Month: July 2021

Audio-Technica Introduces AT2040 Podcast Microphone

~ jen

Audio-Technica, a leading innovator in transducer technology for over 50 years, unveils its new AT2040 Hypercardioid Dynamic Podcast Microphone. Inspired by the performance of Audio-Technica’s acclaimed BP40 Large-Diaphragm Dynamic Broadcast Microphone, the AT2040 brings professional broadcast-quality sound with exceptional vocal reproduction to podcasters and other content creators at an affordable price.

Featuring a stylish yet rugged all-metal construction, the AT2040 excels at isolated/up close vocal reproduction and rejection of unwanted room noise due to its tight hypercardioid polar pattern, ensuring professional-quality podcasts. The AT2040 provides smooth, warm, natural sound, while the mic’s multistage windscreen combines a nonwoven filter with foam mesh to provide superior pop filtering, and its specially-designed integrated shock mount prevents unwanted noise by attenuating vibration from boom arm or mic stand.

The AT2040’s XLR output connects to a conventional analog microphone input, providing versatile use with everything from USB audio interfaces to professional mixing consoles. The mic comes standard with a pivoting stand mount, 5/8”- 27 to 3/8”-16 threaded adapter, and a soft protective pouch.

Gary Boss, Audio-Technica’s U.S. Marketing Director, remarks, “Audio-Technica microphones have been embraced by streamers, YouTubers, and there content creators in recent years, but previously we didn’t offer a dynamic hypercardioid microphone so finely-tuned to the needs of podcasters. We are proud to offer the AT2040, with its smooth vocal reproduction and focused pickup that will help take your podcast to the next level.”

The AT2040 Hypercardioid Dynamic Podcast Microphone is now available with U.S. MAP pricing of $99.00. For more information, please visit www.audio-technica.com

DM Podcasts Joins NOVA Entertainment Podcast Network

~ jen

NOVA Entertainment announced that DM Podcasts (Diamantia Media) will be joining the NOVA Entertainment Podcast Network (NEPN), in a strategic partnership that will see NOVA host and commercialize their slate of popular podcasts, alongside an investment in shared original podcast titles.

The partnership will see NOVA Entertainment represent DM Podcast’s full network of shows across popular categories in sport, comedy, and entertainment, which includes the award winning The Betoota Advocate Podcast, Becky & Cam Hotline, and So Dramatic!, as well as developing and releasing new co-productions titles which will grow audiences and provide greater integration opportunities for brands.

Kane Reiken, NOVA Entertainment’s Digital Commercial Director said, “The NOVA Entertainment Podcast Network is known as a network built for brands, and this partnership with Diamantina Media showcases our continued commitment to building and supporting quality local original content which creates new contextual, and talent led environments for our clients.

“Our considered approach to partnerships identified DM Podcasts as a content producer at the forefront of pop culture in Australia, with considerable success in entertaining and engaging audiences across multiple titles.”

Antony Stockdale, Founder, DM Podcasts said, “We are excited to partner with NOVA Entertainment. This co-production deal is the first of its type in Australia and we believe this is the future for podcasting. DM Podcasts is thrilled that NEPN share the same vision and ambition that we do. We believe this partnership is the best of both worlds, allowing us to maintain our voice as authentic, independent content creators, with the support, knowledge and resources of Australia’s fastest growing media business.”

The partnership will allow both brands to further scale their ambitions to continue to lead the market in creating high quality Australian content that connects with audiences and provides compelling advertising opportunities for clients to drive impact and deliver results.

The NOVA Entertainment Podcast Network (NEPN) brings together the largest stable of accessible talent in the country, including much-loved identities, influencers and experts, to create a suite of quality podcast content that connects audiences and brands.

Audioboom Launched AdRip

~ jen

Audioboom announced the launch of AdRip – a new proprietary tech tool that helps podcast creators monetize back catalog content.

AdRip – available to podcasters within Audioboom’s hosting and distribution platform – automates the removal of live read advertising, historically embedded into the podcast, without the need to re-edit or republish the show.

AdRip replaces the embedded advertising with ad-breaks, creating new inventory that can be remonetized through Audioboom’s sales channels every time an episode is listened to in the future.

Audioboom’s creator network receives more than 91 million downloads every month, with back-catalog content – episodes that have left the first sales window – making up more than 50% of that consumption. Podcasters using AdRip will now have an easy way to capture new revenue from their old episodes.

“AdRip will significantly increase the value that creators are able to realize from their work,” said Stuart Last, CEO Audioboom. “They can benefit from the proven performance of live read advertising, while ensuring they continue to generate revenue from their work in the future through the automated updating of that advertising.”

AdRip launched in July of 2021 for creators in Audioboom’s premium network.

International Podcast Day Made a Big Change

~ jen

In case you missed it, International Podcast Day tweeted: “An announcement from #InternationalPodcastDay team. We are making some big changes this year and wanted our amazing community to know sooner than later. Have a look [arrow pointing down emoji] #podcast #podcasting”. The tweet was posted on July 19, 2021.

The tweet included a screenshot of text which said:

“Since 2014, the International Podcast Day team has focused on showcasing independent podcasting talent from around the world and raising the awareness of a growing industry. Over the last seven years, with the help of our dedicated community and sponsors, we have live streamed over 200 hours from nearly 100 nations featuring 350 podcasters. From day one, we were dedicated to creating a lively celebration that the podcasting industry could rally around. Without question, our community has organically grown International Podcast Day into something much bigger than we could have imagined. Every year there are countless meetups, special releases, and live concerts around the world to ring in the day of celebration. The community’s creativity has been nothing less than spectacular and inspiring.

“Moving forward, the International Podcast Day team will no longer be creating a live streaming event. We have decided to step to the side and enjoy the day of celebration just like everyone else. But do not worry, the team is not going away. We will be celebrating the community as we have every year and will still be managing our social media channels. Thanks to each and every individual, podcast listener, podcaster, and audio enthusiast that helped make the last seven years possible. Please continue to find unique and creative ways to celebrate the day. As we get back to our roots of celebration and sharing, we are looking forward to this upcoming International Podcast Day, September 30 – and international celebration of the power of podcasts.”

The message was sent by Steve & Dave Lee, Founders of International Podcast Day. Their website is internationalpodcastday.com.

It can be sad when a beloved event changes, or ends. International Podcast Day gave podcasts quite a bit of time to process the changes. There will be no official International Podcast Day stream in 2021. That doesn’t mean an individual podcaster, or a podcast team, couldn’t decide to get on Twitch or YouTube and stream something themselves to celebrate the day.

Substack is Investing in Podcasts

~ jen

Substack is funding the launch of a new podcast network called Booksmart Studios. According to Axios, this is Substack’s first major financial investment in podcasting.

Why it matters: Substack sees the venture as a way to deepen its commitment to podcast publishing on its platform and as a case study for what’s possible for independent podcast networks.

Details About Booksmart Studios:

Michael Vuolo, former producer of WNYC’s On the Media and Matthew Schwartz, a Murrow Award-winner and NPR contributor will launch Booksmart Studios.

Five new podcasts will be added at the start. This will consist of podcasts from media veterans John McWhorter and Bob Garfield, among others. Axios reported that Garfield was fired from New York Public Radio in May for violating its anti-bullying policy.

The first three podcasts will be: Banished with Anna Khalid, Lexicon Valley with John McWhorter, Bully Pulpit with Bob Garfield. They are reportedly launching in July. Later this summer, two more podcasts will launch: The Direction of Sound hosted by Chris Mandra, and Unprecedented hosted by Michael Vuolo and Matthew Schwartz.

How can you listen to these podcasts?

According to Axios, the podcasts will be available anywhere people get their podcasts. There will also be a public RSS feed. Subscribers will get access to extra content, like full-length interviews.

Subscribers can choose to pay $7 monthly, $70 annually or $200 annually to be a “founding member”. Founding members get extra perks.

Do we really need another podcast network that locks (most) of their content behind paywalls? It sounds to me like a listener can listen to a Booksmart Studios podcast from wherever they get their podcasts, and also through RSS. But, what the listeners – who don’t spend money get – will not be a full podcast episode.

Before You Name Your Podcast…

~ jen

Ready to start a brand new podcast? Before you do, take the time to make sure that the name you want to use isn’t already being used on someone else’s podcast. Doing so could save you the trouble of having to rename (and rebrand) your show.

Kirsten Bell and Monica Padman started a podcast called Shattered Glass in June of 2021. In an interview with Vanity Fair, it was stated that the ten episode series premiered on June 23, 2021.

According to the article, the podcast was inspired by the pivotal roles that women like Stacey Abrams and Kamala Harris played in the outcome of the 2020 election. They created Shattered Glass out of a desire to talk to other female trailblazers and share the highs and lows in their personal narratives.

On July 26, 2021, a press release was posted by Marita Garrett, Monica Hershberger, and Jessica Kaminsky, who launched a podcast called Shattered Glass in 2017. From the press release:

In an open letter published today, a group of female business professionals who created the original Shattered Glass Podcast are calling on actress Kristen Bell and celebrity podcaster Monica Padman to do more to support the rights of small content creators after the duo launched a podcast of the same name and subject matter under the well-known Armchair Expert umbrella.

Marita Garrett, Monica Hershberger, and Jessica Kaminsky launched the original Shattered Glass Podcast in 2017, to share the stories of extraordinary women shattering the glass ceiling. But on June 22, 2021, Bell and Padman released a podcast with the same name and concept and drew on their network of A-list celebrities to book guests like Oprah Winfrey, Masala Yousafzai and Gloria Steinem.

Garrett, Hershberger, and Kaminsky were not contacted in advance of the Bell/Padman podcast’s release about licensing the title. Bell and Padman not only assigned no value to the work of Garrett, Hershberger, and Kaminsky, but, to make matters worse, they encouraged listeners to start their own “shattered glass.” Last week Bell and Padman, seemingly realizing they were in the wrong, responsively rebranded their podcast; However, irreversible damage to the original creators’ brand was already done…

On June 26, 2021, All Access reported that Kristen Bell and Monica Padman changed the name of their podcast to “We Are Supported By…” This comes after they received a cease-and-desist letter.

Number of U.S. Monthly Podcast Listeners Soars

~ jen

The Latino Podcast Listener Report 2021 from Edison Research finds that 36% of U.S. Latinos age 18+ (16 million people) have listened to a podcast in the past month, which is a 44% increase over 2020 (25%). This is narrowing the gap with the overall 18+ U.S. population, of whom 40% are monthly podcast listeners. New research shows that this dramatic increase comes from both English-dominant and Spanish-dominant listeners.

The U.S. Latino Podcast Listener report was commissioned by Adonde Media, Lantigua Williams & Co., Libsyn, PRX, Simplecast, Sonoro, SXM Media, and was conducted by Edison Research. This is the second annual release of the report.

One factor may have contributed to the changes seen in the most recent study: the COVID-19 pandemic. Over half (54%) of Latino monthly podcast listeners say they began listening to podcasts during the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020 or after). Forty-four percent of non-Spanish dominant U.S. Latino monthly podcast listeners and 57% of Spanish-dominant U.S. Latino monthly podcast listeners began listening within the last year, which reinforces the idea that available content for Latino listeners is increasing.

The number of U.S. Latinos reached daily by podcasts has increased dramatically since pre-pandemic times, with 21% of the U.S. Latino population reached by podcasts each day, up from only 11% in Q1 2020.

Regarding monetization of podcasts, 58% of U.S. Latino monthly podcast listeners say they would be likely to pay a small fee to avoid hearing ads on the podcasts they listen. Six million U.S. Latinos say they would be very likely to pay a small fee to listen to ad-free podcasts. In the current ad-based environment, through, U.S. Latinos show an affinity for brands advertised on Latino podcasts — 75% say they are likely to purchase a brand on a podcast hosted by Latinos.

Seventy-seven percent of U.S. Latino podcast listeners listen to podcasts with a video component. Forty-one percent of U.S. Latino podcast listeners say they prefer consuming a podcast with audio and video, while actively watching the video.

Latino podcast listeners also have unique listening habits and motivations. When they listen to podcasts at home, 49% are spending time with family and friends – more than double that of the overall 18+ population (22%). Thirty-eight percent of U.S. Latino podcast listeners listen to stay connected with their family’s country of origin.

Findings from the study debuted in two webinars on July 13, one in English and one in Spanish, presented by Gabriel Soto, Director of Research at Edison Research, and Martina Castro, CEO of Adonde Media. The U.S. Latino Podcast Listener Report is the only comprehensive research on Latino podcast listeners in the United States.

“Last year’s study put so much emphasis on the upside for podcast listening growth among Latinos, but these new findings surpassed our expectations in just one year,” said Soto. “The number of monthly podcast listeners among U.S. Latinos soared. And it didn’t just take a pandemic, but everyone a part of this beautiful community — creators, marketers, platforms and everyone else in the industry. We are happy we got to measure the fruits of the labor of so many, and we’ll continue doing so – the ceiling is high.”

Other key findings from the study include:

  • 29% of U.S. Latinos are weekly podcast listeners
  • 48% of U.S. Latinos say they have ever listened to a podcast mostly in English (up from
  • 36% in 2020)
  • 33% of U.S. Latinos say they have ever listened to a podcast mostly in Spanish (up from 24% in 2020)
  • 58% U.S. Latino monthly podcast listeners are men, 48% are age 18-34, 35% are Spanish-language dominant

According to Castro, “This second round of the study tells a nuanced and exciting story of a diverse community that is quickly discovering podcasts, and that is growing at an impressive rate. This data once again shows the value of being counted and demands that the industry pay attention to Latinos as a valuable demographic of listeners, both in English and en español.”

This listening will likely not go away, according to U.S. Latino podcast listeners, as 96% say they are very or somewhat likely to continue to listening to podcasts once the pandemic ends.

Whooshkaa Becomes First to Recertify for New IAB Tech Lab Guidelines

~ jen

Whooshkaa became the first podcast platform to recertify for full compliance with the latest IAB Tech Lab Podcast Measurement Technical Guidelines, known as version 2.1.

The IAB Tech Lab standards aim to bring consistency and reliability to measurement in the booming podcast medium.

To achieve certification, Whooshkaa submitted to an independent technical audit by the IAB Tech Lab. The audit verified that Whooshkaa meets the latest IAB Tech Lab standards for the measurement and reporting of downloads, listeners and advertising impressions.

Whooshkaa’s CEO Robert Lowenthal explained the importance of the IAB Tech Lab standard:

“The IAB Tech Lab Guidelines represent a critically important set of standards for the industry around core concepts such as ‘downloads’, ‘listeners’ and ‘ad impressions’, and how they are measured and communicated to stakeholders.”

“The IAB standards are developed and maintained by a respected, independent body in cooperation with industry representatives and enjoy industry-wide adoption,” added Robert.


“Whooshkaa is proud to lead the way as the first platform in the world to update certification to meet the new version 2.1 guidelines.”

AdsWizz Signs Agreement with AI Music

~ jen

AdsWizz,a digital audio and podcast technology solutions company, and AI Music, a London based AI and music technology company, announced that they have signed an agreement to bring AI Music’s Sympaphonic Ads technology to AdsWizz AudioMatic DSP, the company’s audio and podcast ad buying platform. Dunkin’, America’s all-day, everyday stop for coffee and baked goods, is one of the first to tap into the joint solution to enhance the way they engage with listeners.

The integration means that brands and agencies using AdsWizz AudioMatic can enable the background audio of the ads to automatically adjust to the listener’s music genre, in real-time when the ad is played. The technology has been shown to result in more ad engagement, and to significantly cut production time for brands and agencies, while delivering a more personalized ad experience. Under the terms of the agreement, AdsWizz AudioMatic is the only ad buying platform that can take advantage of this technology for digital audio advertising.

“We’re excited to be working with AI Music to bring Publicis Inspire Media Engine and Dunkin’ new digital audio ad experiences,” said Pierre Naggar, SVP of Global Demand, AdsWizz. “Pilot campaigns have shown advertisers’ positive results with an average of 95% decrease in production time, 5x greater efficiency compared to standard audio tactics, and 238% higher engagement compared to non-personalized ads.”

“AdsWizz is the ideal partner to bring this solution to market” said Siavash Mahdavi, CEO of AI Music. “We believe that this will enable brands and agencies to more closely engage with their audience, as they can create audio ads at scale that are less disruptive for listeners.”

“We’re thrilled to be one of the first brands to run campaigns using the Sympaphonic Ad product with AdsWizz, in collaboration with Publicis Inspire Media Engine, as we promote our espresso platform and highlight our new non-dairy offerings,” said Keith Lusby, VP of Media at Dunkin’. “Leveraging the AI ad product gives listeners a seamless, personalized ad experience.”

The solution is available today in beta to agencies and trading desks globally that use AdsWizz AudioMatic DSP, and to publishers that use AdsWizz AudioServe Campaign Manager.

Pocket Cast will Join Automattic

~ jen

Pocket Cast will be joining Automattic, making it easier for fans to discover new content and customize their listening experience.

Pocket Cast announced it will be joining Automattic, the parent company of WordPress.com. More than 80M people in the US listen to a podcast weekly, and this critically acclaimed podcast app makes it easier for fans to discover podcasts and customize their listening experience. Pocket Casts has been recognized by The New York Times, WIRED, The Verge, and other top publications for its exquisite design and user-friendly features.

As part of Automattic, Pocket Casts will continue to provide you with the features needed to enjoy your favorite podcasts (or find something new). We will explore building deep integrations with WordPress.com and Pocket Casts, making it easier to distribute and listen to podcasts. We’re thrilled that we can continue to give our users a multitude of ways to tell and engage with stories that matter.

Co-founders Russell Ivanovic and Philip Simpson will continue to lead Pocket Casts as part of Automattic.

You are probably using one or more products that Automattic has acquired and continues to build on. The company may be best known for WordPress.com, in addition to its non-profit and Open Source projects like WordPress.org. WP for iOS, and WP for Android. In addition to acquiring Pocket Casts, Automattic acquired Tumblr, Day One, Jetpack, and Gravatar.