Spotify has dropped a group of audiobooks — nine of them — comprising public domain classics read by known actors. The effort is barely a toe in the water of audiobook creation and distribution, but Spotify got its arms around podcasting in little more than two years. So heads up, Audible. Click through for deets. Continue Reading
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
Spotify has announced its intention to expand to South Korea in the new year. The announcement doesn’t include a more specific timeline, but does try to establish Spotify’s cred in Korean pop music. Indeed, the service’s K-Pop portal is rich with discovery. Competition awaits in South Korea. Click through for details and screenshots. Continue Reading
by Jeff Umbro
In this week’s column, Podglomerate CEO Jeff Umbro unleashes an epic list of lists — 32 media brands which released end-of-year “best podcasts of 2020” roundups. From Esquire to Vanity Fair. From Town & Country to Teen Vogue. Dive in now; thank Jeff later. (Or blame him; your choice.) Continue Reading
The Spotify podcast deal-making dreadnought sails on, now signing the ex-royal couple Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to an exclusive production arrangement. The model seems to be taken from the Spotify/Obamas deal which tied a new production company, Higher Ground, to Spotify (not an equity acquisition). Likewise, Harry and Meghan have fashioned a production company called Archewell Audio. Click through for details and a trailer. Continue Reading
by Jeff Umbro
In this week’s column, Podglomerate CEO Jeff Umbro covers key podcast news items from the past week. In this edition, a rundown of four online courses and webinars for getting a better understanding of podcasting issues and skills. Also — Sirius XM and Howard Stern. Continue Reading
by Bill Rosenblatt
Guest columnist Bill Rosenblatt speculates a podcast world in which Amazon has acquired Wondery, fulfilling that rumor. A certain bifurcation would become evident in that scenario, pitching an Amazon/Spotify axis pushing for exclusivity of content, and an iHeartRadio/NPR axis pushing for ad revenue. A must-read column. Continue Reading
by Jeff Umbro
In this week’s column, Podglomerate CEO Jeff Umbro covers key podcast news items from the past week. Megafy? That’s mega-Spotify. Also, a review of three radio quarterly earnings reports. Continue Reading
Podcasting consolidation continues, as Spotify — an acquisition giant in the field — announces that it is buying Megaphone, one of the world’s leading podcast hosting and ad-tech companies. The deal represents not only Spotify’s growing imperialism in the podcast space, but the deepening influence of modern ad technology and audience targeting on the business of podcasting. Continue Reading
by Jeff Umbro
In this week’s column, Podglomerate CEO Jeff Umbro covers key podcast news items from the past week. Also, he claims to have listened to non-political podcasts … for one day. Continue Reading
After Spotify’s Q3 earnings call this week, SPOT stock demonstrated investor unhappiness with some aspects of the financial performance, along with a wider midweek market downturn. This post digs into the call details to uncover several key points related to content metrics, audience size, and podcast strategy. Click through for some interesting metrics. Continue Reading
MIDiA Research has concluded its quarterly podcast survey, Podcasts Q2 2020: Spotify Takes an Early Lead. It’s a subscription product, but MIDiA has pulled out one intriguing bit: Spotify is the most-used podcast platform according to 780 survey respondents across six countries. Continue Reading