THIS THURSDAY, June 26th, at 2:00 p.m. EST Sounds Profitable and SiriusXM Media / SiriusXM Podcast Network are teaming up for the free webinar Unlock the Power of Purpose-Driven Podcasting. A presentation of data from The Podcast Landscape focusing on two of the industry’s fastest-growing audiences: Health & Fitness, and Self-Improvement consumers.
Join hosts Tom Webster and Alexandria Caggia as they break down how these audiences use podcasts to build daily routines, the surprising social role recommendations play in their content choices, and why these genres lead in openness to brand integrations and celebrity-hosted shows. Registration is free and open now.
Influencers Step Onto Center Stage at Cannes by Sapna Maheshwari
Content creators and creator marketing have become more and more of a presence at Cannes Lions in recent years, and now are a force strong enough to garner coverage in The New York Times. Major holding companies have flocked to the creator economy, with names like WPP acquiring content-creator focused agencies like Village Marketing in recent years. Dhar Mann, owner of the 25 million subscriber Dhar Mann Studios channel focused on producing Hallmark-esque morality tales, made the trip this year to get in front of marketers and make deals thought impossible to YouTubers just ten years ago. Speaking of video: Bryan Barletta brought his camera to Converge @ Cannes and interviewed several industry leaders about the world of audio advertising. You can catch the full series, which will update throughout the week, here on YouTube.
How News Podcasts Covered the U.S. Bombing Iran. Or Didn’t by John Wordock
A snapshot at how the world of news podcasts handled the breaking news of U.S. forces bombing nuclear facilities in Iran late Saturday night (by U.S. time zones). On Sunday morning options were limited as more influencer-focused podcasts got episodes out earlier in the day, such as the Charlie Kirk Show covering the event as details unfolded live on YouTube. MeidasTouch Podcast had a ten minute update posted by Sunday morning, while NPR had the Up First and NPR News Now feeds updated mid-to-late morning. As Wordock notes, YouTube’s livestream capabilities adds an extra layer of access to news podcasts that have the capability to jump on breaking stories in the moment in addition to whatever recorded content might be in the works for the main feed.
Spotify Faces Scrutiny Over Alleged Plan To Cut Music Royalties Using Subscription Bundling.
Senators Marsha Blackburn and Ben Ray Luján have called for the FTC to investigate Spotify over allegations the streamer is changing Spotify Premium subscription into more expensive bundled subscriptions without informing customers this is happening, or prompting consent beforehand. The senators propose this move is motivated by an incentive to lower music royalty payments, as current regulations allow digital music services to pay lower rates if their paid music offering is in a bundle with other legitimate services. Allegedly, Spotify is doing this by converting Premium subscribers to a “bundle” with podcasts and audiobooks. The senators estimate this ‘bundle’ move will reduce royalties paid by over $150 million in the first year of implementation.
Canadian Podcast Industry Calls on Federal Government to Fund Podcasting as Core Cultural Sector
A coalition of Canadian podcast creators, producers, and platforms have published an open letter to Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture Steven Guilbeault. The letter urges the Canadian government to formally recognize and fund podcasting as part of the country’s cultural and creative industries. Co-signers of the letter include JAR Audio, Kelly&Kelly, Pod the North, and Digital First Canada. With Canada’s focus on preserving Canadian culture via defining Canadian content and enshrining it amongst local broadcasters, the coalition argues podcasting’s increasing popularity indicates the same protections and support should be given to the newest medium. A move that would also shore up Canada’s podcasting industry from being overshadowed by U.S.-produced shows and AI-generated content without the cultural context, public accountability, or long-term creative plans found in formal CanCon.
The Fox-owned streaming platform Tubi has announced deals with six YouTube creators to distribute over 500 episodes of their existing shows on the platform, with plans to bring in more YouTube-originated content in the coming weeks. The deals all live under the umbrella of Tubi for Creators, a program designed to bring creator content to Tubi under team leader Rich Bloom, formerly a senior executive at Vimeo. While this is not the first time a FAST (free ad-supported television) streaming service has allowed or intentionally sought content originally uploaded to YouTube, it is further recognition that content creators, influencers, and podcasters are producing the kind of content that engages with audiences enough to watch ads.
As for the rest of the news:
- With Ross Adams stepping down from his nearly eight years as CEO of Acast, the board has announced Chief Business Officer Greg Glennday has been chosen as the new CEO effective immediately.
- Twenty Thousand Hertz host Dallas Taylor has launched the YouTube adaptation of the podcast, with the first episode featuring a trip to the Jeopardy! studios to discuss the show’s iconic sound design.
- AudioStack has a new case study detailing their objectives, plans, and executed solutions to promote free eye exams and in-store discounts for a leading American eyewear brand.
- At this point it’ll never be safe to go back in the water. Jaws, the first ever summer blockbuster, turned 50 this past weekend and John Wordock has written out some lessons podcasting can learn from 27-year-old Steven Spielberg’s infamously complicated production that ended up changing moviemaking.
- Attribution and analytics platform Podscribe has published three new updates to the platform, enhancing transparency, delivery tracking, and campaign management.
- The Radcast Network has signed Jason Ramsey’s podcast Love Your Brand.
