Acast Q1 earnings: 11% sales growth across 100M podcasts
Acast has released its Q1 2023 earnings report. Click for detailed coverage of finances, key metrics, new Q1 initiatives, and comments from the CEO. Continue Reading
Spotify
Spotify expands audio ad market to three new European countries
Spotify announces today that its proprietary ad network, the Spotify Audience Network (often abbreviated as SPAN), is expanding to France, Spain, and Italy. SPAN is dedicated to serving ad buyers of all sizes with a self-serve system. Continue Reading
Spotify expands audio ad market to three new European countries
Spotify announces today that its proprietary ad network, the Spotify Audience Network (often abbreviated as SPAN), is expanding to France, Spain, and Italy. SPAN is dedicated to serving ad buyers of all sizes with a self-serve system. Continue Reading
Spotify Q1 2023 earnings: Podcasting and new categories
After Spotify’s Q1 earnings report this week, we review the company’s responses to investor questions about podcasting and future new audio categories. Continue Reading
Spotify launches “broadcast-to-podcast,” connecting two of its acquisitions
Spotify notified us of a new venture and technology accomplishment — called “broadcast-to-podcast,” it enables radio broadcasters a specialized tool that makes it simple to turn their existing audio content into on-demand podcast content. This repurposing is accomplished with two of Spotify’s acquisitions: Australia-based Whooshkaa and U.S.-based Megaphone. Click for lots of detail. Continue Reading
NPR podcasts are now part of Spotify’s SPAN marketplace, keeping the distinctive NPR promo sound
In an announcement timed to coincide with last week’s Podcast Movement Evolutions conference, NPR has joined the Spotify Audience Network (SPAN), adding one of the world’s most listened-to catalogs to the streaming giant’s podcast monetization platform. It is the first time NPR has gone beyond its direct-sold advertising to work with a partner. Spotify will monetize unsold inventory, NPR told RAIN, and retain NPR’s trademark sponsorship sound. Click for more detail. Continue Reading
Podcast Movement Evolutions: Awards, announcements, and hard-core learnings in Vegas
Podcast Movement Evolutions, the business-oriented variation of the creator-focused Podcast Movement conferences, was held at the Westgate Conference Center in Las Vegas this week. A somewhat more intimate experience than Podcast Movement, Evolutions offered several knowledge tracks featuring keynotes, interviews, and panel discussions along with numerous networking opportunities during three and a half days. There were announcements, too. Continue Reading
Twitter reactions to Spotify’s AI DJ: Skepticism and “Where is it?”
When Mixcloud founder and CEO Nico Perez asked Twitter for reactions to Spotify’s new AI DJ feature he received a short thread of contrasting replies. A well known tech pub calls it “deeply unnecessary.” Meanwhile, Spotify is occupied explaining why nobody can find it. With all this, we are looking forward to it. Continue Reading
Spotify adds AI-powered DJ to music listening
If broadcast radio felt disgruntled by on-demand listening apps before, now there is a new offense: Spotify has introduced a DJ feature which uses a synthetic voice to create a radio-like presentation of the user’s saved music. It is called AI DJ, and the tool uses generative artificial intelligence to intro and extro a mix of tracks from the user’s library. Click for a launch video. Continue Reading
Spotify earnings message: “Speed plus efficiency”
Spotify was ready for investor questions about the recent reorg. The company’s remarks emphasized a shift from previous spending to future operational efficiency. This core message was connected to every aspect of the product, with some emphasis on podcasting (thanks to relentless investor questioning about the podcast business) and especially the recent departure of Dawn Ostroff, who ran the podcast business. Click for quotes. Continue Reading
Spotify Q4: 489M users, 205M subs, 100M tracks, 5M podcasts, 300k audiobooks. (Oh, and financials)
“So, by the end of the year, we had more than 100 million tracks on our platform and more than 5 million podcasts and more than 300,000 audio books being enjoyed by almost 0.5 billion listeners.” –Daniel Ek, CEO, Spotify… Continue Reading
“Spotify’s Billion-Dollar Bet on Podcasting Has Yet to Pay Off,” argues Bloomberg Businessweeek
In the current issue of Bloomberg Businessweek, the publication argues (in the article’s subhead) that “Joe Rogan, Bill Simmons, and Call Her Daddy haven’t fixed the business.” Journalist Lucas Shaw describes the hiring of former TV/cable exec Dawn Ostroff, who… Continue Reading