The winter results from the RAJAR Midas survey have brought another flurry of insight into how the UK is consuming audio. Live radio has a 90% reach for audio formats, just trailing any TV with 91% reach. Online video/audio clips took a distant third place with 33% reach, while on-demand music services posted 25% and podcasts 12%. Continue Reading
The BBC’s Sam Bailey has been appointed as the managing director for the new Audio Content Fund. This program, funded by the UK government, will award grants for the production of public service content for commercial radio. Continue Reading
The UK posted a rise of nearly 6% in music consumption during 2018 on the back of more growth in streaming, according to data from BPI and the Official Charts Company. Total music consumption for the year — including purchases, downloads, and streams — was 142.9 million albums and album equivalents. Continue Reading
Vick Bain is departing her position as the CEO of The British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors, also known as BASCA. Bain steps down after 13 years with the industry group. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Broadcasting to British millennials. Two journalism awards for WNYC podcasts. Unqualified finds a home at WeWork. Continue Reading
SoundCloud announced that it will have a presence on the Official Charts Company in the UK. All plays of licensed, monetized tracks on SoundCloud will be counted towards chart performance. Continue Reading
The RAJAR report for the second quarter of 2018 shows another period of growth for digital radio, even as the overall performance for radio dipped. The latest results showed that 48.8 million adults, or 89% of the adult population of the UK, tuned in to their preferred stations weekly. Continue Reading
Music piracy in the UK is on the decline thanks to the easy access and availability of streaming services. That’s the takeaway from a new report from YouGov, which found that just one in 10 people in the UK are using illegal downloads. Continue Reading
Spotify’s UK team has promoted Austin Daboh to head of shows and editorial, as well as promoting a new team lead for the unit. Daboh’s new position fills the vacancy left by George Ergatoudis’ departure last month. Continue Reading
audioBoom announced new hires at two of its international offices. The audio and podcasting company has hired Mike Newman as head of content partnerships in the UK, and Umesh Barve as head of partnerships in India. Continue Reading
The UK audio production industry has launched a new trade association. The Radio Independent Group has rebranded and relaunched itself as AudioUK. The RIGtrain branch for training and skills development is now called Audiotrain. Continue Reading
Former Vevo executive Tom Connaughton left the video platform for a position at Spotify in March and he’s already rising through the ranks. Connaughton initially joined the streaming company as head of artist and label marketing for the UK. Continue Reading