Gimlet Media recently announced the debut of Sandra, a scripted audio drama about a virtual assistant and the people who operate and use it, as part of its spring lineup. The podcast quickly became a hot property, and has already been picked up for premium television development. Continue Reading
After a successful and speedy road through the House of Representatives, the Music Modernization Act has been introduced in the Senate. The legislation would create some sweeping changes to mechanical royalties, and it has received strong backing from both parties on the Hill. Continue Reading
In a pivotal deal, NPR announced that its entire podcast catalog is now available on Spotify for the first time. All shows from the public media outlet, both familiar favorites and new titles, will have a home on the streaming audio service. The arrangement brings the world’s largest podcast publisher into one of the largest podcast distribution platforms. Continue Reading
SoundExchange introduced a new tool called the Music Data Exchange. This application allows labels and publishers to share their data about music in a free database. It offers a hub for real-time metadata and data requests that could make it easier to claim ownership of a recording or composition. Continue Reading
YouTube Music announced that several new and updated charts tracking the most popular videos on the platform will launch in 44 countries. The U.S., Japan, Germany, Brazil, and the UK are among the nations that will receive the new charts. The new addition to YouTube Music’s chart roster follows Trending videos. Continue Reading
WNYC Studios is partnering with Night Vale Presents in a deal that will revisit The Orbiting Human Circus (of the Air). The podcast — which is part radio drama, part variety show, and all cult classic — released a single season in October 2016. Under this deal, the original show will get a new release and a second season. Continue Reading
SoundCloud has hired Mark Eisenberg as its new senior vice president of content partnerships. Eisenberg joins the audio company from SoundExchange, where he was the senior vice president of strategic initiatives. Continue Reading
Spotify is working on testing a couple new features that would amp up the social angle of the streaming music service. First is called Friends Weekly, a collection of tracks that your social connections are favoring. The second feature is a new section on the home screen called Friends’ Discover Weekly. Continue Reading
The rumor mill turns once more. After a back-and-forth earlier this year that eventually came to naught, Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei said in the company’s Q1 earnings call that the company is still potentially interested in acquiring iHeartMedia. “iHeart is an attractive free-cash flow generator,” he said. “At the right price, I think it would be additive to our music holdings.” Continue Reading
The first season of Serial jumpstarted podcasts as a mainstream for of entertainment. The subject of that true crime exploration, Adnan Syed, was convicted for murder almost two decades ago. Jeff Bossert of Virginia Public Radio spoke with Julie Snyder about the latest developments in his case and the third season of the show. Continue Reading
Vox Media is exploring new options for creative advertising in podcasts. Three of the media company’s shows will have ad breaks where Kara Swisher, co-founder of Recode and host of the Recode/Decode podcast, interviews a character from the HBO comedy Silicon Valley. The interview with actor Chris Diamantopoulos (in character as tech investor Russ Hanneman) covers the current cryptocurrency plotline of the show. Continue Reading
SoundHound secured $100 million in a strategic funding round. This influx of money will support driving adoption and distribution of the company’s Houndify voice AI platform. SoundHound also aims to expand globally, with new offices planned in China, France, and Germany. Continue Reading