James Cridland’s Future of Radio is a column by the Australia-based radio futurologist. THIS WEEK: Digging into Periscope Audio from Twitter, and the tech world’s view of radio versus podcasting. Continue Reading
In a webinar co-produced and hosted by RAIN, Midroll executives noted that 50% of Midroll’s podcast revenue is now attributed to national brand advertising. That figure represents a moment of balance indicating that brand advertisers are increasingly recognizing podcasts as important marketing venues. The webinar is available for streaming. Continue Reading
Positioning of the leaders remained the same in June stream listening, according to the just-released report from Triton Digital’s Webcast Metrics Ranker, a comparison of stream listening volume among Triton’s top 20 clients. The group as a whole lost 4% in overall listening compared to May. Continue Reading
Less than a week after the IAB Podcast Upfront, at which Panoply was a presenter, that organization has dramatically changed strategy and structure. Panoply, which creates podcasts and hosts them (both its own shows and those produced by others), is severing its content operation, and becomes a podcast advertising/technology company. Continue Reading
Apple introduced new products for its iPhone and Apple Watch yesterday, and while those devices took center stage, there was a small hint of things to come for the HomePod smart speaker. CEO Tim Cook mentioned a few upcoming software updates coming to the HomePod on September 17 to improve functionality. Continue Reading
Performing rights organization BMI has reported record-breaking revenue, securing $1.199 billion during the fiscal year ending June 30. The group administered $1.118 billion in royalties to its songwriters, composers and publishers, another record high and a 9% increase from the prior year’s total. Continue Reading
ARIA, a music industry body for labels in Australia, reported that total music sales in the country rose 6% to A$195.6 million ($140 million) in the first half of 2018. Digital platforms contributed positive growth, with a 14.2% spike to A$162.5 million ($116 million) during the period. Continue Reading
iHeartMedia announced plans to acquire Stuff Media, the publisher behind HowStuffWorks and other premium podcast content. As a result of the deal, iHeart will be able to leverage Stuff Media’s original content, programming, and podcast management team to continue growing the joint operations. Continue Reading
Announcing the inaugural RAIN Summit Canada. The half-day event takes place October 10, 2018 at the Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto. Feature presentations, discussion panels, and new research. Registration now open. Continue Reading
Monthly streaming music subscribers in the United States now number 51 million, according to a new report from MusicWatch. The report, provided exclusively to Billboard, found that the subscriber base has nearly doubled from the end of 2016. However, MusicWatch did provide a few caveats for the growth. Continue Reading
European Parliament has voted to adopt a sweeping copyright reforms, including big changes to enforcing copyright infringements and unlicensed music on digital platforms. Despite efforts to overhaul EU copyright law falling short earlier this year, the governing body voted heavily in favor of the changes this time, 438 to 226. Continue Reading
Podtrac has released its list of the top podcast publishers from August 2018. The ten companies making the list are the same as the ones from the July ranker. Continue Reading