by Jeff Umbro
RAIN News welcomes Jeff Umbro in his first weekly appearance as guest columnist. In this edition, he offers in-depth analysis of siriusXM’s pending acquisition of Stitcher, and covers other podcasting news as well. Jeff is CEO of the Podglomerate podcast network. Click through for more details about Jeff, and of course to read the column. Continue Reading
After 48 hours of rumors, today we get … well, sort-of confirmation that SiriusXM will acquire Stitcher from E.W.Scripps. The confirmation part is from the Wall Street Journal. The sort-of part is the article’s first sentence: “Sirius XM Holdings Inc. is near a deal to buy E.W. Scripps Co.’s Stitcher.” There is no visible confirmation from Sirius, Stitcher, or Scripps. But, as of this morning, industry-wide assumption is that the deal is all but done … in a “poised to buy” sort of way. This acquisition adds a chapter in the corporate life of each company involved. Continue Reading
Here is the latest in our perio;dic update of major audio stock performance. In the chart below, we see the violent fluctuations in stock value for Spotify (SPOT), SiriusXM (SIRI), iHeartMedia (IHRT), and Entercom (ETM). These four companies embody numerous audio creation, distribution, and technology entities, including: Gimlet Media, Parcast, Anchor, Pandora, AdsWizz, Simplecast, iHeartPodcast Network, Stuff Media, Cadence13, RADIO.com, and Pineapple Street Studios. Continue Reading
SiriusXM is hitting the nets this morning with a smart acquisition. The satellite radio and digital audio holding company is buying podcast host Simplecast. That’s the short story. The bigger picture is a full-on podcast distribution and monetization system for podcast creators at all levels. Continue Reading
SiriusXM and Flo & Eddie, the company representing 60s band the Turtles, have been playing legal ping pong over the copyright for songs that were recorded prior to 1972, the date when federal copyright law took effect. The latest salvo comes from the satellite radio company, which has successfully petitioned the 2nd Circuit court to receive a review of the decisions handed down in the New York case by Judge Colleen McMahon. Continue Reading
Satellite broadcaster SiriusXM is planning a two-week activation of non-subscribed car receivers starting May 19. Drivers of those cars will find that they can tune in a selection of Sirius stations until June 1, when the promotion ends. The promo kicks off with a live concert broadcast intended to attract a Latino audience. Continue Reading
This weekly podcast is a quick and concise catch-up of must-know news in streaming music and online audio
This week: Swell Music shutters … Vevo looks for a buyer … Pandora releases earnings … NPR reinvents radio, again … Sirius and Radionomy have news. Continue Reading
One of the hottest trends in the transportation field nowadays is that of “car sharing,” a/k/a short-term, neighborhood-distributed car rentals, a la Zipcar. In this narrative, which is both hilarious and horrendous, founding editor Kurt Hanson describes the stunning failed experience of trying a newly-developed car-sharing service offered by legacy car-rental company Hertz. Spinning off a new business line separate from a firm’s core competency isn’t as easy as it might seem — and Kurt Hanson extends that point to the Internet radio industry. Continue Reading
SiriusXM announced an expansion of its Pre-Owned Program, via a partnership with Nowcom’s DealerCenter management software. DealerCenter is utilized by 4,500 car dealers in the U.S. This development follows a March announcement which integrated Sirius’ program with AutoManager, another software solutions provider to car dealers. Continue Reading
Welcome to Internet Radio REWIND, an audio recap of the week. This weekly program is a quick and concise catch-up of the week’s top stories. Click the Play button, refresh your neurons, and be ready for the coming week. This week: CarPlay comes out to play; a field day for earnings; Samsung spills its marketing for Milk; the Electronic Frontier Foundation tries to rescue podcasting; and a birthday of the man who probably didn’t invent radio. Continue Reading
As in the car, so on Wall Street … today. SiriusXM and Clear Channel (including iHeartRadio information) released quarterly earnings reports this morning. Pandora comes to bat at 5:00pm EDT. Here are two summaries and one preview. Continue Reading
Further leveraging in-car listening as its primary customer acquisition funnel, SiriusXM will begin offering three-month trial subscriptions to used-car buyers. Naturally, the offer applies in cars equipped with a SiriusXM receiver. The initiative is enabled by AutoManager, a dealership solution provider. Continue Reading