXM calls the new channel “groundbreaking,” and promises other collaborations across the Sirius/Pandora audio offerings. Other extensions of TikTok music already appear on Sirius-owned Pandora. Continue Reading →

SiriusXM combines acquired sales orgs to create SXM Media, reaching 150M listeners

Posted on by Brad Hill

Today audio juggernaut SiriusXM is announcing the merger of three internal sales divisions attached to Sirius, Pandora, and Stitcher. Unifying the three ad sales entities creates a marketplace of 150-million listeners across a constellation of satellite programming, lean-back streaming music, and podcasting. The newly combined unit is called SXM Media. Continue Reading →

SiriusXM acquires 99% Invisible Inc.

Posted on by Brad Hill

Emulating Spotify and The New York Times, and furthering an ongoing era of podcast consolidation, SiriusXM has acquired 99% Invisible Inc., the owner of the venerable 99% Invisible podcast and its spinoffs. The podcast was launched by host Roman Mars in 2010, which could be considered the Middle Ages of podcasting — an era between the rosy founding days of a new media category and the modern resurgence which started with NPR’s Serial in 2014. Click for details. Continue Reading →

NPR rises, iHeartRadio dips in Triton Streaming Metrics (January)

Posted on by Brad Hill

Triton Digital’s Streaming Metrics monthly ranker of measured streaming entities is out for January streaming, and shows iHeartRadio in its newly established leading position, but with a dip over the past two months. NPR, meanwhile, approached 100,000 Average Active Sessions (AAS), Triton’s measurement of average simultaneous streams. Click through for the chart. Continue Reading →

Pandora exits Triton ranker, shining light on streaming radio (Triton Digital Webcast Metrics)

Posted on by Brad Hill

Triton Digital’s Webcast Metrics monthly ranker of measured streaming entities turned a corner in the November data, at least for the time being. “Pandora reevaluates their third-party data partnerships as part of an ongoing process, and are not currently measured by Triton’s Webcast Metrics,” Triton informs RAIN. The sudden absence of Pandora’s supremacy in the chart, which RAIN has been caretaking since September 2009, creates room below for streaming radio to differentiate its groups. Click through for details, history, and charts. Continue Reading →