Steve Goldstein: How to Know When to Pull The Plug on Your Podcast

Posted on by Steve Goldstein

by Steve Goldstein
Everyone knows about podfades, podcasts that start but don’t continue due to lack of initiative. “Many are started on a whim; some creators hope for instant stardom and riches,” Steve Goldstein observes. But this column is about making a strategic choice to end a podcast run. “The ongoing question for podcast producers and creators to ask when thinking of pulling the plug is whether a show is on its way up, sideways, or out.” Goldstein itemizes and explains six decision points in this important column. Continue Reading →

As ownership/listening increase, smart speakers could shift balance of power in advertising

Posted on by Brad Hill

According to a newly released consumer survey study by Adobe, twice as many smart speaker users report hearing advertisements than in the year-ago study. When you consider Amazon’s lead over Google in the realm of smart speaker devices, a general shift in the balance of advertising power could be underway as the marketplace becomes more saturated with the devices. Continue Reading →

Spotify upheaval over Rogan content

Posted on by Brad Hill

Spotify employees are more than unhappy with Joe Rogan’s controversial guests and remarks in some catalog episodes of The Joe Rogan Experience, which is starting an exclusive distribution deal. Much of the turmoil is reportedly centered around perceived transphobia expressed in the show. rogan recently apologized … for something else. Spotify staff have petitioned leadership for pre-publishing editorial control of the podcast. According to anonymously sourced reports, Daniel Ek has decided against that. Continue Reading →

Acast enters Canada; Heather Gordon exits CBC to manage; set to speak at RAIN Digital Canada

Posted on by Brad Hill

Acast announces today that it is launching its podcast advertising technology and marketplace in Canada. Heather Gordon, formerly Digital Sales Director at CBC/Radio-Canada, is  taking the role of Managing Director, Canada for Acast. Gordon is also set to speak at RAIN Digital Canada this week, Thursday Sep 24, in a Zoom extension of RAIN’s annual Canadian summit. Continue Reading →

Magellan AI to podcast advertisers: Book your placements now (research study)

Posted on by Brad Hill

Podcast advertising intelligence company Magellan AI released some research on how buyers place their holiday marketing in podcasts. Looking at last year’s holiday advertising, and examining podcast holiday content, the company comes up with recommendations for this year. Chief among them to buyers: Get your podcast advertising in place now. Click through for details, charts, and a download link. Continue Reading →

AdLarge/cabana joins Triton Digital U.S. Podcast Report with #6/7 spots

Posted on by Brad Hill

Triton Digital released the latest edition of its U.S. Podcast Report, an ongoing ranker which covers a rolling view of 4-week reporting periods. This one is for August 3 through August 30. Stability reigns in this report, as we noted previously. But, one startling newcomer is AdLarge/cabana, which landed at #7 in the Average Weekly Downloads list, and #6 in the Average Weekly Users list. Click through for more details. Continue Reading →

Audio/podcasting entrepreneur Jake Shapiro leaves RadioPublic for Apple

Posted on by Brad Hill

As announced on his LinkedIn feed, RadioPublic and Podfund Founder/CEO, and RAIN Summit keynote speaker Jake Shapiro has joined Apple as Head of Creator Partnerships, Apple Podcasts. Shapiro notes that his former companies will continue with new leadership, as of now undisclosed. Shapiro’s appointment seems to indicate Apple’s growing interest in becoming an original content network. Continue Reading →

Stream listening dipped in July (Triton Digital Webcast Metrics)

Posted on by Brad Hill

U.S. stream listening slipped about 3% month-over-month in July, according to the Triton Digital Webcast Metrics Top 20 Ranker. The two leaders, Pandora and iHeartRadio, each slipped a bit from the month before. Click through for other details and RAIN’s unique long-term Webcast Metrics tracker. Continue Reading →

Streaming now 85% of U.S. recorded music revenue: RIAA

Posted on by Brad Hill

Streaming has grown from 80% to 85% of all recorded music revenue in the U.S., according to the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) in its mid-year 2020 report. In dollars, the 85% of revenue for the six month period totals $4.8-billion. Other revenue categories have been withering on the vine for years, and now are nearing flatline. Physical sales were just 7% or revenue, and digital downloads were 6%. Click through for other details and a link to the downloadable report. Continue Reading →