The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has published a report calling for new government tools and federal regulations to support a healthy digital media market. The report suggested that future policies should focus on producing and promoting high-quality content by Canadians and encouraging rapid adaptation as technologies change. Continue Reading
Live365, the venerable internet radio platform for webcasters at all levels, is now streaming in Canada. Licensing from SOCAN and Re:Sound enables the company to distribute in the U.S. neighbor. “This is only the beginning of our expansion,” says CEO Jon Stephenson. Continue Reading
WNYC Studios has partnered with Whooshkaa to open up its podcasts to Australian advertisers. Across its show roster, which includes Radiolab and 2 Dope Queens, WNYC Studios reaches more than 7 million unique listeners every month. Continue Reading
Apple Music is adding another new department, this one focused on “data-driven conversations between Apple, labels, artists and the broader industry.” That’s the description in a job posting for the streaming service, which is hiring a Charts & Market Analytics Manager. Continue Reading
Tencent is moving forward with plans for an initial public offering of its music branch. Tencent Music and Entertainment has appointment Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and Bank of America Merrill Lynch to lead the IPO, Financial Times reported. Continue Reading
SoundCloud has made its advertising inventory available for programmatic buys via AppNexus. A new deal between the parties brings buyers access to 15-second and 30-second pre-roll spots and in-feed audio and video spots on SoundCloud. Continue Reading
Google has made a move into programmatic audio advertising. The tech giant announced that audio ads are now available to all customers of its DoubleClick Bid Manager. The demand-side platform is rolling out the audio support with inventory from Google Play Music, Spotify, SoundCloud, and TuneIn. Pandora is slated to be added soon. Continue Reading
Entertainment hub and media player Plex announced that it has rolled out beta support for podcasts. Anyone with the Plex App can access the new feature now. Listening is available for free with a Plex account. Continue Reading
High 5 Media announced that it has acquired a majority interest in Spoke Media, a Dallas-based podcast company focused on branded audio. Spoke Media was founded by award-winning audiobook director Keith Reynolds. The company has created podcasts for Wondery, Midroll Media, Cinestate, The Dallas Morning News, and Busch. Continue Reading
London-based podcast creation/hosting company audioBoom has raised 500,00 GBP in its continuing efforts to secure operational capital, according to a May 25 filing on the London Stock Exchange website. The money comes from existing investor Candy Ventures (Nick Candy, 90% shareholder), and appears to fund audioBoom operations to June 30 at least. Continue Reading
Pandora announced a promotion for Lauren Nagel, a long-time exec with the audio company. Her new title is VP, Executive Creative Director, and in this role, she’ll be responsible for more broadly overseeing creative advertising work. Continue Reading
iHeartMedia is joining the bandwagon of original podcast production. The media conglomerate has inked a deal with Einhorn’s Epic Productions to create an original scripted podcast, the first for iHeartMedia. Continue Reading