Steve Goldman Tapped To Lead NYU’s New Business Of Podcasting Course

Podcast News

Amplifi Media, the strategic audio advisory firm, announces its CEO Steve Goldstein will teach new course at NYU called The Business of Podcasting. As an adjunct professor at NYU’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, Goldstein will helm what is believed to be the only accredited college course focused on the business side of podcasting in the country.

The Music Business program in the Department of Music and Performing Arts Professions at NYU’s Steinhardt School will offer the course for the fall semester 2023. It is open to all NYU undergraduate students.

The Business of Podcasting covers economics, content, marketing, and trends. Students will learn essential elements of the burgeoning podcast business through workshops, discussions, guest speakers, readings and research. They will evaluate the business from all angles, including the evolving economics, production, ad sales, listeners, technology, and key players, and will then create a business plan.

“Steve brings real-world podcast experience at a high level into the classroom and that will make for a rich student experience,” said Larry Miller, Clinical Professor and Director, Music Business Program NYU Steinhardt. “NYU offers many courses in audio journalism, linear storytelling and sound design, but none on the actual business of podcasting, which drives over a billion dollars in revenue. By exposing our students to the structure of podcasting, which drives over a billion dollars in revenue. By exposing our students to the structure of the podcasting segment and giving them a framework for show development, this exciting new course will help prepare the next generation of podcasting professionals.”

“I am honored to join the faculty at NYU Steinhardt School and bring the first full-semester college-level podcast course that focuses on the podcasting business to our students,” said Steve Goldstein, Founder/CEO of Amplifi Media. “The media is to stay on top of the fast-changing podcast space, and being in New York, we will introduce students to some of the top names in the field.”

Goldstein created The Business of Podcasting for NYU. The university greenlit a full 14-week undergraduate course after a successful test run in April 2022, which features top podcast executives.

About Steve Goldstein

Steve Goldstein, Founder/CEO of Amplifi Media, is an internationally recognized executive and leader in scaling and refining audio initiatives across podcasting, radio, satellite radio, and voice platforms.

About Amplifi Media

Amplifi Media is a trusted audio advisory firm guiding clients like ABC News, NBCUniversal TV, Ramsey Solutions, EY, and more through strategy, content development, organizational efficiency, and growth.

Podigee And Seven.One Audio Partner To Launch Podigee Ad Marketplace

Podcast News,

Podigee, the leading podcast hosting and analytics company in the German-speaking market, has announced a groundbreaking partnership with Seven.One Audio (part of the larger ProSiebenSat1 SE media group) to launch the Podigee Ad Marketplace, the single largest podcast inventory in Germany and German-speaking countries with over 200,000 podcast shows and over 150 millions of downloads every month.

The marketplace will empower creators of podcasts by making it effortless to monetize their content. This innovative platform will revolutionize the way podcast advertising is done as it aims for the premium quality and listening experience of host-read, while being fully scalable like programmatic advertising.

With the Podigee Ad Marketplace, podcast publishers will be able to earn money with their content at the click of a button, while Podigee takes care of the heavy lifting in the background. The platform will enable advertisers to reach a diverse range of audiences across a vast array of podcasts, from the most popular shows to the long tail of podcasts.

“We’re thrilled to launch the Podigee Ad Marketplace to bring podcast advertising in Germany to the next level,” said Mateusz Sojka, CEO of Podigee. “With the Podigee Ad Marketplace and our partnership with Seven.One Audio, we’re making it easier than ever for publishers to monetize their content and for advertisers to reach their target audiences.”

The Podigee Ad Marketplace will feature a range of ad formats, including pre-roll, mid-roll, and post-roll ads. The platform will provide publishers with powerful analytics to track their revenue and engagement metrics, while advertisers will have access to sophisticated targeting and reporting capabilities.

The Podigee Ad Marketplace has launched on Monday 03.06.2023 and is poised to transform podcast advertising in the German-speaking market and beyond.

About Podigee

Podigee is the leading podcast hosting and analytics company in the German-speaking market. The company provides a powerful, user-friendly platform for podcasters to create, distribute, and monetize their content, while offering detailed analytics to track engagement and growth.

About Seven.One Audio

Seven.One Audio is the podcast branch of the media powerhouse ProSeibenSat1 in the German-speaking market, offering a broad range of audio content across multiple platforms. The company partners with leading publishers and creators to offer audiences compelling audio experiences and innovative advertising solutions.

CoHost Unveils B2B Analytics To Empower Brands With Podcast Insights

Podcast News

CoHost, a leading provider of podcast analytics and audience insights, has announced the launch of its innovative B2B Analytics, a powerful new feature designed to help B2B brands and agencies uncover which companies are listening to their podcast.

With the growing popularity of podcasting, many B2B brands are struggling to measure their return on investment (ROI) and make informed decisions about future content.

“In the world of B2B marketing, data is everything,” said Fatima Zaidi, Founder and CEO of CoHost and Quill Podcast Agency.

“We’re empowering B2B brands with the insights to see whether their podcast is reaching their target market, the ability to connect their podcast to marketing-qualified leads, and the data to justify the ROI of their show.”

CoHost’s B2B Analytics solves this problem by providing a wealth of information and data about the companies that are listening to your podcast along with an exportable list of company details for lead generation efforts.

“We tend to overlook the branded and B2B space when we size the entire podcast industry” added Bryan Barletta, Partner at Sounds Profitable and CoHost consultant, “I truly believe that this space accounts for hundreds of millions of dollars that don’t get accounted for in the IAB estimates. The tools we have today tailored to the B2B space are minimal, which is why prioritizing analytics like insights into the business associated with our listeners is a major win for branded podcasts everywhere. I’m excited to see the continued growth and focus from Co-Host on providing tools specifically built for such a massive and yet underreported part of our industry.”

Working with Clearbit as their data enrichment partner, CoHost’s B2B Analytics offers a range of powerful features, including:

Breakdown of Companies Listening: Get a detailed look at the companies who are tuning into your podcast, including their industries, average company size, and average revenue breakdown.

Episode Summary Page: Compare the top companies, industries, and company locations of each episode’s unique audience.

Individual Episode Breakdowns: Get a detailed look at which companies and industries are listening to each episode, including company size, revenue, and location.

Lead Generation: Export the list of companies who are turning into your podcast to identify valuable prospects and boost lead generation efforts.

CoHost consultant Dan Misener, Co-Founder of Bumper comments “Who’s listening? Is one of the most important questions B2B brands need to answer when they measure podcast success. High-quality listener data is critical, so I’m excited about the insights CoHost is able to share.”

“CoHost’s B2B Analytics is a game changer for B2B brands and agencies,” said Jake Jorgovan, Founder and CEO of Content Allies and CoHost user. “It takes the guesswork out of ROI and provides tangible podcast results, making it easier to justify production budgets to clients, determine whether you’re hitting the right target audience, and build your sales pipeline.”

To discover CoHost’s B2B Analytics and get visibility and insights on the brands and companies listening to your shows, book a demo with the CoHost team.

Red Apple Creative And SNK Studios Rebrand To Forever Media

Podcast Discussion, ,

Specialist audio agency, Red Apple Creative, and award-winning audio post production house, SNK Studios, have rebranded to Forever Studio. The group has previously operated as standalone brands within the same company based in London and New York.

The business of around 50 people was founded in 2005 and includes a creative team who specialize in short form advertising and long form content. The creative team at Red Apple have grown a reputation for the level of innovation they bring to projects and industry events. They are Spotify’s preferred creative partner, working on global campaigns in multiple languages, as well as working with agencies indirectly with brands.

On the content side of the business, they work with multiple platforms and have recently completed a world-first project with Audible, adapting 6 books inspired by the popular Hilda series on Netflix into fully immersive audio scripts and productions with an ensemble cast. They have produced, recorded, edited and mixed podcasts for several organizations, most recently Goodstuff and Haringey Council.

SNK Studios are renowned for their work on global ad campaigns, from Amazon and Adobe to Range Rover and Sky, delivering voice casting, voiceover recording, sound design and mixing for TV and online. Their facility on Tottenham Court Road is home to 11 studios, includes 3 ARD stages, a Dolby Atmos suite and welcoming reception space. Their music services cater for every need, with in-house bespoke composition, internal library music catalogue and sync licensing services.

The Studios side of the business has also been approved to handle sensitive international ‘pre-release’ film and TV content for the major streaming platforms and Hollywood film companies. They have provided dialogue recording for The Crown, Bridgerton and Oscar winning film, Dune, which won the ‘Achievement in Sound’ category.

Company co-founder, Seb Juviler, spoke about the rebrand: “We’ve always worked really closely behind the scenes, with the studios sound designing and mixing everything that the creative teams write and produce. We felt it was time to lose the heritage names that we started our journey with back in 2005 and bring everything together under one overarching brand.”

Co-founder Paul Golliker added: “There’s no business that offers the number of audio services that we do all under one roof. We’re completely unique and on a daily basis we’ll have studios recording voiceovers for animated series and feature films. Then we’ll be creating bespoke sound design and mixing TV ads, audio dramas, audiobooks and podcasts. We’ve got specialist composition teams creating sonic identities for brands, writing teams who are experts in audio short form commercials and long form content.

“And we have media planning and buying across all audio platforms, plus a digital team who are completely focussed on interactive digital experiences for all audio platforms. That’s a lot to communicate when everything is under a different brand! So the rebrand to Forever Audio is really designed to bring all of these amazing offers together and give clients a clear understanding of everything we have to offer.”

Executive Creative Director, Kathleen Moroney, has led the Red Apple Creative team since 2005 and feels that now is the perfect time to rebrand.

“We live and breathe audio across all of our departments and we have done, quite literally forever. SNK and Red Apple Creative are really well known names, but clients might not have been aware of the breadth of services we can help them with across those brands. Now, agencies, marketers and businesses are thinking more strategically than ever before about their multichannel audio strategy and are often dealing with multiple vendors to deliver various audio assets. We offer long term partnerships as the specialists in every area of audio you can imagine, and we wanted to communicate that simplicity by bringing everything together under one name with one collective goal; to deliver world class audio services.”

RSS.com Releases Free Episode Transcripts Feature

Podcast News,

RSS.com is excited to announce automatic transcripts which are available to all RSS.com podcast creators on free and paid plans.

RSS.com podcasters can generate free transcripts for new and existing episodes. These transcripts will automatically be aded to their public available episode pages on RSS.com to improve consumer accessibility. Transcripts in episode pages also boost discoverability through search engines like Google by allowing audio files to be found not only on their standard metadata such as title and description, but also based on their actual content.

When generated from a creator’s dashboard, transcripts are added to a show’s RSS feed via the new podcasting 2.0 tag for supporting apps to display and also as metadata in the RSS feed.

Initially, free automatic transcripts are available in English, Spanish, Arabic, Catalan, Dutch, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese and Turkish.

Ben Richardson, co-founder of RSS.com says: “While working in this release we had several factors that could not be compromised. It couldn’t increase the cost to our creators. It had to be multilingual. It needed to be useful in discovery and search. It had to be a part of our own technology stack, and it had to be easy to use. I think our team hit all those marks and more with this release. We encourage all types of podcast player apps to facilitate the use of captions and transcripts our podcasters can provide in order to open up even more podcasting’s potential.”

Alberto Betella, co-founder of RSS.com says: “Offering free transcripts to all our creators required a significant R&D effort on our end to find the sweet spot between accuracy, time and computational efficiency. We systematically compared the most popular open source speech recognition tools available, as well as our proprietary services and chose the solution that best fits our criteria. We then implemented our own podcast transcripts engine in house that merges cutting-edge AI with modern cloud optimization paradigms for maximum control and cost effectiveness. This approach allowed us to offer transcripts to all our users at no extra cost and make it really easy for them to generate accessible audio content.”

Libsyn Provides 2022 Financial Update

Podcast News

Liberated Syndication Inc. (“Libsyn” or the “Company”), the leading all-in-one podcasting platform for creators and advertisers, provided a financial and operational update for 2022.

Founded in 2004, Libsyn was the first podcast-hosting platform and one of the first companies to help podcasters monetize their content. Over the past few years, podcast monetization has experienced rapid growth, and Libsyn is strategically positioned to benefit from the increased podcasting demand among both consumers and brand advertisers. Libsyn continues to experience significant growth from its focus on podcast monetization through advertising sales.

In 2020, Libsyn earned revenue of $25.8 million, nearly all of which was derived from the Company’s hosting business. In 2021, the Company amplified its focus on helping podcasters monetize their content, and the Company increased revenue by 63% to $42.1 million, which included approximately 37% from advertising sales. In 2022, Libsyn continued its growth resulting in a 39.4% increase in preliminary unaudited revenue to $58.7 million, including over 57% from advertising.

Other operational highlights for 2022 include:

  • Launched new proprietary programmatic advertising capabilities with its Automatic Ads solution for podcasts hosted on Libsyn – achieving significant scale with an early limited release, on track to deliver 75 million monthly impressions.
  • Signed several large exclusive podcast shows to the network, including Lore, the award-winning, critically acclaimed podcast about true-life scary stories that has been downloaded over 400 million times.
  • Renewed several of its exclusive sales relationships, including The NewsWorthy, Moms and Mysteries, and The Michael Savage Show.
  • Completed its acquisition of Julep Media, Germany’s leading podcast advertising Company, and launched operations in Spain and Canada.
  • Completed an integration with Apple Podcasts that allows Libsyn’s creators to publish Apple Podcast Subscription content directly from the Libsyn hosting platform.
  • Completed its YouTube data integration partnership to feed real-time, IAB-compliant data into its hosting platform and advertising marketplace.

“The advertising market has been challenging for many companies, and we have not been immune to those macro trends. Still, we remain optimistic that both host-read and programmatic podcast advertising will continue to grow as podcast consumption shows no sign of slowing down,” said Libsyn’s CEO Bradley Tirpak. “According to the Infinite Dial 2022 from Edison Research, in 2022, 62% of those aged 12+ in the U.S. (an estimated 177 million people) have now listened to a podcast, up from 57% last year. We are extremely well-positioned to take advantage of this continued growth in podcast listeners through both our enhanced hosting services and our increasing ad sales capabilities.”

Other financial highlights include:

Recently entered into a new loan agreement with First Commonwealth Bank replacing its old agreement. Upon the closing on February 1, 2023, Libsyn has a term loan payable of $10 million cash and equivalents of $8.7 million, and the ability to draw up to an additional $2 million from a revolving line of credit.

  • Completed its financial audits for 2019 (restarted), 2020, and 2021.
  • Reported positive adjusted EBITDA in every quarter during 2022.
  • Total shares of common stock issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2022, were 30.9 million.

As previously announced in April 2022, the Company consented to the revocation of the registration of the Company’s shares of common stock by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Therefore, the shares are no longer traded on the OTC Markets or a national securities exchange. However, shareholders at that time remain shareholders today, and the ownership interests of shareholders remain intact. The Company is actively evaluating alternatives to facilitate liquidity to shareholders in 2023.

Libsyn’s estimated, unaudited financial results and certain business metrics as of and for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, presented above are preliminary and are subject to Libsyn’s quarter-end and year-end closing procedures and further financial review. Libsyn’s independent registered public accounting firm has not audited, reviewed, compiled, or performed any procedures with respect to this preliminary financial information. Libsyn’s actual results may differ from these estimates as a result of the completion of our quarter-end and year-end closing procedures, review adjustments, and other developments that may arise between now and the time our financial results for the fourth quarter and year are finalized.

Spreaker Is Now Free

Podcast News,

Spreaker, the multi-faceted podcast platform and global leader in podcast ad technology announced explosive news for podcasters everywhere.

Creators can use Spreaker’s professional podcast platform at zero cost. Compared to the very basic free alternatives currently available on the market, Spreakers’ podcast platform, and coveted programmatic monetization features are in a league of their own, having consistently delivered ad dollars to hundreds of thousands of podcasters over the last 13 years.

“As more and more content platforms require subscription fees, I firmly believe that podcasting should be accessible to all creators. That’s why we’ve decided to offer professional podcasting features such as monetization and unlimited storage at no cost, empowering podcasters of all sizes to reach their full potential” said Francisco Baschieri, Spreaker’s CEO and co-founder.

Spreaker’s innovative approach to ad quality technology has made it possible for the platform to open up monetization to all users, without sacrificing quality or scalability. This momentous announcement has instantly catapulted Spreaker to the top of the list as the most advanced, professional podcast platform available on the market for free, safe, and scalable podcast monetization.

There has never been a more perfect time to podcast with Spreaker, sign up for free today and start building your podcasting empire!

Spreaker is a multi-faceted podcast platform that provides both independent content creators and established publishers with the tools and support to launch, grow and monetize their podcasts easily and fast. As a global leader in podcast ad technology, Spreakers’ technology powers some of the most prominent programmatic ad marketplaces in the podcasting industry. Spreaker is an iHeartMedia-owned company since its acquisition in 2020.

Another UK Radio Group Acquires A Stake In Podcast Radio

Podcast News

Another broadcaster has made a significant investment in the UK’s Podcast Radio as it grows and expands to the United States.

The deal sees Tindle Media Group taking a 10% interest in Podcast Radio, which launched three years ago and uses the trust and familiarity people have in radio to help them sample and choose podcasts.

Tindle owns and operates a portfolio of four radio stations in the UK and Republic of Ireland including Channel 103 in Jersey, Island FM in Guernsey, Soleil Radio across the Channel Islands and Midlands 103 in Ireland. They also own 23 local and regional newspaper titles across Britain.

Nation Broadcasting invested in Podcast Radio last year, also in return for a 10% stake.

Gerry Edwards, Founder and CEO of Podcast Radio says: “We’re pleased to have two very well-established commercial radio groups support our exciting plans to grow internationally. Both Nation and Tindle have shown great faith in Podcast Radio and we want to draw on their operational and commercial experience as we expand.”

Podcast Radio director Paul Chantler says: “With KMG, we are close to announcing our first partnership with a US broadcaster which will see us launch in several radio markets in North America. Nation and Tindle are supporting us to do this more in 2023.”

Gary Krantz, CEO of KMG Networks, says: “Podcast Radio has established itself as a leading innovator and forward-thinking company in the UK, providing a game-changing way for listeners to discover new podcasts while dramatically increasing the content offering to spoken word stations.

“We have several deals in place to establish Podcast Radio stations in the top 50 markets that we look forward to announcing in the coming months.”

Danny Cammiade, CEO of Tindle says: “With some of the most listened-to local radio stations anywhere in the British Isles, we have a strong history in providing content which engages listeners. That is why our investment is a natural extension for our company. We look forward to seeing Podcast Radio grow and make a real difference both in the UK and the international market.”

At the NAB conference in New York in October, Podcast Radio announced new ideas for the way podcast content is presented on radio. The team is currently developing a new short-form audio platform alongside the streaming channels already launched for Business, Crime and Comedy content.

Podcast Radio broadcasters 24/7 online and via app and smart speakers. It is monetized by selling traditional on-air advertising and sponsorships; inserting commercials into its online audio stream; partnering with international content makers; and making original podcasts and bespoke audio content.

The company raised initial capital from angel investors and an equity fundraising campaign. Other investors include Ohio-based podcast production company Evergreen and UK entrepreneurs including former BBC Radio 1 DJ and businessman Bruno Brookes. Podcast Radio is planning a US fundraise later this year.

Acast Signs Significant Partnership Deal With TV 2 in Denmark

Podcast News,

Acast, the largest independent podcast company, announces that one of Denmark’s media companies, TV 2, has chosen Acast as its partner to develop and strengthen its podcast offering on the Danish market. With more than 92,000 podcasts in its portfolio, Acast enables creators and publishers to host, distribute and monetize their content across all listening platforms out there.

Today, Acast works with some of the world’s largest publishing houses including BBC, The Guardian, The Economist, Vogue, as well as Nordic publishers such as Schibsted, Aller Media, Finansavisen, Dagens Næringsliv, Altinget, Discovery and many more.

By choosing Acast as partner, TV 2 will get access to the podcast company’s entire offering – everything from hosting, distribution, and opportunities for growth, to unique listener data and insights. TV 2 will also be able to take advantage of Acast’s dynamic advertising technology, which revolutionized the industry when it was released in 2014, enabling advertisers to communicate their message to the target group in real-time.

Endre Kjerstad, Senior Project Manager Strategy & Innovation at TV 2, said: “We have chosen Acast as a new platform to both strengthen the distribution of our podcasts, whenever Danes download their favorite shows, and to secure a safe advertising development for our podcasts. We are in good hands with Acast, with their extensive international experience – including experience from other media houses – and at the same time they have a local approach. We are really looking forward to this collaboration.”

Radio listening is decreasing on the Danish market. Meanwhile, the number of podcast listeners is increasing, which also is reflected in Acast’s data from 2022. Last year, the number of listens on Acast hosted content increased by 35% in Denmark, to more 27 million listens per year, with the company signing off on more than 20 new shows on the market.

The partnership with TV 2 will also expand Acast’s offering in the market, adding several new podcasts to its platform, including shows such as ’S kyggesiden’, ‘Dato’ and ‘Korrespondenterne’ to mention a few. In 2023, TV 2 will be looking to develop and launch more exciting content formats together with Acast.

Katrine Storgaard, Content Development Manager at Acast Denmark said: “We are enormously proud to be able to announce this podcast collaboration between Acast and TV 2 Denmark. Distribution, growth strategy and monetization of podcasts are our biggest strengths at Acast. Our valuable insights and many years of experience focusing exclusively on the medium of podcasts allows our partners to tap their full potential and reach more listeners. We have been helping large international media companies with this for many years, and look forward to working on the podcast projects that await us with TV 2 Denmark.”

All TV 2 podcasts will be available in Acast’s global marketplace for podcast advertising – Acast Marketplace – and available to listen to on all podcast platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon Music and many more.