Month: August 2023

Audity, Asylum Entertainment Group’s Audio Venture, Taps Chris Corcoran As GM and Chief Content Officer

~ jen

Los Angeles-based, Emmy Award-winning Asylum Entertainment Group (Asylum), announced the hire of seasoned audio pioneer Chris Corcoran to run its leading audio-forward division Audity (Kim Kardashian’s The System: The Case of Kevin Keith, Hillsong: A Megachurch Shattered, Ice T’s Daily Game).

Corcoran, a Founding Partner of Cadence13, joins Audity as General Manager and Chief Content Officer to spearhead the company’s ambitious strategy and elevate its creative vision. He will report directly to Jodi Flynn, President of Asylum Entertainment Group.

Most recently, Corcoran served as the Chief Content Officer for Cadence13, the award-winning podcast company he helped launch. As one of the original architects of Cadence13, he defined and led the creative vision and evolution while also overseeing talent relations and content development, including the Peabody-nominated C13Originals documentary study and the C13Features podcast movie studio. 

While there, he led the launch of original franchises including Gone South, Gangster Capitalism, It Was Said, Root of Evil and The Sunshine Place, introduced some of the most influential voices in the podcast space – notably Jon Meacham, Emma Chamberlain, JJ Redick, Glennan Doyle and Adrian Wojnarowski – and launched powerful brands and titles, including Crooked Media, Tenderfoot TV, Fly on the Wall with Dana Carvey and David Spade, and Origins with James Andrew Miller.

“Chris epitomizes the entrepreneurial drive, creative instincts and insight needed to further chart our success in the audio universe,” says Steve Michaels, CEO of Asylum Entertainment Group. “His impeccable track record and passion for building brands and voices from the ground up fuel the quality of his storytelling. We’re excited to have him on board.”

“I’m thrilled to be part of a creative team that has such great ambition to build,” says Chris Corcoran, GM and Chief Content Officer of Audity. “I’m grateful to Steve and the team for this special opportunity, and to lead the audio studio with an objective of creative excellence and engaging storytelling.”

The news comes hot on the heels of a busy year for Audity. Among their recent credits include Kim Kardashian’s The System: The Case of Kevin Keith, a criminal-justice reform series that quickly became Spotify’s number-one podcast, as well as Hillsong: A Megachurch Shattered, an eight-episode companion series to discovery+’s Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed, and Ice T’s Daily Game for iHeart.

 

Summer of Sport Sees Spike In Podcast Listeners For Sport Social Podcast Network

~ jen

Sport Social Podcast Network, (Sport Social) has seen a significant increase in downloads of its cycling and cricket podcasts over the last two months, linked to the return of the Tour de France and The Ashes. According to the network’s latest listener data, the number of cycling and cricket shows that were downloaded on the network across June and July increased by 49%, as compared to April and May.

The spike in listeners shows increased appetite from fans for podcast content following key competitions and tournaments. It comes as Sport Social reaches a milestone of 8 million monthly downloads across the network.

During the Tour de France, The Geraint Thomas Cycling Club saw a staggering 96% increase in downloads in July, as compared to June. While the race was on, the podcast – which is developed by Crowd Network – launched a series of special episodes in celebration of the competition, including commentary and day-by-day recaps of the Tour. It also included appearances from competitors, giving listeners exclusive interviews and behind-the-scenes access to the event.

The Ashes also had an impact on listener numbers for cricket podcasts on the network. Downloads for shows including Wisden Cricket Weekly and Storylines: The Women’s Cricket Show by The Analyst increased by 54% between June – July, as compared to April – May figures. During The Ashes, both Wisden and The Women’s Cricket Show produced episodes dedicated to expert analysis, highlights, opinions and debates inspired by the tournament.

Stefan Doyle, Head of the Sport Social Podcast Network, said: “The recent increase in downloads that we’ve seen for our cycling and cricket podcasts specifically, during the Tour de France and The Ashes, shows the power of podcasting when it comes to giving fans more of what they love.”

“Audio is a space that provides people with an opportunity to soak up every second of a major competition, and it’s clear there is a growing appetite from fans and listeners to interact with their favorite sports via podcasts. We’ve built a captive audience of cycling and cricket fans across these verticals, and this means there’s real opportunity for brands and rights holders too, to reach new fans whether through advertising or partnerships with the podcasts directly.

“People aren’t just engaging with their favorite sports simply through TV or radio anymore. They want to be part of every conversation and the buzz that surrounds huge events. Podcasting is an ideal medium to do that, from official shows or something grassroots, and produced by fans themselves. It’s an exciting space to be in.”

Semrush Launch The Podcast Hosting App To Empower Creators With SEO Tools For Podcasts

~ jen

Disctopia, a podcast hosting and music streaming service for independent creators, announces its partnership with Semrush to expand the reach of podcast episodes with search engine optimization (SEO) via its Podcast Hosting App. This new feature enables keyword extraction from audio transcriptions directly from the Semrush platform. This allows SEO experts to align their podcast keywords directly to the keyword campaigns in Semrush therefore ranking higher in web searches.

SEO has become a seminal marketing strategy to improve online content, especially since 53% of website traffic comes from organic searches. As podcasts prove to be an effective marketing tool, this alliance bringing SEO into the mix takes the audio format to the next level for content creators and marketers.

Disctopia’s TruePlay AI automated audio transcription services allow podcasters to edit text for accuracy to improve their episodes’ accessibility. The platform’s new Semrush SEO feature can analyze podcast transcriptions and extract keywords from the text so creators can implement them in their SEO campaigns directly in Semrush.

The tool also identifies relevant keywords from the transcript, such as recurring themes or topics that are frequently mentioned in the episode. This helps creators gain insights into the content of the episode and better understand their audience’s interests. Ultimately, this new feature increases a podcast’s online discoverability and attracts more listeners. 

The Podcast App will be a part of Semursh’s App Center, which showcases the best marketing tools to the SEO platform’s thousands of users. Users get direct access to all of the podcasting hosting features within the App Center without leaving the Semrush interface for a smooth integrated experience.

This integration will allow both experienced and new podcast hosts to make their content more visible, broaden their audience, and increase their chance of success.

“Including Semrush’s powerful tool in our podcast transcription feature adds another layer to the podcast hosting experience. Creators won’t need to hop from one platform to the other to enhance their SEO since they’ll find everything they need to thrive in one seamless place,” said Patrick Hill, founder and CEO of Disctopia. “This integration furthers our mission to equip independent podcasters with the necessary tools to grow their listenership. The Podcast Hosting app by Disctopia is a great addition to Semrush’s platform.”

“Semrush users can achieve their marketing goals within the podcasting space and optimize their content for maximum impact as the tool allows podcast hosting, transcription, content marketing and SEO all-in-one.”

About Disctopia:

Disctopia operates from Charlotte, North Carolina, as a streaming platform dedicated to delivering indie content from creatives to fans globally through the Disctopia App. The platform is on a mission to revolutionize the industry by offering artists equitable profits from every stream. The company is reimagining content streaming by providing access to indie creatives’ content. Disctopia aims to build a future where every content creator is given a fair chance to succeed.

About Semrush:

Semrush is a leading online visibility management SaaS platform that enables businesses globally to run search engine optimization, pay-per-click, content, social media and competitive research campaigns to get measurable results from online marketing. Semrush offers insights and solutions for companies to build, manage, and measure campaigns across various marketing channels. Semrush, with over 100,000 paying customers, is headquartered in Boston and has offices in Philadelphia, Trevose, Austin, Dallas, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Belgrade, Berlin, Limassol, Prague, Warsaw, and Yerevan.

 

Blue Wire Announces Launch of Equity Crowdfunding

~ jen

Blue Wire, a leading independent sports podcast company, announced the launch of a community fundraising round, in partnership with WeFunder, with the goal to raise $1 million at a $25 million valuation cap. 

The raise will allow investors — fans, journalists, athletes, and creators — to join the company’s ownership group and support Blue Wire’s plans to scale operations, expand its portfolio of profitable content, and develop proprietary software to further support its network of over 500 creators and 300 individual podcasts, which includes athlete-driven series from 2x Super Bowl Champion Chris Long, former NBA stars Richard Jefferson and Channing Frye, and more.

In addition to generating revenue for its network of independent shows, Blue Wire also collaborates with a range of strategic content partners including Wynn Resorts, Action Network, and Fubo Sports to produce and monetize content.

The new funding round comes at a time of explosive growth for the company. Blue Wire has quickly established itself as one of the premier sports podcast networks, boasting a US audience of over 3 million unique monthly listeners and an annual download count of over 130 million. Blue Wire also works with more than 100 advertisers, connecting top brands from a wide array of categories to its full lineup of network partners, resulting in over $20 million in revenue generated since 2020.

“Blue Wire is offering individual investors the opportunity to join our movement. Independent podcasters are building thriving content businesses, and our infrastructure can support this explosive growth,” said Kevin Jones, Founder & CEO of Blue Wire. “In a market dominated by major conglomerates and publishers, Blue Wire is building a different type of business. We believe in ‘strength in numbers,’ and this crowdfunding campaign further highlights this core value.”

“I looked at Blue Wire and said this is a perfect opportunity to be in the podcast space,” said two-time NBA All-Star and Blue Wire investor Baron Davis. “The company has great vision, great intuition, and they care about what they’re building.”

Since 2020, Blue Wire has secured $12 million in funding from various sources, including seed and Series A rounds led by Dot Capital, Wynn Resorts, former NBA superstar Baron Davis, and East Carolina University’s Pirate Fund. 

For more information on how to invest in Blue Wire, visit Wefunder. https://wefunder.com/bluewire/ 

Triton Digital Announces YouTube Integration With Podcast Metrics

~ jen

Triton Digital, the global technology and services leader to the digital audio, podcast, and broadcast radio industries, announced its data integration with YouTube.

Triton Digital has integrated YouTube views of podcast episodes into Triton Podcast Metrics, one of the first IAB-certified podcast measurement services in the industry, so publishers can now view how their content is consumed on YouTube in conjunction with their overall podcast downloads.

Publishers who are using Podcast Metrics will be able to effortlessly compare podcast downloads and views of their programming on YouTube within the interface. Additionally, the integration empowers publishers to seamlessly consolidate video metrics from a variety of programs, allowing you to choose any range of metrics including date range and country.

“YouTube’s influence on video podcasting is undeniably transformative and this integration marks a significant step forward for Triton Digital,” said Sharon Taylor, SVP Podcast Strategy & Product Operations, Triton Digital. “We’re confident that this will revolutionize the way podcasters engage with their audience, opening up a world of possibilities for content moderation and audience growth.”

A Podcast Metrics Demos+ study conducted by Triton Digital and Signal Hill Insights found that 28% of monthly podcast listeners surveyed name YouTube as the platform they use most often to consume podcasts. This integration serves as part of Triton Digital’s overall commitment to moving the podcast industry forward.

“Video has added another dimension connecting podcast creators with their audiences,” said Kai Chuk of YouTube, “The measurement and reporting of views provides critical insights to podcasters as they continue to produce the high quality content audiences want and deserve, giving publishers a more holistic view of podcast performance data.”

This initiative comes off the heels of Triton Digital’s recent partnership with Basis Technologies for over-the-air programmatic advertising and its acquisition of Manadge, a leading advertising analytics platform.

Dominick Milano Joins Katz Media Group As SVP, Sales Director, and Programmatic Audio Lead

~ jen

Katz Media Group, the nation’s largest media sales company, announced the continued growth of its digital sales division to meet its ever-expanding position in the marketplace. Katz Digital Audio, America’s leading offering for streaming audio and podcasting, has named Dominick Milano as Senior Vice President, Sales Director, and Programmatic Audio Lead, effective immediately. He will report to Scott Porretti, President of Katz Digital Audio.

Katz Digital Audio is a true audio anywhere platform, providing advertisers access to more than 5,000 audio streams and 275,000 podcasts, reaching 230 million monthly consumers. Katz’s digital team is comprised of trusted media specialists dedicated to the digital audio space, working extensively with thousands of advertisers and the agency community to create premium, data-driven campaigns with proven results.

“For over 130 years, Katz has been a trusted leader in the advertising arena with its pulse on the ever-changing market serving as a trusted partner to an ever-expanding portfolio of publishers and brands nationwide. Katz’s unmatched reach and premium content help brands engage with unique audiences across any device, geography, or target segment,” said Mark Gray, CEO of Katz Media Group.

Joining the Katz Digital leadership team, Milano is an industry frontrunner at the intersection of audio and technology, with an extensive background in programmatic digital audio solutions, audio sales, and industry AdTech. In his new role, Milano will lead one of Katz’s dedicated digital sales teams and drive Katz’s fast-growing programmatic audio offering, Audiology, the largest programmatic audio marketplace delivering precision data-driven audiences at scale.

“I have known and admired Dominick for many years in the audio industry for his passion, knowledge and work ethic. I am thrilled to see him return to Katz, where he will play a significant role in continuing to grow our digital marketplace and advocate for the unique, powerful value audio delivers brands to reach their consumers,” said Scott Porretti, President of Katz Digital Audio.

Milano brings over 25+ years of audio sales and AdTech experience back to Katz, where he began his career in audio in roles including Market Research Specialist and New York Sales Manager. Most recently, Milano served as Senior Vice President of Sales and Business Development for Azerion North American (formerly known as Targetspot). Before Targetspot, Milano held the Executive Vice President role for Triton Digital.

Evergreen Podcasts Rolls Up A Rocking Future For Original Music Podcasts

~ jen

Evergreen Podcasts (“Evergreen”) continues to invest in its music podcast channel with the acquisition of controlling interest in Sound Talent Media’s (“Sound Talent”) award-winning slate of original music podcasts, expanding a unique and introspective collection of artist explorations for music enthusiasts worldwide.

In the Spring of 2022, Evergreen and Sound Talent announced their collaboration to grow audiences, produce new programming, and increase listenership – onboarding star-powered shows like The Punk Rock MBA, Axe to Grind, Chris DeMakes A Podcast, and The Ex-Man with Doc Coyle.

Combined with the Cleveland-based media company’s content partnership with Osiris Media, Evergreen’s music channel has grown to nearly half a million monthly listeners across 55 music podcasts.

“The stage is set to grow our unparalleled music podcast portfolio to a new level,” said Michael C. DeAloia, Chief Executive Officer of Evergreen.

Further investment by Evergreen Podcasts marks a significant step in expanding their stake in the industry. With expertise in sourcing music and lifestyle podcasts, Sound Talent will play a pivotal and collaborative role in building one of the best music podcast rosters in the world.

“Evergreen’s partnership has been instrumental to our growth,” says Sound Talent Co-Founder Matt Andersen. “We’re eager to take our collaboration to new heights and explore the opportunities ahead.”

DeAloia adds, “We are beyond excited to be working with the brilliant minds at Sound Talent.” Together, Evergreen Podcasts and Sound Talent are poised to grow a variety of fresh audio and video content, enriching the lives of listeners and creators worldwide.

Linkfire Expands To Podcasting With Powerful Marketing Toolkit Built For Podcasters

~ jen

Linkfire, the marketing platform used by top artists and labels, announced an expansion into the multibillion dollar podcast industry with Linkfire for Podcasts, a marketing and analytics toolkit built for podcasters, featuring an exclusive integration with Apple Podcasts, the world’s leading podcast platform, that offers powerful new insights for creators worldwide.

With Linkfire for Podcasts, creators can generate an unlimited number of smart links to landing pages for their podcasts and measure the ways listeners engage with them – all while respecting listeners’ privacy. These pages, which are easy to setup and work across devices, are designed to connect listeners to shows and subscriptions on Apple Podcasts. They can also be customized to include links to other apps, social channels, newsletters, merch stores, live events, and much more.

Using the Linkfire Insights dashboard, creators can measure engagement with these links and pages, including anonymized visits, click-throughs, and clickthrough rates. As listeners use these pages to access Apple Podcasts, creators can view all-new engagement insights, including whether a listener has played an episode or followed a show on Apple Podcasts. 

Creators who offer an Apple Podcasts Subscription, and participate in the Apple Podcasts Affiliate Program, can add their affiliate token to these links to also measure the free trials, subscriptions, subscription revenue, and affiliate commissions generated using these links.

“Linkfire for Podcasts is an absolute game-changer for podcast marketing,” said Jeppe Faurfelt, Linkfire Co-Founder and CCO. “Through our exclusive partnership with Apple Podcasts, the world’s leading podcast platform, Linkfire for Podcasts delivers all-new engagement insights that unlock new marketing capabilities for creators while respecting listener privacy. We’re excited to see the creative ways podcasters promote their shows using this innovative toolkit.”

Linkfire for Podcasts is launching as a limited beta today and will be available to all creators and shows worldwide for free this fall. Additional features, such as the ability to customize link branding and invite collaborators, can be unlocked with a subscription to Linkfire at Podcasts starting at $9.99 per month. Creators can learn more and register to be notified when Linkfire for Podcasts is available at linkfire.com/podcasts.

Linkfire for Podcasts is the latest in a series of recent, noteworthy product updates from Linkfire. Last year, Linkfire launched a next-generation bio link, providing creators even more options for engaging with their audiences across social platforms and, more recently, the first-ever pre-save for YouTube, helping artists connect and engage more deeply with their fans.

Former Spotify Data Scientist Jon Gibs Joins Veritonic As Strategic Advisor

~ jen

Veritonic, the industry’s comprehensive audio analytics and research platform, unveiled a strategic partnership with Jon Gibs, whereby he will serve as strategic advisor. Jon is a respected authority on advertising measurement and former Global Director and Principle Data Scientist at Spotify. 

In the role of advisor, Gibs will provide strategic guidance around the best-in-class platform’s capabilities, advancements, and integrations as it relates to audio research, creative testing, and attribution measurement. This strategic alliance will bolster Veritonic’s position as the go-to platform for unrivaled audio analytics and innovative research solutions, while continuing to provide their clients and partners with unparalleled data and ROI.

“The Veritonic platform is at a critical inflection point in terms of innovation and utilization,” said Scott Simonelli, CEO and Founder of Veritonic. “With his exceptional wealth of audio and data expertise, Jon will undoubtedly be a huge asset in refining our roadmap and fortifying the data-driven excellence that our platform provides leading brands, agencies, and publishers around the world.”

“With their innovative measurement and testing technology and an incomparable knowledge of audio, I am delighted to be stepping into an advisory role at Veritonic,” said Gibs. “I believe strongly that Veritonic’s data driven approach to audio advertising will help propel the audio marketplace to its next phase of growth. I look forward to contributing to the continued innovation of the platform, utilization of its capabilities, and releasing of new data that will move the audio industry at large forward.”

Libsyn Appoints John W. Gibbons To Board Of Directors

~ jen

Liberated Syndication Inc. (“Libsyn”), the leading all-in-one podcasting platform for creators and advertisers, announced that it has appointed John W. Gibbons, Interim CEO and Chief Product Officer, to its Board of Directors, effective immediately.

Gibbons was appointed Interim CEO in June of 2023 and has served as President and Chief Product Officer since January 2022. Since joining Libsyn he has played a crucial role in driving the company’s product vision and strategy and has been pivotal in expanding Libsyn’s advertising capabilities, suite-of-service model, and a global presence.

Patrick Dolan, Libsyn’s Board Chair, said, “John brings a proven track record of success in scaling businesses across the podcasting and digital media sectors. His contribution to driving our product innovation roadmap has been invaluable. As our newest board member, I’m confident that John will help us achieve our next rapid growth phase with diverse podcasters and advertisers on a global scale while continuing to stay at the forefront of innovation with industry-leading capabilities.

Gibbons commented, “Libsyn has executed its platform strategy and is well-positioned for the future. I look forward to collaborating with the board and the leadership team to advance our product suite, our international growth ambitions, serving the next million podcasters with our enhanced content creation offerings, and driving the expansion of our advertising marketplace to deliver advanced capabilities to more brand advertisers.”

Patrick Dolan concluded, “We are thrilled to add John to the board, further strengthening it. Earlier this year, Ian Harris and Michael Toro also joined the board. These accomplished executives bring a wealth of industry, technology, and corporate strategy experience. We believe their collective expertise and proven track record will contribute to the company’s continued success.”