Month: August 2019

Blubrry Partners with Deezer

~ jen

Blubrry announced that they have made it easier than ever for podcasters to distribute their podcasts to even more listeners. Which is why, for the past year, Blubrry has been quietly working with Deezer behind the scenes.

The result? Next week you’ll be able to submit your podcast to Deezer and their 14 million monthly active users through Blubrry, one of the most flexible and powerful podcasting platforms on the market.

How do I get my podcast on Deezer?

It’s actually pretty easy. All you have to do is use your Blubrry account – even a free one – and claim your podcast listing in the Blubrry Podcast Directory if you haven’t already and then submit your show through the Podcaster Dashboard. Blubrry is putting the final touches on everything, and will have this new distribution location ready to go live next week, so make sure to check back.

Why Blubrry and Deezer?

Deezer is huge. As of January 2019: “Deezer had 56 million licenses tracks in its library, with over 30,000 radio channels, 14 million monthly active users, and 7 million paid subscribers.” And – like about every other streaming audio platform, Deezer wants in on the growing podcast market. Which is where Blubrry comes in.

“We touch in excess of 75,000 shows and have 150 million downloads a month across all of our customers” says Todd Cochrane, Blubrry’s CEO. “So, we could bring 75,000 shows to Deezer. “ Even better? If you’re a hosting customer, Blubrry’s IAB certified podcast stats platform will still give you the most reliable, accurate data available on the market today.

Libsyn Brings Podcasts to Deezer with New Partnership

~ jen

LibSyn LogoLiberated Syndication, (“Libsyn”), a worldwide leader of podcast hosting, distribution and monetization, announced a new global partnership to distribute Libsyn hosted podcasts on Deezer, the global music streaming service.

With this partnership, Deezer users will be able to access over 62,000 active podcasts, totaling over 4.9 million individual episodes, currently hosted by Libsyn. Over 28,000 podcasts are currently available on Deezer, with hundreds created in-house as part of its Deezer Originals series. Deezer also offers its 14 million active users, across 180 countries, over 56 million music tracks, providing the largest and most diverse global music streaming catalog on any device.

“We are very excited to work with Deezer and further grow the global audience for podcasts with Libsyn,” said Rob Walch, V.P. of Podcaster Relations, Libsyn. “The Deezer partnership will make it even easier for listeners to consume great podcasts directly on a streaming service they already use.”

Currently, the Libsyn network reaches over 111 million monthly unique audience members. Libsyn has created a custom destination for Deezer that allows podcasters to control the timing and number of episodes they release to the Deezer audience, including the ability to provide exclusive content to Deezer. Using Libsyn’s powerful audience analytics platform, podcasters will be able to gauge the size and unique geographic location of audiences consuming their content.

Cleanfeed to Offer First Browser Multitrack Recorder

~ jen

Cleanfeed, providers of live audio in high definition, anywhere in the world, will officially launch a multitrack recording feature at this month’s Podcast Movement in Orlando, Florida. They will be the first to offer a browser multitrack recorder.

Multitrack recording in Cleanfeed enables a separate audio file for each person in the session, including for extra local devices, as well as Clips. All recorded tracks are saved in a fast zip download, collating all the tracks as WAV files in one place, so no audio quality is lost in the process, and all individual tracks can then be downloaded separately if needed. Unique to Cleanfeed, when sessions are recorded in stereo (in Cleanfeed Pro), the tracks recorded are stereo.

Cleanfeed’s existing recording features include:

  • Saving a recording at any time during the session, for extra security
  • Access to quick checks on recordings
  • Visual meters displaying what’s being recorded
  • Professional audio meters

In addition to retaining all of the above, multitrack recording in Cleanfeed will offer users multiple benefits, including:

  • Advanced editing post recording
  • Recovering/enhancing when recording in less than optimal environment, eg. removing background noise. Following a beta period, the company has decided it’s now time for the multitrack recording feature to go mainstream.

The Cleanfeed team has developed the feature knowing that recording and saving a whole session in multitrack gives the best experience for post production editing, while recording each individual source in the session gives maximum editing control.

Podcast Movement seemed the perfect place to release the new feature. Podcast Movement President, Dan Franks, is looking forward to the launch at next week’s event, saying, “Podcast Movement attendees are on top of the latest and best technology, and are always hungry to learn more,” said Podcast Movement President Dan Franks. “Cleanfeed’s new software is an exciting launch that we can’t wait to host and share with the global podcaster community.”

Once officially launched at Podcast Movement (Orlando, 13-16 August 2019), where the team will host Booth 325, Cleanfeed Multitrack will be available to Pro users of the software.

Amazon Cancelled the Lore TV Show

~ jen

After two seasons, Amazon has decided to cancel the Lore TV show. It premiered on October 13, 2017. Season two premiered on October 29, 2018. Fans of the TV series, some of whom were also fans of the podcast it was based on, are going to be sad.

Lore ran for two seasons; the Vahalla Entertainment and Propagate Content series is based on Aaron Mahnke’s popular 2015-launched podcast. Falling under the Amazon Originals’ unscripted division, Lore included a mix of reenactment animation, narration, and historical documents and footage to shine a light on the true store of the modern vampire legend and more.

On July 28, 2019, the Lore podcast tweeted: “Yes, Amazon finally announced they aren’t picking up the Lore tv show for a 3rd season – and yes, that’s sad. But we were blessed with two seasons of great stories. I’m grateful for my first foray into the world of making television. But trust me…it won’t be my last.”

This was followed by a second tweet: “And obviously, the podcast keeps trucking on without a hiccup, because a podcast can’t be canceled by someone who doesn’t own or control it. It’s just the tv show that’s going away. So…keep downloading this podcast, and I’ll keep telling you stories!”

I chose to put the logo of the Lore podcast into this blog because the podcast is ongoing. The most recent episode of the Lore podcast, at the time I am writing this blog post) was released on July 22, 2019. It is episode number 119, and is titled “Evolution”. The first and second seasons of the Lore TV show appear to still be available to those who have an Amazon Prime account.

Castbox Launches Livecast

~ jen

Castbox announced the launch of Livecast, a free audio streaming service that lets podcasters go live with the tap of a button. Available on Castbox mobile and desktop apps, the new feature allows podcast creators and influencers to host interactive audio shows and engage with fans and listeners in real-time.

With Livecast, creators can create public or private channels and go live with a single tap. Each Livecast session supports live audio chat for up to eight simultaneous speakers and unlimited listeners. The feature enables one or multiple hosts to drive the session and allows listeners to call in to ask questions, share their opinions and stories, and provide live feedback. Audience members can also interact with hosts and other listeners via in-room messaging, which encourages listeners to take an active role in the discussion.

Hosts can auto-record their Livecast shows and upload them as standalone podcast episodes to further extend the value of the content. Livecast also provides detailed metrics, including listenership, donations, and engagement, so hosts can improve their future Livecasts.

To give independent creators and studios new opportunities to monetize their brand and content, Livecast features a virtual gifting mechanism that lets listeners support their favorite podcasts. Users can purchase in-app currency to send hosts emoji-like virtual gifts such as an applause, roses, or even a golden mic. These gifts can be converted and cashed out for real world money via PayPal.

In July, Castbox announced Livecast. At that time, their description of the monetization system confused me. Now, it appears that Castbox has simplified things. The getting started page on the Castbox website says: Virtual gifts are converted into Stars, which can be cashed out by going to “My Wallet” under the “Personal” tab.

This explanation is much easier to understand than before. I still have some questions, though. How many stars does a Livecast podcaster have to accrue before they can cash out for real world money via PayPal? I’m also wondering if the podcaster gets all the funding that comes from Stars and/or the virtual gifts that listeners give them – or if Castbox takes a cut.

Backspin Podcast Digs into Milwaukee’s First Hip-Hop Recordings

~ jen

Burning curiosity about who recorded Milwaukee’s first hip-hop song led the 88Nine Radio Milwaukee (88.9 FM) team down a path that started with a 1980s’ movement, through hip-hop icons such as Speech of Arrested Development, Darryl McDaniels of RUN-DMC, and Milwaukee DJs and MCs – and ultimately to finding that elusive, first hip-hop record.

In Backspin, 88Nine’s new podcast series (released on July 15, 2019), hip-hop expert and DJ Tyrone Miller (DJ Bizzon) teams up with 88Nine’s Music Director (and resident omnivorous music nerd) Justin Barney on a quest to definitively answer the question – who exactly recorded Milwaukee’s first hip-hop song, and how did Milwaukee create a hip-hop scene.

In six, 30-minute episodes, the pair document their months-long quest with interviews from national and local artists, DJs and historians who witnessed the birth of Milwaukee hip-hop firsthand – and of course, with lots of music. Along the way, the podcast provides an insightful view into Black America in the late ’70s and early ’80s through the lens of hip-hop.

“The series is about so much more than the first song,” Miller said. “It’s about the journey of getting to that song.”

Miller said that the birth of Milwaukee’s hip-hop movement is a microcosm of what was also happening around the country. Music was fundamentally changing. Nationally, Black artists were experimenting with new sounds and techniques, creating an entirely unique form of musical expression. As disco morphed into something else entirely, a musical and cultural phenomenon was underway, leading to what we now call hip-hop. And it was more than music. It was a movement – both musically and culturally, he said.

Backspin is a fun journey of discovery and celebration of hip-hop, a tale that takes several surprising twists. The podcast is full of great music, fascinating stories and the voices of musicians and others who were deeply embedded in Milwaukee’s emerging scene. From MCs, to DJs, to radio personalities, to historians, to the original recording artists themselves, 88Nine pieces together a nearly forgotten musical story, both unique to Milwaukee and emblematic of the national hip-hop movement.