Month: June 2019

Werk It 2019 Offers Scholarships

~ jen

Werk It 2019 will take place at The Theater at Ace Hotel in Los Angeles, California, October 3-4, 2019. They are offering scholarships.

It is a women’s podcast festival. Werk It is for women+ in all stages of their careers currently working in or hoping to break into audio and digital media.

Although Werk It focuses on women, they encourage podcasters and podcast fans who identify as genderqueer, non-binary, or other who feel inspired by what Werk It is doing to join in at the festival and be a part of the community.

Werk It offers a limited number of scholarships in order to ensure a robust mix of participants including students, freelancers and nonprofit employees who would otherwise be unable to attend. Scholarships cover conference registration but not travel expenses.

The scholarship application period for Werk It 2019 is now open. Scholarships are made possible with support from Spotify. The deadline for scholarship applications is July 15, 2019.

Before applying, it is wise to take a look at the criteria. Successful scholarship applicants must meet all of the following criteria:

Core Mission: The Werk It Festival was established to support early- and mid-career women+ in the field of audio.

Financial need/Employment status: The scholarship fund was specifically designed to support students, freelancers, and nonprofit employees. Consideration will also be given to those applicants who demonstrate the need for assistance in the narrative portion of the application.

Diversity: Werk It aims to support and elevate diverse voices in podcasting. Our hope is that the scholarships will create a cohort of attendees that are as professionally and geographically diverse as possible. Priority for scholarships is given to first time Werk It attendees and applicants whose perspectives are currently underrepresented in podcasting.

Narrative: A successful scholarship application will have a clear statement of purpose that demonstrates how attending Werk It will offer both career development and training as well as community impact.

PRX Seeks a Community Manager for PRX Podcast Garage

~ jen

PRX is looking for someone passionate about storytelling and community engagement to run the PRX Podcast Garage at its newest location in Washington, D.C.

The PRX Podcast Garage is a community recording studio, classroom, and event space that supports new voices in podcasting and public media. In 2016, PRX opened the first PRX Podcast Garage in Boston, Massachusetts to support the work of local audio producers and storytellers. The facility now runs more than 100 events and workshops for a year – serving over 2,500 participants – as well as a professional recording studio. Most importantly, the Podcast Garage is a welcoming community for new audio makers to get inspired, collaborate, and create.

The PRX Community Manager will work closely with the Podcast Garage team. There is also a lot of autonomy to imagine and implement ideas. The job is customer-focused. People come and go throughout the day, so the PRX Community Manager will need to provide hospitality. The PRX Community Manager must be someone who has a demonstrated commitment to equity and inclusivity with a passion for supporting new voices in media.

This application closes on Sunday, July 14, 2019, at 11:59 p.m. ET. It is a full-time position, Wednesday through Sunday, based in the heart of D.C.’s creative community. For more information, and to apply for this job, please visit the website where the PRX Community Manager want-ad is posted.

Podcast Movement Released its 2019 Conference Schedule

~ jen

Podcast Movement 2019 will take place from August 13 – 16 in Orlando, Florida. The conference schedule has been released. It features over 100 keynote lectures, breakout sessions, and panel discussions.

There are some things scheduled on August 13 before the conference starts. One is called “Podcast Guest Speed Networking – Session 1”. Another is called “Podcast Guest Speed Networking – Session 2”, which takes place in the afternoon. Both require pre registration. The rest of the things offered before the conference begins don’t require pre registration.

There is a “Check In / Registration Party” that starts at 3:00 p.m. and ends at 5:00 p.m. Ignite Podcast Movement starts at 7:00 p.m. and ends at 9:00 p.m. The PM 19 Kick Off Party starts at 9:00 p.m. and ends at 11:59 p.m.

I recommend you visit the Podcast Movement 2019 website and scroll through the multitude of keynote lectures, breakout sessions, and panel discussions that will happen during Podcast Movement 2019. Several things will be going on at the same time, so you may want to plan ahead. You cannot be everywhere at once, after all.

In addition, there is an Expo Hall that will open up for several hours each day during Podcast Movement 2019. In general, the Expo Hall portion of conferences tend to have vendors selling items and services that are relevant to the main topic of the event. There’s no way to know what you will find in there unless you go in and wander around.

On Friday, August 16, 2019, Podcast Movement 2019 will end with a PM 19 After Party.

iHeartMedia Seeks a Producer/Editor/Engineer

~ jen

iHeartMedia Inc. is seeking a talented editor, engineer, and audio content producer to assist in podcast production for the Los Angeles division of the iHeartMedia Podcast Network. Applicants should first and foremost have a feel for timing and the coherent delivery of information, and be able to assemble seamless, highly listenable edits of long format voice-only content, on often-tight deadlines.

Applicants should have at least a basic background in audio engineering, and be comfortable recording and editing audio in Pro Tools.

This is an information-based medium, so an ideal candidate will also have a fundamental base of intellectual curiosity, be up on current events and culture, and be able to perform effective and efficient research on a wide range of topics, and know how to assimilate and deliver those ideas in a coherent way.

They want someone who is “personable, responsible, and professional”.

Responsibilities include:

  • Records, edits and contributes to development of content for podcasts.
  • Possesses recording expertise in both studio and field environments.
  • Collaborates with hosts and other vertical teams to achieve the highest standard of assets and deliverables for the company.

To find out more about about the Producer/Editor/Engineer position, and to apply for it, please visit the iHeartMedia website where the job is listed.

Triton Digital Acquires Omny Studio

~ jen

Triton Digital announced that it has acquired Omny Studio, the Melbourne-based enterprise podcast technology and hosting company. The Omny Studio brand will continue as Triton’s podcast-facing technology suite, and Omny CEO Sharon Taylor, along with the company’s staff, will join Triton Digital.

Omny Studio has built its business by serving hundreds of enterprise clients including some of the largest radio groups in the U.S., Canada, and Australia. The company offers its radio and podcast clients hosting, easy capturing of broadcast audio for on-demand, editing tools, auto-transcription, analytics, and monetization.

Triton Digital has been the face of Omny Studio sales and marketing for the past two years, and the two companies have executed business collaborations serving a global range of clients as diverse as the Brazilian radio network Jovem Pan, Emmis Communications, Salem Media, and an exclusive reselling arrangement in North America.

Triton Digital’s acquisition of Omny Studio is closed after this announcement was made. Financial details are not disclosed.

Omny Studio announced that it had been acquired by Triton Digital. Omny Studio wants users to know that it is not going anywhere. Your audio has never been safer and Omny’s service and features will only improve and develop as they continue to strive to lead the industry in the coming months and years.

Audioburst Launches Audioburst Studios for Apps and Website Integration

~ jen

Audioburst announced the launch of Audioburst Studio, a quick, free, and easy-to-use SaaS platform that developers and non-developers alike can use to integrate the Audioburst experience – short form audio content playlists filled with the best moments from podcast and talk radio into their websites and apps.

After logging into the Audioburst Studio users are presented with a simple 4-step wizard to help them create an integratable audio player into their apps and websites. The platform offers pre-built playlists, as well as “Build Your Own” option, letting users take advantage of short-form audio-talk clips or “bursts” from more than 4,000 radio stations or podcasts, and 100 different topics and categories, including sports, news, entertainment, business and local traffic and weather.

Audioburst’s uniquely curated audio content is proven to increase users’ time spent and experience satisfaction on partner apps and devices, and this comes at a time when 200M smart speakers are expected in-home by the end of 2019 and the interest-in and creation-of podcast content is exploding.

Studio-generated players and playlists can be integrated into Android and iOS apps via SDK, as well as to web and mobile sites using a simple javascript embedded code or APIs. Users will be given access to powerful analytics capabilities that provide insights including number of listeners, number of bursts played, listening duration, and distribution by device and location.

Those who embed the player will also be given the ability to monetize an aggressive share of Audioburst’s revenue. In the coming months, Audioburst will release an update to Studio that includes Amazon Alexa and Google Home skill integrations.

This news comes on the heels of a $10M+ pre-Series B round including partnerships with Hyundi Motor Company for their new in-car experience and Dentsu, for a custom voice content ad solution, both expected to come to fruition in the coming year. Audioburst also has partnerships with major brands including Bose, Samsung, Harman, Bytedance, and others who have long understood the benefits of providing users with audio-based content in a world that’s becoming increasingly screen-independent.

Los Angeles Times Names Abbie Fentress Swanson as Executive Audio Producer

~ jen

Los Angeles Times announced that Abbie Fentress Swanson is their Executive Producer for audio in the newsroom. She will lead the production of podcasts and other editorial audio, and will report to AME Len De Groot.

Previously, Abbie Fentress Swanson worked as an Executive Producer of I, Survivor for Wondery, which had half a million downloads in the month after being launched. She has reported for, produced and hosted programs for NPR, KCRW and Harvest Public Media where she was recognized for her coverage of the impacts of drought on farm country.

Abbie Fentress Swanson is also a fixture in the L.A. food scene. She was the supervising producer of the Good Food radio show, podcast, and blog at KCRW, which won an Edward R. Murrow award and was a finalist for the “Best Radio Show” James Beard award. She also created interactive content and booked guests for WNYC’s The Takeaway.

Higher Ground and Spotify Partnered to Produce Podcasts

~ jen

Higher Ground and Spotify announced a partnership to produce podcasts. Higher Ground is former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama’s production company. The Obama’s formed Higher Ground to produce powerful stories to entertain, inform, and inspire and to lift up new, diverse voices in the entertainment industry.

Spotify, which recently surpassed 100 million Premium subscribers and has more than 217 million monthly active users, will distribute the podcasts to audiences across the globe.

Under the Higher Grounds partnership, President and Mrs. Obama will develop, produce, and lend their voices to select podcasts, connecting them to listeners around the world on wide-ranging topics. The multi-year agreement will be with Higher Ground Audio, an expansion of the Higher Ground production company that will oversee the move into podcasts.

When President and Mrs. Obama launched Higher Ground in 2018, with an initial partnership with Netflix, their goal was to create compelling content that entertains and inspires viewers. Recognizing that content is consumed in many forms, this new partnership will give them the ability to expand the conversation, educating and engaging Spotify’s diverse and extensive audience.

Apple is Replacing iTunes

~ jen

Apple previewed macOS Catalina, at WWDC 2019. With macOS Catalina, Apple is replacing iTunes with its popular entertainment apps – Apple Music, Apple Podcasts and the Apple TV app.

“With macOS Catalina, we’re bringing fresh new apps to the Mac, starting with new standalone versions of Apple Music, Apple Podcasts, and the Apple TV app,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering. “Users will appreciate how they can expand their workplace with Sidecar, enabling new ways of interacting with Mac apps using iPad and Apple Pencil. And with new developer technologies, users will see more great third-party apps arrive on the Mac this fall.”

Based on the information Apple posted in its Newsroom, there doesn’t appear to be any changes happening to the Apple Podcasts app. This isn’t very surprising, because Apple Podcasts was launched in 2017 and appears to be quite popular.

Apple launched the iTunes Music Store in 2003, and it has gone through many changes since then. When macOS Catalina launches, iTunes will be split into three separate apps. Apple is replacing iTunes with a new Music app for Mac.

According to Apple, “Users will have access to their entire music library, whether they downloaded the songs, purchased them or ripped them from a CD. For those who like to own their music, the iTunes Music Store is just a click away.”

What does this all mean for podcasters? It sounds like you won’t have to make any changes to your podcast if it is currently on Apple Podcasts. You will still be subscribed to whatever podcasts you already are via Apple Podcasts.

I recommend that podcasters go through their iTunes library before they update to macOS Catalina. Your music will find its way to the Music app for Mac. I’m not certain that podcast episodes, that you downloaded outside of Apple Podcasts, and then put into iTunes, will also migrate.

Tim Ferriss Will Remove Ads and Sponsors from his Podcast

~ jen

Tim Ferriss, host of The Tim Ferriss Show, and author of The 4-Hour Workweek (among other books), is moving to a new model with his podcast. He will remove ads and sponsors from his podcast for a six-month test. The podcast will continue to be free for everyone, and he is not putting it behind a paywall.

Fans who would like to contribute to his works can do so if they would like to. Subscription options range from $9.95/month to $1,000/month.

Tim Ferriss says, “Please only contribute what you feel great about contributing. This is zero pressure, and I’m not mailing out any beer koozies or other crap you don’t want. I’ll just do and share more good stuff.”

Since the podcast has become the engine that fuels everything else, if this experiment doesn’t work out after six months, we’ll go back to sponsors. If it works, we’ll stay with fan-supported. Easy peasy.

Tim Ferriss gave three reasons why he decided to do this:

  • “I’d really love a more direct relationship with my most dedicated listeners, readers, and fans.”
  • “Sponsors and ads chew up a TON of time that I’d rather spend finding and doing cool things I can share with you.”
  • “Over the years, thousands of readers and fans have asked me, “How can I thank you?”

More details can be found on his website. He is potentially taking a financial risk by removing ads and sponsors from the show. If the experiment doesn’t work out as he hoped it would, it might be difficult to entice the dropped sponsors to return.

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Tim Ferriss’s net worth is $100 million. Between that, and his huge fan base, it seems to me that his experiment could work out for him. But, if it doesn’t, it appears that he won’t be destitute. Few podcasters can safely take that sort of risk.