Month: August 2020

New Deezer App Offers Insights for Podcasters

~ jen

You may be one of the thousands of podcasters with a show on Deezer. As a podcast host, you should always know the true success of your content, wherever you are. Deezer launched Analytics by Deezer, giving you an instant overview of your podcast’s performance.

Deezer’s new app is ideal for people who like getting their insights on the move. It gives you easy-to-read charts and stats on your show’s audience and success, helping to shape your content strategy.

“Analytics by Deezer” is now available on iOS and Android. You’ll find two dedicated tabs to discover more about your podcast:

  • Analytics: find out the number of streams, unique listeners, fans and shares of your podcast, plus the total and peak listening time. You can also see your best performing episode and the duration of listening time.
  •  Audience: see the age and gender of your fans. This tab also shows the device breakdown and whether they’re listening on mobile (iOS or Android), desktop or web.

“As the world’s love of podcasts continues to grow, we want to share insightful data to help creators and producers gain vital knowledge of their shows. Podcasters can better get to know their audience and refine their advertising plans. We’re excited to launch ‘Analytics by Deezer’ and be the only streaming service to offer podcast insights on a mobile app.” commented Frédéric Antelme, Head of Content at Deezer.

Proud of your show’s success? You can share your stream numbers directly to social media with your fans or community. To get started, simply create an account in the app and request information to your show. The app is completely free to use and available worldwide.

“Analytics by Deezer” is available worldwide in English, and can be downloaded on iOS or Android for free.

Gimlet is Providing Free Mentorship for BIPOC Podcast Creators

~ jen

Gimlet believes in creating a platform for underrepresented voices. In order to elevate diverse voices in podcasting and audio, and as part of a broader commitment to diversity in the audio space, Gimlet is offering free informational and training sessions for creators who identify as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color).

The Gimlet mentorship program is intended to provide more than one-off consultation. We intend to build long-term, relationships and guidance between working professionals and those seeking to advance in the field.

Our relationship with mentees is for the sole benefit of the mentee and not for Gimlet. No work will be done by mentees on the behalf of Gimlet.

Application Process:

  • The deadline to apply is August 28th
  • Gimlet is offering mentorship to 15 applicants. Applicants will be chosen randomly.
  • The first mentorship cycle will last from September through December 31st (Gimlet will reopen the next cycle of applicants in January of 2021)
  • Mentors will be available for at least one hour of one-on-one meetings per month

Gimlet mentors currently offer:

  • General Informational Sessions
  • Resume Review
  • Pitch Feedback
  • Story Structure Assistance
  • Reporting/Production Advice
  • Sound Design/Mixing

Those who qualify for the mentorship can apply for it on the Gimlet website.

Descript Introduces Descript Pro, Overdub, and More

~ jen

Descript is rolling out a new set of Descript subscription plans with new pricing tiers. They are thrilled to announce the long-awaited public launch of Overdub, a state-of-the-art voice synthesis feature that replicates your own voice, included in the new Descript Pro plan.

Here’s what’s included in Descript Pro:

Overdub: With Overdub, you can make quick corrections to your audio or create entire messages in your own voice – without ever stepping in front of the mic. You can learn more about how Overdub changes the very nature of audio editing by reading a blog post from Descript.

Filler Words Pro: Descript expanded their unique filler word detection functionality to consider context when detecting, ignoring, and deleting filler words like “you know,” “like,” and “kind of” as well as repeated words, making it easier than ever for you to tighten and polish your recordings.

Custom Audiograms: Customize the design of your audiograms by changing the color and adding a background image or custom badge. Descript has also expanded the available length – up to 30 minutes long.

Flexible Publishing: Publishing allows you to quickly and easily share your content on the web for public listening, viewing, or commenting, and you can now publish audio and video files up to three hours long.

Batch Export: Batch Export allows you to export every composition within a Project, or export selections of audio broken out by Markers or line breaks. You can also export your entire composition or a selection from a composition.

Descript has rolled up their plans formally known as Producer and Team into the new Descript Creator Plan. It includes 10 transcription hours per use per month and is designed for both individuals and teams. Users can add or remove Creator seats to their subscription whenever they want.

Libsyn Appointed a New Chief Financial Officer

~ jen

Liberated Syndication announced the appointment of Mr. Richard P. Heyse as Chief Financial Officer. In this role, Mr. Heyse will be responsible for finance, strategic planning, treasury, tax and accounting and will be based at the Company’s offices in Pittsburg, PA.

Mr. Heyse takes over for Mr. Gabriel Mosey, who has served as interim Chief Financial Officer since October 2019, and will remain with the Company as Corporate Controller.

Mr. Heyse brings 35 years of financial management, capital markets and operational experience in both public and private technology companies. He has successfully served as CFO of three publicly-traded companies, with considerable expertise in business planning, strategy execution, operational optimization, budgeting, SEC compliance, and financial reporting.

Most recently, Mr. Heyse served as an interim CFO or consultant for a number of private companies. Previously, Mr. Heyse served as Chief Financial, Risk and Compliance Officer at Wesco International, Inc. (WCC) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Chief Financial Officer and Chief Information Officer at Innophos Holdings, Inc. (PHS) in Cranbury, New Jersey (where he coordinated a NASDAQ IPO); and as Business CFO – Chemicals Division at Eastman Chemical Company (EMN) in Kingsport, Tennessee.

Mr. Heyse has a Bachelor’s Degree in Nuclear Engineering from Purdue University, and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Carnegie Mellon University.

Liberated Syndication also announced that long time Chief Executive Officer Chris Spencer has informed the Board of his decision to step down as CEO and Board Member, effective as of August 5, 2020. The Board of Directors will immediately begin a global search for a new Chief Executive Officer.

Mr. Spencer has served as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer from the Company’s formation via a spin-off in 2016. Mr. Spencer led the Company to profitability and guided it through the successful acquisition of web hosting company Pair Networks in late 2017. Mr. Spencer was CEO and Founder of Liberated Syndication’s predecessor company, Wizzard Software, in 1996.

Under the leadership of Spencer, Libsyn has successfully increased revenues to over $20 million, expanded its customer base to over 100,000 monthly subscribers at Libsyn and Pair Networks, serving over 130,000,000 audience members monthly, while completing several strategic partnerships and acquisitions.

Podcastfestival 2020 will be Online and Offline

~ jen

Podcastfestival 2020 will take place online and at selected locations from September 18 – 19. In other words, some of it can be viewed online, while another part of it will take place in-person. Tickets are available now for September 19, 2020.

The world looks different, and so does the Podcastfestival 2020. The third edition of the Dutch Podcastfestival will take place online and at selected locations from September 18 – 19. For the first time, this year’s festival is based around a theme: invisible.

The offline part of Podcastfestival 2020 will be on September 18. It will take place completely offline and physically in the Tolhuistuin in Amsterdam. The programme of this conference will not be streamed. The day is aimed at people who are professionally involved in podcasting, both Dutch and non-Dutch speaking. Due to social distancing measures, there is room for a maximum of 100 attendees.

This year, for the first time, part of the programme will be presented partly in English. This will take place in the Toluhuistuin in Amsterdam-Noord.

The online part of Podcastfestival 2020 will be on September 19. Anyone with a festival or conference ticket can listen to or join the conversation. On Saturday, September 19, ticket holders can listen to the entire programme live via the website. Afterwards, ticket holders can also listen back to the parts they missed as a podcast.

One of the FAQs is: “What if there is a second lockdown in September?” Podcastfestival 2020 responded: “Then we will move the entire programme to the online festival site.” Those who want to find out more can sign up for the Podcastfestival 2020 newsletter.

Tongal and iHeartRadio Seek The Next Great Podcast

~ jen

Tongal and iHeartRadio are on the hunt for The Next Great Podcast, and they want to pump your show into earbuds all across the globe! Submit your pitch for a chance to develop and launch a show on The iHeartPodcast Network, funded by iHeartRadio. Submissions are due by noon PT on August 27, 2020.

Here are some of the details you should know before you submit a podcast:

  • Your podcast can be about any topic and in any format. Submissions can come from anywhere in the world.
  • A panel of judged will select 10 semi-finalists to record 10-minute pilot episodes
  • Fans all over the globe will vote for their favorite podcasts
  • Up to (10) semi-finalists will be awarded $1,000 towards the production of a 10-minute pilot episode of their podcast
  • One (1) grand prize winner will receive a special interview with Dan Patrick and will work closely with iHeartRadio to develop their idea into a podcast series, to be distributed by the iHeartPodcast Network.

There is a Submit button on The Next Great Podcast website for podcasters to click on for more information.

Here is what else you need to know:

  • Participants must be thirteen years or older at the time if entry.
  • Podcasts must be in the English language or subtitled.
  • Preferred format for upload to the Tongal website is .wav, .mp4, or, if your audio is in a video container, HD 720p 16×9. Acceptable file formats are .wav, mp4, .mov, .avi, .mp4, or .wmv.
  • Submissions cannot contain any profanity, offensive language, nudity, or otherwise objectionable material, the determination of which is solely at the discretion of the sponsor.
  • Submissions may not portray Sponsor in a negative way, the determination of which will solely reside with the Sponsor.

There is a section of the information that was posted in all caps and in red. It says:

“By submitting a podcast entry, your submission immediately becomes the sole property of Tongal or its assignees – see official rules for more details about ownership of entries. You may not publicly share or publish your submission in any manner and you may not post or upload your submission to any website or video hosting site (including, but not limited to, Facebook, YouTube or Vimeo), without the prior express written consent of Tongal. Failure to comply with this requirement may result in disqualification of your entry in the project.”

Podcast Movement Virtual has a Call for Proposals

~ jen

Podcast Movement Virtual will take place online from October 19-29, 2020. Podcast Movement Virtual is calling for proposals from those who wish to attend the virtual event as a speaker or a discussion leader.

Before submitting, Podcast Movement Virtual recommends that you review the technical requirements for doing a virtual event presentation at the event. You should also learn about their Session Tracks and Session Types.

Information you will need to submit a session:

  • A descriptive, well thought out session title
  • A description of your session, with takeaways, that those in attendance will leave with
  • Your square headshot, at least 400×400, and podcast cover art, OR square company logo
  • Your full contact information
  • An idea as to what track your presentation would fit on, and what topic category your session would be a part of
  • A complete and final list of other participants in your presentation, if any
  • Your bio

If you want to submit a panel, you should have only the person who will lead or moderate the panel submit it. Make sure to have the consent and permission from any panelists you are proposing to include in the presentation before adding them.

Speaker submissions will close on August 19, 2020. Applicants will be contacted by August 31, 2020. For more information, visit the Podcast Movement Virtual call for proposals page.

Apply to The Podcast Academy Through Podchaser

~ jen

Podchaser announced that podcasters can now use their Podchaser creator profile to apply for membership in The Podcast Academy.

In order to join The Podcast Academy, podcasters will need to meet membership criteria depending on their role, including a minimum number of podcast credits and run time. Luckily, The Podcast Academy makes this super easy by allowing you to link to your Podchaser creator profile to verify your podcast credits.

Podchaser has provided instructions that will walk podcasters who have a Podchaser account through the process of applying for The Podcast Academy. The first step is to make sure your Podchaser creator profile is up-to-date with your latest credits.

The Podcast Academy began accepting members in June of 2020. Those that are interested in becoming a member must pay a membership fee. Those who sign up before September 30, 2020, can get 50% off their initial annual membership (meaning their membership fee will be $50). If you buy a membership after October 1, 2020, the price will be $100.

The Podcast Academy was formed to foster excellence and recognize outstanding creative achievement in podcasting.  To do this they will confer annual awards of merit upon those deemed to be most worthy by their industry peers. This awards program will bring the industry together, drive creativity, quality and excellence, and elevate the status of podcasts as an entertainment medium. The first awards ceremony will be held in 2021.

Largest Podcast Business Festival Outside North America Comes to the UK

~ jen

AV Media & Events (AVME), a joint venture between SME London and GetOnMedia, announced the launch of inaugural festival The Podcast Show which will take place at The Business Design Centre London on 26th & 27th May 2021. The Podcast Show will deliver the biggest festival for the business of podcasting in Europe and will welcome the entire podcasting community from around the globe.

Held over two days, the event features a series of industry panels with over 250 speakers, workshops, masterclasses, live podcast matinees, major industry keynotes, international networking, ‘In Conversation With” discussions and exhibitor/partner activations.

The Podcast Show will welcome 6,000 attendees across two days including industry professionals, business leaders, podcast fans and the next generation of the podcasting community. Centrally located in London’s media district, moments away from the Eurostar and rest of Europe, The Podcast Show will be the largest podcast B2B and consumer show outside of North America. The Podcast Show is the ultimate networking event, whether you are in the business of podcasting, new to podcasting, an independent creator, publisher or IP owner, or looking to innovate and improve your craft.

The Podcast Show will play host to a series of standout show features, such as the ‘Brands & Advertising Exchange’ and the ‘International Pavilion’, as well as a series of stages created to both inspire and showcase emerging podcasting talent, including ‘Rise Up Platforms’, ‘Pitch A Podcast’, a ‘Creator Centre’ – with a whole host more to be announced.

With the entire podcasting community from around the world gathering under one roof, The Podcast Show also proudly presents an evening ‘festival fringe’ style programme hosted at venues around Islington, with major live podcast shows from well-known global talent – more information and full schedule to be announced.

Spotify will be an official Lead Partner of The Podcast Show 2021, exclusively sponsoring the headline venue at The Business Design Centre London. The Origin Theatre hosted by Spotify will be home to the biggest industry names and talent in the podcast world, with a range of daily sessions, live podcasts, ‘In Conversations’, exclusive appearances and more. As well as sponsoring the main daytime theatre, Spotify will also be positioned at the heart of the show reaching out to content creators.

As well as the show’s focus on the day to day business of podcasting, The Podcast Show will also appeal to the next generation of podcast creators by delivering extensive workshops and sessions, entertaining and engaging panels – a fully inclusive show for future podcasters.

Pledging to support the Equality in Audio Pact, The Podcast Show encourages and nurtures continued opportunities, including supporting gender balance, minority groups including LGBTQIA+ and ethnic diversity among panelists, speakers and those in attendance. For more information about the act, visit equalityinaudiopact.co.uk.

Tickets for The Podcast Show will be on sale from October 2020 at the shows website Visit for any partner & exhibitor enquiries, as well as further announcements on speakers, live shows, entry prices, on-sale dates and further important information.

Ensuring the best experience for everyone, The Podcast Show will be adhering to the Government’s current social distancing rules to protect members of the public, crews and staff at all times, if applicable, in May 2021.

Google Play Music is Being Replaced by YouTube Music

~ jen

Google has announced that Google Play Music will be replaced by YouTube Music. Podcasters who have their shows on Google Play Music should transfer their podcasts to Google Podcasts as soon as possible.

YouTube Music will replace Google Play by December 2020. Users will have the opportunity to transfer their music libraries from Google Play Music in that timeframe. In the coming months, Google Play Music users will not longer be able to stream from or use the Google Play Music App.

Starting in September of 2020 in New Zealand and South Africa – and in October for all other global markets – users will no longer be able to stream from or use the Google Play Music app. But don’t worry, we will be holding onto things like your playlists, uploads, purchases, likes and more until December 2020 to make your transfer to YouTube Music easier.

If your podcast is on Google Play Music – but not on Google Podcasts – you probably should move it over there. Google has instructions on how to do that. Start by going to podcast.google.com/transfer. You must be signed into the same account you use for podcasts on Google Play Podcasts. Follow the rest of the directions from there.

Google says that for users who decide not to transfer their Google Play Music account to YouTube Music, Google will cancel your subscription at the end of your paying cycle so you aren’t paying for a subscription. This may have been intended to sound helpful, but it can also be interpreted as a push to make users anxious about having access to their music after December.