Month: August 2019

Veritone One Launches Influencer Bridge

~ jen

Veritone One, one of the world’s largest full-service performance-based audio advertising and media agencies, announced the launch of Influencer Bridge, the first of a series of innovative new advertising services. Influencer Bridge is a pay-per-performance advertising platform for influential audio and video content creators on today’s top media channels like podcasts, YouTube and Instagram.

The platform gives podcast influencers (who make their content available through Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other leading applications), YouTube vloggers, Instagram influences and bloggers with unrivaled access and control in monetizing their content, no matter how large or small their follower base.

Influencers have curated ardent audiences, across a variety of platforms, that are drawn to and trust them to provide advice, insight and recommendations, Influencer Bridge enables today’s content creators to earn money through sponsored content opportunities, allowing them to focus on creating new content for their audiences.

To begin using Influencer Bridge, influencers simply log on to the platform and authenticate their channels. Once this occurs, influencers can select which advertisers they would like to work with and can get to work creating relevant content for their audiences. Influencers earn money once a transaction takes place that is directly correlated to an influencer’s action – for instance, when a follower uses the influencer’s unique promotional code to purchase the advertised product or service.

Influencer Bridge will leverage Veritone aiWARE to listen, watch and understand the content of each podcast episode and YouTube video included in the Influencer Bridge program. This analysis is conducted to help identify new contextually relevant advertising opportunities for premier brands based on the subject matter presented, as well as to provide insights for brand safety and content transparency. Veritone’s powerful aiWARE platform is already being used by over 800 leading TV and radio broadcasts for ad verification, attribution, and ad performance analytics.

The Influencer Bridge service is available immediately, free of charge for content creators. Advertisers pay based on performance measured in actual transactions from specific ads.

London Podcast Festival Launches Audio Fiction Cluster

~ jen

London Podcast Festival is taking place from the 6th to the 15th September at King’s Place in London. The event is the British Isles’ biggest podcast festival, and one of the largest in Europe – with last year’s LPF attracting over 18,000 visitors from all over the world.

Every year, Martin Zaltz Austwick (of successful podcasts Answer Me This! and the award-winning Song by Song) organizes the Podcast Maker’s Weekend. This is a weekend of events intended to help people break into podcasting: from making their first to show professionalizing their operation. This year, for the first time, the Maker’s Weekend includes and Audio Fiction Cluster.

Organized by a team of volunteers, including Elizabeth Campbell (of Wooden Overcoats and Victoriocity) and Ella Watts (of The Orphans and The Unseen Hour), the Maker’s Weekend takes place at the end of London Podcast Festival on Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th September. The entire event is held at King’s Place, and consists of a series of workshops, talks and panels.

This year’s audio fiction cluster will involve two workshops on sound design and production – one from co-producer of Wooden Overcoats Andy Goddard, intended as a basic introduction to the process, and one by legendary sound designer John Dryden, of Tunambay, The Message, LifeAfter and the upcoming Passenger List staring Kelly Marie Tran. Dryden will be doing an intimate talk on sound designing imaginary worlds, for which there are only fifteen tickets available.

Since audio fiction podcasts are made in a wide variety of ways, the Maker’s Weekend Audio Fiction panel with Hedley Knights (We Fix Space Junk, Audible), David Devereux (Tin Can Audio, Rusty Quill), and Meghan Fitzmartin (Red Rhino, The AM Archives) will cover a range of topics – from remote recording to directing an ensemble cast in studio. And because audio fiction does not only concern drama, there will be a workshop on actual-play podcasts from Maxamillian John (Definitely Human, The Infinite Bad) and Elle Sparrow (Flintlocks and Fireballs).

ART19 Offers Listener-Focused Targeted Ads

~ jen

ART19 announced that its targeted podcast marketplace now includes more than 200 series, from publishers like Headgum, Macmillan, Kast Media, The Paragon Collective, and Techmeme / Ride Home Media. These listener-focused targeted ads will appear across 200 podcasts.

“Our best-in-class deterministic targeting means that ad buyers can craft personalized messages on a listener-by-listener basis,” said ART19’s Chief Revenue Officer Lex Friedman. “We’re bringing the smarts and effectiveness of digital advertising to podcasts.”

Initially focused exclusively on hosting and dynamic ad insertion technology for enterprise publishers, ART19 expanded its focus to include providing direct monetization for its hosting customers earlier this year, with the hiring of Chief Operating Officer Korri Kolesa and Friedman, both formerly of Stitcher/Midroll.

“Headgum is pleased to be a launch partner in ART19’s targeted marketplace,” said Headgum Co-Founder Marty Michael. “Working with a company that loves podcasts and values listener happiness is really important to us, and no one understands how targeted ads can live alongside live reads better than ART19.”

Currently by invitation-only, ART19’s targeted podcast marketplace matches advertisers with podcasts on a listener-by-listener basis, serving millions of impressions each month, using ART19’s Smart Audiences technology. Both brand and direct response advertisers have seen early success since ART19’s marketplace officially launched in April.

Glow Raised $2.3 Million in Seed Financing

~ jen

Glow Technologies wants to make it easy for your fans to pay for your podcasts. It was built by content creators and fans who saw first-hand how difficult it was to build a business off of creating great content, and they decided to do something about it.

Variety reported that Glow raised $2.3 Million in seed financing from from backers including venture-capital firm Greycroft, rap artist Nas and Jeffery Katzenberg’s WndrCo investment company.

According to Variety, Greycroft led the round with participation from WndrCo, Norwest Venture Partners, PSL Ventures, and Revolution’s Rise of the Rest Seed Fund. Angel investors in the round included Nas and Electronic Arts CTO Ken Moss.

Glow offers a website for your podcast that lets people pay you and listen in any podcast app. Your Glow page is a custom marketing webpage which you can design to match your brand. Place your Glow Page URL in your Episode Notes, on your website, in social media, or wherever else you like.

Listeners to your podcast can sign up for recurring subscriptions or send one-time payments through your Glow Page without leaving their favorite podcast streaming apps. Payments are quick and easy with Apple Pay and Google Pay, or directly through Stripe. Listeners can also pay with credit, debit, or prepaid cards.

There are three options for podcasters who want to join Glow. One is a Landing Page, which, at the time I am writing this blog post, is listed as “Coming Soon”. It is free, and features a Glow Page. Those who are interested in this can join a Waitlist.

Listener Support
You get a Glow Page and the ability to ask listener to support your existing show (Payment).
There is a 12% transaction fee.
For a $5 transaction:
$4.40 goes to you
$0.45 is Card Fees (2.9% + $0.30)
$0.15 Glow keeps 3%

Paid Content
Allow listeners to pay for bonus content, episode archives, or an ad-free version of your show.
You get a Glow Page, Payment, and Private Feed
There is a 20% transaction fee.
For a $5 transaction:
$4.00 goes to you
$0.45 is Card fees (2.9% + $0.30)
$0.55 Glow Keeps 11%

Variety reported that over 100 podcasts have begun to use Glow, including Twenty Thousand Hertz, Techmeme Ride Home, and The Newsworthy.

Entercom Acquired Pineapple Street Media and Cadence13

~ jen

Entercom announced that it has acquired Pineapple Street Media, an award-winning, renowned independent producer of top-rated podcast content, and reached an agreement in principle to acquire Cadence13, an industry leader in podcast creation and distribution, to create a powerhouse division under RADIO.COM.

Through the strategic acquisitions of Cadence13 and Pineapple Street Media, Entercom will become one of the country’s top three podcasters and a leading creator, distributor and seller of top-rated podcast content.

The deal will bring together a combination of strengths to create a unique leadership position that leverages Entercom’s scale across the top 50 U.S. markets, reach of 170 million listeners per month, enhanced targeted data capabilities, and top-rated portfolio of spoken word brands, and both Cadence13 and Pineapple Street Media’s capabilities as two of the industry’s leading developers and sellers of original podcast content.

Podcast episodes published or distributed by Entercom, Cadence13 and Pineapple Street Media were downloaded more than 150 million times per month in the second quarter of 2019.

As part of the acquisitions, Pineapple Street Media will become Pineapple Street Studios, a division of RADIO.COM, focused on high-quality content creation and production of unique, market-leading original podcast content for both RADIO.COM as well as the the broader podcast ecosystem.

The new Pineapple Street Studios will continue to produce hit shows and build on its position at the forefront of partnership podcasts with brands including Disney, HBO, Netflix, Nike and more. Pineapple Street co-founders, Jenna Weiss-Berman and Max Linksy, will join the new organization as co-heads of this division, reporting into J.D. Crowley, Chief Digital Officer, Entercom.

Additionally, Cadence13 will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Entercom, named Cadence13, a division of RADIO.COM, and will continue to operate as a leader in the podcast space, with a full slate of unique services for top creators including audience development, production, and monetization.

Spencer Brown, Chief Executive Officer, Cadence13, will join the new organization as head of the division, reporting into J.D. Crowley, Chief Digital Officer, Entercom. Chris Corcoran, Chief Content Officer, Cadence13, will continue to lead content for the division, and John Murphy, President Cadence13, will also be part of the leadership team.

Cadence13 will continue to partner with top podcasters such as Crooked Media and Pushkin Industries while also expanding its client roster, leveraging Entercom’s broadcast reach and RADIO.COM’s digital platform.

Podcast Movement Brings You Two Huge Events in 2020

~ jen

For the first time ever, Podcast Movement is bringing you two huge events in 2020. One is called PM: Evolutions, and the other is Podcast Movement 2020.

PM: Evolutions will take place February 12-15, 2020, in Los Angeles, California, at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel. Evolutions will put an increased focus on the ever changing landscape and latest trends of the industry, and deep dive those from every angle.

Featuring three distinctive tracks focused on the attendee’s unique place in podcasting (Industry Professional, Pro Podcaster, Hobbyist Podcaster), content will be tailored to provide the maximum, well-rounded, value for each focused group.

Evolutions is all about the changing landscape of the podcast industry. Whether you’re an industry professional, a full time podcaster, or a hobbyist creator, it’s important to know what is happening in the space around you. That’s where Evolutions comes in.

Like Podcast Movement, the education is at the center of the event, and it will be world class. Unlike Podcast Movement, all sessions will be based on new trends, technology or topics. Think of it as a deep dive into the latest and greatest, and a master class on what you need to know, and what you can let go.

Podcast Movement 2020 will take place August 5-8, 2020, in Dallas, Texas, at the Hilton Anatole Hotel. Join over 3,000 podcasters from around the world for over 200 educational sessions, the 100+ exhibitor trade show, and the best parties and networking opportunities in podcasting.

Featuring breakout sessions and panels spread across seven topic-focused tracks, Podcast Movement 2020 will once again be the world’s largest gathering of podcasters, and those involved in the podcast industry.

How are the two events different?

  • All sessions at Evolutions will be built around the industry’s evolution, versus more widespread topics at PM.
  • Evolutions education is divided into tracks based on who you are as an attendee, versus the actual topic type.
  • Evolutions will feature a more intimate environment than Podcast Movement. The event will be at roughly 1,000 attendees, spread across three tracks, and is expected to sell out before February arrives.
  • Evolutions will mark the return of the Academy of Podcasters Hall of Fame.

Mid-Atlantic Podcast Conference will be in Atlantic City

~ jen

The Mid-Atlantic Podcast Conference (MAPCON) will take place in Atlantic City, New Jersey, September 6-7, 2019. It will be held at the Ocean Resort Casino. At the time I am writing this blog post, tickets are still available.

Mid-Atlantic Podcast started (December 2014) as a Facebook group for podcasters who live in the Mid-Atlantic States (North Carolina, Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Maryland, and Connecticut). The idea was to bring podcasters together for meet-ups, Google Hangouts and eventually grow into conferences. After seeing the interest to have a podcast (exclusive) conference in the northeast, Joe Pardo jumped on the opportunity to make it happen.

Featured Speakers for MAPCOM 2019 include:

  • Matthew Passy – The Podcast Consultant
  • Mary Nichols – Host & Founder of the FuseBox Radio Broadcast
  • Lori Rochino – Simply Designed Life LLC
  • Maxwell Ivey – The Blind Blogger
  • David Steel – Steele Empire Production Network
  • Ms. Pat Iyer – Legal Nurse Podcast
  • Lew Hastings – Red Road Radio Show
  • Scott Mulvaney – LIVETHEFUEL
  • Todd Cochrane – CEO of RawVoice / Blubrry
  • Harry Duran – Founder of FullCast
  • Jordan Cooper – Public Interest Podcast
  • Neil Guilarte – The Messengers: A Podcast Documentary
  • Nicholas Goblirsh – The Dependent Independent Podcast
  • Stefan Roots – Dirty Water Dude and Beautiful Black Music
  • Kyle Bondo – Co-Founder and Creative Chief of Gagglepod
  • Timothy Brien – KDOI Podcasting and Podwrecked

Find out who the other Featured Speakers are, as well as the Spotlight Speakers by visiting the MAPCOM 2019 website. They have a schedule posted for September 6, 2019.

Triton Digital Receives IAB Podcast Measurement Compliance

~ jen

Triton Digital announced that it has received IAB Tech Lab Measurement Compliance verification. This follows the IAB Tech Lab Measurement Certification of Blubbry Podcasting, ART19, and Voxnest Audience Network.

Triton’s Podcast Metrics is a powerful tool for analyzing how, when and where podcast content is being consumed across multiple hosting platforms, with the ability to view metrics by date range, location, device, podcast name, episode, title, and more.

In addition, this “seal of approval” extends to Triton’s Ad Server, Tap and its measurement of impressions, downloads, and more.

“We are incredibly proud of this compliance verification and what it means for our business and for the industry,” said John Rosso, President, Market Division at Triton Digital. “With our proven record for high quality online audio measurement, it reassures our clients and the industry that both Podcast Metrics and Tap are state-of-the-art, reliable sources.”

PodcastOne Announces Launchpad for Podcasters

~ jen

PodcastOne has announced Launchpad. It is a new place for podcasters to launch and host their podcast content. Launchpad is free, easy to use, and a great discovery took for podcast lovers, with content on every topic.

Launchpad was created from the minds of leading podcast company PodcastOne. With more than 2 billion downloads annually, across 300 of today’s top programs, along with experience creating, distributing, promoting, and selling advertising in podcasts, PodcastOne knows the ins and outs of the industry to deliver the best tools for podcasters and listeners.

Benefits of using Launchpad:

  • Unlimited free hosting
  • All analytics are free
  • You own everything! This includes your content, logos, IP, etc., so that if you leave the platform, you get to take everything with you, including subscribers. And you keep 100% of the revenue from ads you sell.
  • You decide where you want to distribute your podcast
  • PodcastOne shows promote Launchpad. PodcastOne has over 2 billion downloads annually, and we know how to do this.
  • Launchpad is a great way to get your podcast noticed, and you could be offered the opportunity to become a part of PodcastOne’s roster.

PodcastOne explains why Launchpad is free. “In order to keep this service completely free to you, we have the right to sell up to 2 minutes of digitally inserted ads in the pre-roll and mid-roll break, and retain the revenue.”

One of the most interesting things about Launchpad is that PodcastOne gives podcasters an RSS feed and instructions, so that podcasters can distribute their podcast in as many places as they like.

If a podcasters chooses to leave Launchpad, they can follow instructions provided by PodcastOne to do that. You can set up a redirect to a new hosting platform, so you can keep all your subscribers. Insert the new RSS feed into the field provided in Launchpad, and click “Close My Account” to complete the redirect.

SoundExchange Collaborates with SourceAudio

~ jen

SoundExchange announced plans to collaborate with SourceAudio to provide a new solution for the rapidly growing podcast industry to secure music with fully integrated, global licenses. The collaboration would provide Podcastmusic.com, a digital music marketplace for podcasters, with access to SoundExchange’s vast membership of music creators and offer licensing for label and publisher-owned music.

“The podcast industry is rapidly growing, and this collaboration will provide SoundExchange’s music creators – both labels and publishers – with an additional way to monetize their work by making their music available on Podcastmusic.com if they choose,” said Michael Huppe, President and CEO of SoundExchange. “Our collaboration with SourceAudio will make the process of licensing music simpler through a one-stop licensing marketplace.”

The collaboration will enhance Podcastmusic.com’s current database of 700,000 production and music bed tracks by providing a global license for all rights needed to use feature music in a podcast, including master use, performance, synchronization, and mechanical rights. Through this digital marketplace, podcast producers will be able to license label and publisher-owned music with the click of a button.

“Currently, there is no simple way for a podcaster to acquire rights for feature music in their podcasts. We are solving that by working with SoundExchange,” said Geoffrey Grotz, CEO/Co-Founder of SourceAudio. “By connecting with SoundExchange’s community of music creators including labels, artists, publishers and songwriters, and benefiting from their deep expertise, we will be able to deliver a high-quality repertoire of music for podcasters.

This service will launch in 2020. Participation in this service by publishers, labels and other rights owners is on a voluntary basis.

It is always a good idea for podcasters to make sure they have the right to use the music they want to put into one of their episodes. This collaboration between SoundExchange and SourceAudio can benefit podcasters by giving them a way to ensure they are allowed to play the music they select. After this launches, it will be interesting to find out what podcasters will be asked to pay in licensing fees.