RAIN Notes: Thursday April 15
Jottings of note:
— Seriously (Podcasting Seriously Award Fund)
— A Squad (She Podcasts)
— A Startup Guide (NPR)
Spotify
Spotify launches Car Thing: voice controlled, knob-assisted, dashboard-placed, outright challenge to radio and the commute
The rumored in-car listening device from Spotify, playfully called Car Thing, has arrived. The voice-controlled, knob-adjusting device is flagrantly designed to push aside both the car radio, the in-car smartphone, and in-dash systems … for Premium subscribers, at least, who get the device free during an introductory period. Click for pics and more.
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RAIN Notes: Tuesday April 13
Jottings of note:
— Reviews for Good (Podchaser)
— Branded Podcast How-to (FieldCast)
— Key Topic (Instreamatic)
Gimlet Media and The Ringer finalize union agreements with Spotify. Here are salary & other details.
Unionization of Gimlet Media and The Ringer has been completed via agreements with parent company Spotify. Gimlet has 48 union members; The Ringer has 65. Click through for comprehesive lists of job titles and minimum salaries for each job role. Continue Reading
RAIN Notes: Thursday, April 8
Jottings of note:
— Power Pressing (Blubrry)
— Refreshed (SpokenLayer)
— Selective Culling (Spotify/Rogan)
RAIN Notes: Monday, April 5
Jottings of note:
— A winner (Evergreen Podcasts)
— Watch for openings (Stitcher)
— Legal hire (Townsquare Media)
— Insider interviews (TechCrunch)
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RAIN Notes: Friday, April 2
Jottings of note:
— Sounds like calisthenics (Univison)
— Segmenting the radio audience (Edison & NPR)
— Directing traffic (Spotify)
— The winner will be… (The Ambies)
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Spotify acquires Betty Labs, creator of live social audio, elbowing into Clubhouse’s space
Spotify has announced its acquisition of Betty Labs, a tech startup which build Locker Room, a live audio conversation space for sports fans. The company says the grab will “accelerate Spotify’s entry into the live audio space.” Other remarks from Spotify sound like a plan to eat Clubhouse’s lunch. Continue Reading
Spotify vs. Netflix: User growth 2015 – 2020. Spotify wins total; Netflix wins subs.
Spotify has only 76% the number of monthly paid subscribers as Netflix, but 31% more total users than Netflix subscribers. Further, Spotify is growing monthly subscribers at a quicker rate than Netflix, closing the gap year-over-year since 2015, though at a decelerating pace. Click through for details and graphic. Continue Reading
Obama/Springsteen podcast, and other new Spotify exclusives
Many of the announcements in Spotify’s flood of news in yesterday’s “Stream On” presentation were about platform features for creators and advertisers. But new and exclusive podcast content was also featured. The biggest headline is certainly the launch of a Barack Obama / Bruce Springsteen conversational show called “Renegades: Born in the USA.” Also, DC Comics and Ava DuVernay. Click through for info, audio, and video Continue Reading
Spotify links podcasting to blogging with text-to-speech WordPress/Anchor hook-up
In the slew of announcements during Spotify’s “Stream On” presentation Monday, the company seemed to recognize an affinity between podcasting and blogging. Spotify’s new agreement with WordPress.com, which leverages Spotify’s Anchor podcasting platform, bridges the two realms. The result is near-instant podcasts. We now await the reverse.
Spotify’s new ad network promising “a new era for podcast advertising.”
Marketing it as a “first-of-its-kind audio advertising marketplace,” Spotify announced the Spotify Audience Network as part of its wide-ranging “Stream On” presentation. The promotional emphasis is on podcast advertising, but the marketplace itself includes music streamed to an audience of about 155-million listeners in Spotify Free. At the foundation of this initiative is the company’s Streaming Ad Insertion (SAI) tech. Continue Reading