Pandora exec evangelizes ultra-short mobile spots

Posted on by Anna Washenko

Pandora’s Chief Revenue Officer John Trimble says that a mere eight seconds might be the perfect ad length for mobile video. “Looking ahead, I could envision video and audio ads as short as eight seconds being something advertisers and listeners will be interested in,” he said. According to AdWeek, the radio service isn’t going to imminently make a switch to a new ad length, but is considering a broader effort to reach the coveted young demographics. Continue Reading →

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New podcast transcription service aims to make audio more searchable

Posted on by Brad Hill

The Download on Podcasts is a weekly feature sponsored by PodcastOne.

It seems like everyone is getting into podcasting — creators, networks, measurement companies, ad-tech companies, and now the transcription firm GMR Transcription, which announced the launch of an audio-to-text service. Does it make sense? We looked at two podcasts using the service.

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UMG denies colluding with Apple and labels to squeeze out freemium

Posted on by Anna Washenko

Attorneys from Universal Music Group have responded to an investigation that the label colluded with other leading music companies to push out free, ad-supported tiers from streaming services. In a letter responding to a subpoena, UMG denied having any agreements with Sony Music, Warner Music Group, or Apple to “impede the availability of third-party free or ad-supported music streaming services.” Continue Reading →

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Spotify claims to replace radio for new generations, in punchy defense of freemium

Posted on by Brad Hill

Seven months after Taylor Swift withdrew her music from Spotify, and two days after Apple announced its subscription-only Apple Music service, Spotify has released a video which firmly defends the freemium model which offers free, ad-supported listening. The video is also remarkable for being the company’s most explicit and public-facing advocacy of free listening. Continue Reading →

Spotify hits 20M paid subscribers, completes $526 million funding round

Posted on by Anna Washenko

Spotify announced today that it has more than 20 million subscribers and 75 million active users on its streaming platform. The company started off 2015 with the announcement 60 million active users and 15 million paying subscribers, meaning Spotify grew quickly to hit this milestone. Spotify also closed a round of funding today valued at $526 million. Continue Reading →

Nielsen finds Canadians are streaming more, but may only want to spend $6 for it

Posted on by Anna Washenko

Nielsen has released a Music 360 report focused on the Canadian market. The report found that time spent listening to music in Canada has risen 20% since 2013. Nielsen also found that streaming volume has increased 94% since it began tracking that metric for Canada in July 2014. Another interesting data point from that research was an assessment of how much the respondents would be willing to pay for streaming services. Continue Reading →