Blog: Audio - Page 7

Read our latest daily deep dives, hot takes, and exciting updates about the entertainment world. Check out the latest insight from your favourite analyst, or search by coverage areas - music, entertainment and fandom, creator economy and social.

Why Amazon’s podcast move is even bigger than it looks

Tatiana Cirisano

10 Nov 2022

Audio Podcasts Amazon Music

Last week, Amazon made headlines with its move to expand the catalogue of music available to Prime members from 2 million songs to 100 million. But the announcement also included a major implication for podcast listeners: Prime members can now listen to a large selection of podcasts advertisement-fr...

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Not just music: How TikTok could enter the podcast market

Annie Langston

2 Nov 2022

TikTok Podcasts Gen Z

It increasingly feels like it is TikTok’s world, and we are all just living in it. With the anticipation of TikTok Music , parent company ByteDance is steadily expanding into every form of entertainment, and podcasts may be next.

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Podcast creators: Your chance to help shape the future of streaming services

Annie Langston

26 Oct 2022

survey Podcasts Streaming

Podcasts have earned new attention and investment in the entertainment market and are becoming increasingly integrated into major streaming platforms. As podcasts battle for listeners amid the attention recession and help fuel the creator economy, podcast creators are navigating uncharted territory.

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The cracks in Spotify’s exclusive strategy are starting to show

Annie Langston

18 Oct 2022

Spotify Podcasts exclsuive

While its invest-or-die strategy in podcasting has made Spotify the most popular platform for podcast listeners (43%), podcasts remain a niche activity overall, with little development in the user experience so far.

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Are mobile game advertisements a legitimate trojan horse for podcast downloads?

Annie Langston

12 Oct 2022

podcast downloads game ads real podcast listener

Podcast marketing is still somewhat new terrain in the digital audio market. Not only are podcasts a niche activity, but the market is fragmenting with the development of more shows. This oversaturation is making it harder for any individual show to grow its audience.

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How podcast platforms are setting their sights on global expansion

Annie Langston

5 Oct 2022

Podcasts Spotify distribution

The growth of podcast audiences requires a global effort. And while the market is primarily dominated by mostly Western platforms, such as Spotify and Apple, there are opportunities for new players to compete in the digital audio market by tapping into international audiences.

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Spotify launches audiobooks in the US – but you have to buy them

Annie Langston

22 Sep 2022

Spotify Audiobooks audience

Spotify has officially launched its audiobook vertical for US listeners. Spotify previewed this vertical at its Investor Day in June, in addition to announcing its purchase of Findaway , an audiobook distributor.

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What the comedian lawsuits against Pandora could mean for podcasts

Annie Langston

14 Sep 2022

Pandora lawsuits copyright

The mountain of comedians who are suing Pandora over copyright infringement continues to grow. In February, the estates of both Robin Williams and George Carlin filed lawsuits against Pandora, claiming that the company is streaming their audio content without the proper licenses.

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iHeart brings podcasts to the metaverse – two niche formats looking for mainstream growth

Annie Langston

8 Sep 2022

metaverse Podcasts iHeart Media

iHeartMedia is (somewhat) of a sleeping giant in the audio battle. Although Spotify has taken centre stage in the audio market, iHeart has also transitioned its traditional radio offerings to digital audio – just without splashy mainstream headlines.

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Social media is the vessel to amplify the open podcasting ecosystem

Annie Langston

1 Sep 2022

Social media Twitter YouTube

Live audio sparked in lockdowns and blurred the lines between social media and podcasts. Although Clubhouse kickstarted this craze, its success post lockdown has lagged , and other major platforms are now crowding the space.

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Apple’s latest podcasting moves poke holes in Spotify’s strategy

Annie Langston

24 Aug 2022

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Apple has been quieter than its other podcast competitors in the past, but it is continuing to develop its audio offerings. Apple’s most noteworthy attempt to expand its platform thus far was introducing podcast subscriptions to entice creators and compete against Spotify’s offerings.

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Podcast discovery is getting a TikTok facelift

Annie Langston

18 Aug 2022

TikTok Podcasts Spotify

Podcast discoverability continues to be a core challenge for audience platforms, audio creators, and listeners. With the rise of the creator economy, more voices are entering the space, which increases the amount of noise creators must break through to be noticed.

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What pay-for-play podcasting says about the creator economy

Annie Langston

11 Aug 2022

Podcasts pay for play Guestio

Podcasters are operating in the grey area of payola, as creators are charging guests to be featured without disclosing it to their listeners, according to a new Bloomberg expose. Apparently, this practice is most popular among podcasts in the business, wellness, and cryptocurrency areas.

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Key takeaways for podcasting from SiriusXM and Spotify’s earnings

Annie Langston

4 Aug 2022

Spotify SiriusXM earnings

Two audio giants with investments in podcasting — Spotify and SiriusXM — published their second quarter earnings for the year. SiriusXM saw marginal year-over-year growth in revenue – around 4% – although it was still able to increase its paid subscribers by 23,000 users, bringing its total ...

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Podcasts are creating a new era of news

Annie Langston

28 Jul 2022

Podcasts News listeners

Podcasts are becoming a brand extension for every level of public figure, even those who have been shut out or disgraced elsewhere. After being fired from their network positions for allegedly violating journalistic ethics, two former news anchors — Chris Cuomo and Keith Olbermann — are each sta...

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Acast aims to expand the open podcast ecosystem with Podchaser acquisition

Annie Langston

19 Jul 2022

Acast Podchaser Spotify

Earlier this year, when Acast announced the dismantling of its podcast app, it cited the open podcast ecosystem as the motivation behind the decision. Acast CEO, Ross Adams, explained that the open podcast ecosystem allows all creators to share their work on all possible platforms, which differs fro...

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Podcasts amplify the era of digital activism

Annie Langston

14 Jul 2022

Podcasts Spotify protest

Podcasts are an open mic for anyone looking to share their opinions about essentially anything. As we saw with Joe Rogan , this placed Spotify in the uncomfortable position of having to decide whether, and how, it will moderate podcast content.

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Spotify shines RADAR spotlight on podcast creators

Annie Langston

6 Jul 2022

Discovery Podcasts RADAR

Discoverability remains a core challenge for podcast creators in the audio market. We previously discussed the responsibility of audience platforms to amplify independent voices, with editorial spaces increasingly dominated by exclusives and celebrity titles.

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The revolving door of celebrity podcast announcements aims to bring the masses to audio

Annie Langston

30 Jun 2022

Podcasts celebrity Spotify

The investment in the digital audio market began with splashy celebrity deals and now even more big names are flocking to the format. One of the first big announcements in celebrity podcasts was that of The Obamas officially announcing their exclusive deal with Audible instead of their original deal...

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Acast and Meta partner up to create podcast communities

Annie Langston

23 Jun 2022

Acast Meta Facebook

Following yesterday’s announcement from Meta , detailing its plans to become a more creator focused platform, it debuted a new partnership with leading independent podcast company Acast. Although Facebook’s initial move into podcast content was halted, this new deal does not focus on creating co...

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