Month: August 2024

Music Library Thrumm Launched At Podcast Movement 2024

~ jen

In audio storytelling, finding the right music can be challenging. There’s an abundance of well-produce, ear-catching, front-and-center music libraries — but music that draws attention to itself is often that last thing your narrative needs. For years we’ve wrestled with this problem, finding it’s sometimes faster and more successful to compose our own music. But that’s not an option for everyone.

On August 20th, we introduced Thrumm at Podcast Movement in Washington D.C.

Thrumm isn’t just another production music library. It’s a carefully considered system, born from countless hours of podcast production and music composition. We’ve distilled our experience into a collection of thousands of tracks organized not by genre, but narrative function: Action, Exposition, Resolution, and Tension.

This approach is simple, yet powerful. It allows you to intuitively match music to your story’s emotional arc, saving time and enhancing your narrative.

“The power of this library is its depth and its ease of use — but it’s also just fun to listen to as you work with it. I feel like I can use it to tell any story, from happy to sad, from frightening to heartwarming, and everything in between.” — Gabriel Gould, sound designer, Airship.

Additionally, every piece in the Thrumm library is composed in complementary keys and tempos, allowing for seamless transitions and layering.

“One of the things I wanted most out of this music library was adaptability. We want users to not just score a single story beat, but a full episode or even a full series. So when building Thrumm, it was imperative that every track not only comes with stems and alternative mixes, but is composed so that it’s compatible with the entire library. It’s like a Lego set of music.” — Lindsey Graham (no, not that one), podcast host, composer and Thrumm founder.

Thrumm is a subscription service with flexible licensing and pricing tiered for every level of creator. For those seeking even more control, our Professional tier offers custom commissions, limited exclusivity, and the ability to request modifications to existing tracks. These tools are there if you need them, ready to support your most ambitions projects.

You know music can transform your story. Thrumm can transform your production and workflow.

To learn more, please visit https://thrumm.audio. We’ve put a lot of care into crafting this library, and we hope it proves valuable in your storytelling journey.

About Thrumm 

Thrumm is a production music library subscription services built especially for podcasters, documentarians, and those with a story to tell. Founded by podcast host, producer and composer Lindsey Graham (American History Tellers, American Scandal, History Daily), Thrumm is a collection of thousands of royalty-free music tracks composed with creators, producers, and editors in mind.

Leadership Changes To The Cumulus Podcast Network

~ jen

Cumulus Media announced Carolyn Chauncey’s promotion to Senior Vice President, Marketing and Podcasting. In this new role, Chauncey will lead the Cumulus Podcast Network’s day-to-day operations, content acquisition, editorial and production.

In addition to her new responsibilities, Chauncey will continue to direct corporate marketing for Cumulus Media, Westwood One, and the Cumulus Podcast Network, reporting to Collin R. Jones, President of Westwood One and EVP, Corporate Strategy & Development for Cumulus Media.

Chauncey brings nearly three decades of media experience to the position, having achieved senior leadership positions in broadcast radio, video, digital, print, and experiential at top companies such as Conde Nast Publications, Time Warner, and VEVO.

Since joining Cumulus Media in 2016, Chauncey has overseen ad sales solutions, creative services, and audience development for Westwood One, as well as client entertaining on site at the network’s marquee sports events such as the Super Bowl and Final Four. She is also an original member of the team that launched the podcast network and has been instrumental in its audience expansion, platform marketing, and ad sales growth since inception.

Among additional organizational changes related to the podcast network are Jason Soderberg’s elevation to Vice President, Podcast Operations and Production. In his new role, Jay is responsible for managing all audio and video production for the podcast network as well as platform relations. Soderberg now reports to Chauncey.

In addition, Megan Devine has been promoted to Vice President, Podcast Sales and Planning and Yield Optimization to better align podcast sales planning and yield optimization with revenue-generating activities. In this new role, Devine will report to Brandon Berman, President of Sales at Westwood One.

Sonar SoundLabs Re-Launches For The Arts & Culture Scene

~ jen

Podcast production company, Sonar SoundLabs, announces it’s re-launch, now with an exciting new focus on creating podcasts for the arts and culture industry. Sprouting from the talent pool of The Sonar Podcast Network, Sonar SoundLabs is set to redefine podcasting in the arts with vibrant, creative content that celebrates this lively community.

Sonar SoundLabs leverages the rich legacy of The Sonar Network, a key player in the Canadian arts and entertainment industry since 2017. Their mission is to produce high-quality, engaging podcasts that capture the essence of creativity and inspire audiences worldwide, bringing the magic of arts and culture to listeners’ ears everywhere. Their services are available to artists and brands within the creative sector looking to share their stories as well as brands outside of the arts seeking to connect with a cultural audience.

Emerging from the creative roots of The Sonar Network, Sonar SoundLabs leverages a vast network of passionate writers, producers, designers, and performers. The Sonar Network, a staple in the Canadian podcasting landscape since 2017, remains committed to uplifting podcasters with authentic voices and ideas. With over 50 podcasts and a whopping 48 podcasting awards won to date, The Sonar Network creator pool is overflowing with talent.

Sonar SoundLabs is thrilled to announce a strategic partnership with My Most Authentic Life Content Partnerships, aimed at driving sales and forging impactful partnerships. Emerging from the My Most Authentic Live podcast, this newly established sales arm, led by Fede Vargas, leverage over 15 years of his sales and distribution expertise in the media and entertainment industry. This alliance positions both companies to create high-quality, authentic podcast partnerships that intentionally connect brands with their audiences.

“This partnership with Sonar SoundLabs marks an exciting new chapter for My Most Authentic Life. Fueled by our combined creative leadership, and sales expertise, Sonar SoundLabs is perfectly positioned to create dynamic growth partnerships in the branded podcast space,” —Fede Vegas, Founder of My Most Authentic Life.

Leading the marketing efforts is Mariana Miniotis, Brand & Content Manager from The Sonar Network. Her innovative strategies and deep passion for arts & culture will drive the brand forward and forge meaningful connections in the community.

Audacia Audio Produces Multilingual Ads Using AI

~ jen

Global audio advertising marketplace Audacia Audio has partnered with AI creative audio studio Wondercraft to scale international ad production for its APAC clients using AI.

Founded by former Spotify Directory Kym Treasure in 2022, Singapore-based Audacia Audio connects publishers, advertisers and customers across premium audio environments, supporting brands to produce and implement audio ads, and publishers to monetise their inventory.

To date, Audacia has supported over 30 APAC client to produce and monetise powerful audio advertising campaigns in over 10 markets, a process which typically takes 10 days or more. Now, Audacia is using Wondercraft’s digital Ad Studio to speed up the production processing empower clients to connect with new audiences by rapidly translating ads for multiple markets using AI.

What is Wondercraft?

Co-founded by former COO at Acast and early Spotify employee Oskar Serrander and Palantir engineers Dimitris Nikolaou and Youssef Risk, Wondercraft’s AI Ad Studio enables brands and creative teams to script, voice, produce, and translate studio-quality audio adverts in any language, simply by typing.

Dubbed “Canna for Audio” for its ability to radically simplify audio production, the Wondercraft platform features hyper-realistic AI voices which can be directed with absolute precision, seamless music and sound mixing, a versatile AI script-and ad copy assistant, and powerful audio translation tools.

Reducing average production time from three weeks to three days

Audicia started working with Wondercraft to produce audio creative in February 2024. Since then, the Singapore-based audio marketplace has produced dozens of slick audio campaigns using the technology for high-profile clients in the finance, entertainment and travel sectors, driving Listen Through Rates of up to 99%.

For one client, Audacia used the platform to create and rapidly translate four audio adverts from English into Italian, Mandarin and Vietnamese for multiple markets.

The technology has enabled Audacia to reduce average production time and scale its creative output.

Kym Treasure, co founder at Audacia Audio, comments —

“At Audacia Audio, we’ve found Wondercraft to be an indispensable partner in our audio advertising campaigns. Their intuitive interface simplifies the process of crafting professional audio adverts in any language. From copywriting to voice cloning, transition and background music selection, their tools provide unparalleled flexibility and quality. 

The technology has enabled us to create a quantity and quality of audio ads for clients we could not have come close to otherwise, so our clients can focus their energy and budgets on marketing and monetization. Our clients have been excited and receptive to the power of this new technology to drive fast audio ad production and iteration for multiple international markets and customer segments.”

Oskar Serrander, former Acast COO and co-founder at Wondercraft, comments —

“We’re obsessed about making audio production more accessible to the marketing and ad industry. What normally eats away at the media budget, takes weeks of feedback ping-pong, and only leaves the brand with a few ads to show for can now be done in a matter of minutes and hours and leave you with endless variations of copy, voices, music and languages to deploy your ad campaigns in multiple markets, tailored to multiple target audiences.

I’m excited to enable brands and agencies to invest their time in developing amazing, creative concepts that drive results and help them with the rest: a fast, affordable, friction-free, studio-quality platform to make those ideas come alive. Audacia Audio was one our earliest enterprise users and true pioneers in adopting AI to service their clients. We’re super impressed by Kym and her team’s work and excited to see the impact Wondercraft is having on their businesses and services.”

Wondercraft came out of Beta in February of this year and is already being used by more than 40,000 storytellers, creatives, audio ad producers and brands, including world leading podcast company Acast and Stephen Barley of Diary of a CEO. It launched its end-to-end.

The platform has been designed for both creators and creative teams, with a suite of team collaboration tools making it easy for creative teams at ad agencies and publishers to work together on audio projects with colleagues, clients, and stakeholders.

In February 2024, Wondercraft announced a $3m Seed round led by Will Ventures, Y Combinator, ElevenLabs, Steven Bartlett and other angels.

Libsyn And Barometer Partner For Brand Safety

~ jen

Liberated Syndication Inc. (“Libsyn”), the leading podcasting platform for creators and advertisers, and Barometer, a contextual AI engine redefining the legacy of contextual targeting for brand suitability, announced  a strategic partnership to ensure brand safety across Libsyn’s extensive podcasting marketplace — providing continuous verification of brand suitability for every podcast episode.

Podcast advertising revenues are projected to grow by 12% this year, surpassing $2 billion, and are on track to reach nearly $2.6 billion by 2026, according to the IAB. As more advertisers enter the podcasting realm and increase their ad spending to build authentic connections and drive consumer action, they’re seeking assurance that their ads appear in podcast content that aligns with their brand values.

Barometer’s innovative technology evaluates every podcast episode against each advertiser’s unique standards of brand safety and suitability. Traditional keyword-based brand safety solutions deliver sub-optimal outcomes. Instead, Barometer’s AI-powered approach brings context back into the picture.

Advertisers can customize and curate campaigns based on custom requirements using Barometer’s unique curation capabilities. This partnership offers a robust and nuanced approach to evaluating and aligning content with brand values, emphasizing brand suitability, authenticity in tone and alignment with content creators.

“With our extensive catalog of thousands of shows, from independent creators to established names, we have expert insights into our inventory,”said Stephen Pickens, Executive Vice President of Sales and Libsyn Ads. “Partnering with Barometer, a leader in podcast brand suitability, allows us to uniquely customize and group our inventory to meet the specific brand safety needs of our advertisers. We’re thrilled to build on this partnership to foster trust and authenticity in every episode, ensuring that every brand’s message aligns perfectly with the audiences across our expansive creator marketplace.”

Tamara Zubatiy, Co-founder and CEO of Barometer, stated, “Libsyn has been a pioneer in podcast advertising and together, we look forward to educating advertisers on the evolution of brand safety, brand suitability and contextual targeting in podcasting and providing tools that offer a customized approach to understanding the content they’re engaging with, while also simplifying the alignment of their ad spend with their brand values.”

With it’s expansive catalog of hundreds of exclusive podcasts and thousands of participating shows, Libsyn’s full-service advertising solution offers advertisers invaluable monetization opportunities to access sought-after podcast advertising inventory like ABC Audio, The Vial Files, Aaron Mahnke’s Lore, Darknet Diaries, The John Campea Show, Newsworthy, Berner Phone, and more.

This partnership marks another milestone for Libsyn as the Company celebrates its 20th year in podcasting. Over the years, Libsyn has made substantial investments in platform innovations, particularly in expanding its advertising offerings and enhancing industry-leading tools for creators and advertisers.

About Liberated Syndication

Celebrating our 20th year in podcasting, Liberated Syndication (“Libsyn”) is the leading podcasting platform for creators and advertisers to host, distribute, monetize, amplify, and measure their audio and video content. The Company hosts more than 75,000 shows and delivers 8 billion downloads to listeners globally. 

Libsyn Ads offers industry-leading podcast advertising solutions, serving as a comprehensive ad buying and management offering for creators, advertisers, and agencies to initiate and manage highly targeted campaigns across thousands of shows. Visit libsyn.com today or investor.libsyn.com for more information on the Company and the platforms that it powers.

Ad Performance Tracking: MetaRouter And Magellan AI Partner

~ jen

MetaRouter, the trailblazers in server-side tag management and real-time event routing, announced a strategic partnership with Magellan AI, the leading audio intelligence, analytics, and measurement company. This collaboration aims to significantly enhance the accuracy handbreadth of ad performance data, empowering marketers to optimize their advertising strengths.

“In an era where user privacy is paramount, MetaRouter and Magellan AI are at the forefront of ensuring that customer data is handled with the utmost compliance and consent enforcement,” said Michele Neiberding, Director of Product Management at MetaRouter. “By leveraging MetaRouter’s advanced consent enforcement technology and Magellan AI’s robust analytics, the partnership aims to provide advertisers with accurate and actionable insights while maintaining strict adherence to privacy regulations.”

Optimizing Ad Spend and ROAS

Effective ad spend allocation remains a key challenge for marketers. Accurately calculating Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) requires precise revenue tracking, often complicated by complex customer journeys and attribution models. This partnership combines MetaRouter’s robust server-side data streaming with Magellan AI’s detailed analytics to provide precise tracking and insights into ad performance. The result is more accurate than ROAS measurement, helping advertisers reduce inefficient spend and optimize campaigns more effectively.

Maintaining Privacy in an Increasingly Regulated Environment

Privacy regulations like GDPR and CCPA have made measuring user behavior and attributing conversions more challenging. These regulations create gaps in data collection, making it difficult to measure ad campaign impact and maintain accurate ROAS metrics. The MetaRouter and Magellan AI collaboration prioritizes privacy compliance while delivering accurate data, balancing regulatory requirements with reliable ad performance insights.

Impact on Podcasting

In the podcasting industry, accurate event data is essential for understanding the impact of advertising. However, direct interaction is generally limited and ads are consumed through listening exposure rather than clicks, which complicates attribution. The MetaRouter and Magellan AI partnership enhances the ability to track and measure podcast ad effectiveness, crucial for making informed decisions about where and how much to spend on your media campaigns.

“Partnering with MetaRouter is a forward-looking step for how we handle cross-channel advertising data,” said Jim Ballas, Head of Publisher Partnerships at Magellan AI. “MetaRouter’s ability to provide precise, privacy-compliant customer data complements our mission to enable our clients to easily integrate their key KPIs with our measurement suite, so they can optimize their ad spend with greater accuracy and confidence, as privacy regulations continue to evolve.”

The partnership offers advanced targeting and attribution methods that combine contextual signals with cohort-based and probabilistic approaches to compensate for the reduced efficacy of traditional tracking. This strategy particularly benefits brands implementing first-party data strategies, positioning them to thrive amid evolving privacy regulations. These brands gain greater control over the customer data and how it is shared, while being better prepared for future privacy demands.

Podsquad – A Podcasting Initiative For Middle School Students

~ jen

Manifest Media, the award-winning creative studio behind the acclaimed podcast Table Read, is thrilled to introduce its Podsquad initiative, an after-school program for middle school students offered in partnership with the Los Angeles public schools, designed to foster collaboration and creativity. Podsquad invites the students to learn and embark on a journey of self-discovery and storytelling, ultimately producing a podcast that will captivate listeners worldwide.

Spanning 13 weeks, the program will engage students in various aspects of podcasting, working collaboratively to create captivating episodes for a fully produced podcast series. The program will guide the students in uncovering their distinct podcasting style, enabling them to craft narratives that resonate with their authentic selves.

Guest speakers will include industry experts such as Shaan Sharma, actor from “The Chosen,” Torrel Alexis, re-recording engineer; Vanessa Richardson, podcast host, and producer; Alice Florence Orr, podcast critic, and novelist; Aisha Wynn, producer and network executive at MACRO; Rob Puzztitello from Mackie; Gordon Firemark, podcast producer and attorney; and Wally Hasselbring, co-founder of The Right Now PR Agency.

Jack Levy, Co-Founder of Manifest Media, says, “We’re beyond thrilled to launch this initiative. Our team and expert guests are putting together a value-packed curriculum that will inspire young creators to start their podcasting journey early. Participants will learn valuable skills, from storytelling and sound design to editing and marketing strategies, equipping them with a comprehensive toolkit for success in the digital age.”

Supporting the PodSquad initiative is audio company Mackie, generously donating top-notch podcasting bundles powered by their adaptive digital podcasting studio, the DLZ Creator.

About Manifest Media

Manifest Media is an innovative and forward-thinking company revolutionizing podcasting by partnering with established content creators from various industries, including film, television, sports, and publishing, to develop emotionally engaging content that captivates audiences. 

Founded by industry veterans Mark Knell and Jack Levy, Manifest Media has worked with the best in the business, from award-winning writers to Rock ’n’ Roll Hall of Famers, Oscar and Emmy winners, influencers, and rising stars, to produce content that leaves a lasting impression on our listeners and the entertainment market.

AMP Set To Welcome Marques Pfaff As Partner

~ jen

Amplitude Media Partners (AMP), a leading media sales company specializing in revenue-generating solutions for independent creators, is excited to announce the addition of Marques Pfaff to is partnership group, effective August 19. Pfaff, a veteran of both the podcast industry and terrestrial radio, brings a wealth of experience and an extensive network of strategic relationships. 

His presence will help enhance the company’s internal operations, while simultaneously growing the organization’s collective knowledge of podcast monetization and audience growth. Additionally, Pfaff’s expertise in understanding the wants and needs of both podcasters and advertisers will be instrumental in expanding AMP’s offerings and reputation in the marketplace.

“It’s hard to articulate just how excited I am to be joining this organization filled with proven industry experts who share my professional values and vision,” said Pfaff. “I’ve known and worked with both [company founder] John (Donahue) and Reggie (Risseeuw) for several years now, and together, we intend to not only maximize revenue opportunities for our partner shows, but also create an environment where podcasters and advertisers alike feel like a valued part of our team.”

Pfaff’s career spans nearly two decades, during which time he’s co-hosted his own podcast (w/Risseeuw) in addition to having spent five years with AdvertiseCast (now known as Libsyn Ads) in a variety of roles, most recently overseeing the organization’s internal operations.

Following Libsyn, Pfaff co-founded RAM Media Services with Risseeuw, an organization providing a variety of podcaster services including operational and hosting platform management as well as production services. Pfaff has also produced and hosted radio shows in both the Milwaukee and Appleton/Green Bay, Wisconsin markets and spent five-plus hears in the marketing and public relations in the Las Vegas market.

“We are thrilled to welcome Marques to our team,” said Donahue. “His deep understanding of the podcast ecosystem and ability to execute successful monetization strategies will be invaluable as we continue to empower independent creators. Marques’ vision aligns perfectly with our mission to provide best-in-class solutions that help our clients thrive. At AMP, we continue to strengthen our position in the market by attracting top talent and delivering innovative solutions that help independent creators succeed in an ever-growing media landscape.”

At AMP, Pfaff will be responsible for implementing operational SOPs, while also leading efforts to optimize and expand the company’s podcast portfolio, focusing on maximizing revenue opportunities for creators. He’ll also work in tandem with Donahue and Risseeuw to identify new growth areas and further solidify the company’s position as a leader in the media sales industry.

About Amplitude Media Partners

Amplitude Media Partners (AMP) is a media sales company dedicated to empowering independent podcasters and YouTube creators by removing the stress associated with monetization. Instead of worrying about sales, creators are free to do what they do best.

With this creator-centric approach, Amplitude Media Partners specializes in forging authentic brand partnerships, providing best-in-class monetization solutions, and offering data-driven insights in the digital media space. 

For more information on AMP and its services, please visit amplitudemediapartners.com.

Goalhanger Announces New EP And PR Appointments

~ jen

Goalhanger has appointed Nicole Logan as ‘Executive Producer – Development’ and Andy Neilson as ‘PR & Communications Manager’ in two new roles for he UK’s largest independent podcast production company, effective immediately.

Logan, formerly Head of Development at production company Reduced Listening, will lead efforts to find talent, pilot shows, and take them all the way to launch. She brings a deep knowledge of existing talent in the audio space and experience in bringing through great people new to the medium. Her remit will cover genres such as history, politics, entertainment, and sports while developing shows for new audiences.

Over the past four years, Logan has supported clients and producers with new initiatives and idea across podcasts and radio, where she worked predominantly with BBC Radio 3, 6Music, BBC Sounds, and Spotify. She was also the executive producer of Nailing It For Spotify, Arlo Park’s Dream Fuel and Gilles Peterson for 6Music, and The Sleeping Forecast for BBC Sounds.

Prior two joining Reduced Listening, Logan held various roles in the radio output of the Roundhouse in Camden and is a founding trustee of the audio charity Multitrack.

Additionally, Neilson, formerly Communications & Marketing Manager at the trade body British Association for Screen Entertainment (BASE), will build a consistent and strategic approach to public relations for Goalhanger, supporting the ambition to be a world-leading media network. Neilson will run consumer-facing communications for Goalhanger-produced shows while also leading the broader B2B press strategy across commercial activity and the business as a whole.

Over the past seven years, Neilson has implemented multi-channel communications activities tailored for a range of B2B and B2C audiences across the UK and Europe on behalf of major Hollywood studios like The Walt Disney Company, EMEA & Warner Bros. Discover and OTT streaming/VOD platforms like Prime Video & Sky Store.

Before joining BASE, Neilson had various roles across the promotions and marketing teams at Universal Music Group N.V.

In their new roles, both will report to Jack Davenport, Managing Director and Co-Founder, at a time of massive success across rising monthly download numbers and increased commercial activity.

On their appointment, Davenport said, “We are thrilled to welcome Nicole and Andy to our team. Their extensive experience will be invaluable as we expand our portfolio of shows and audiences, increase our presence in international markets, and further develop our established shows across social media, video, and events.”

Earlier this month, Goalhanger announced a record level of downloads and views over a hugely busy May to July period, led by a worldwide boost in interest across shows such as “The Rest Is Politics” and “The Rest Is Football,” with 40 million downloads and views of the full episodes with another 80 million+ on social media recorded.

mowPod Announces Two Promotions

~ jen

mowPod is pleased to announce the promotion of James Flint to the role of Director of Global Business Development and Marilyn Haigh to the position of Vice President of Sales.

James Flint joined mowPod in 2023 and has played a pivotal role in expanding the company’s reach beyond the US market. In his new role, James will continue to drive moPod’s global expansion efforts, with a particular emphasis on broadening the company’s footprint in the EMEA region.

Marilyn Haigh, who joined mowPod in 2021, has show remarkable growth and leadership. Starting as a Business Development Representative (BDR), Marilyn quickly demonstrated her value to the teak, eventually managing mowPod’s key partnerships. In her new role as Vice President of Sales, Marilyn will oversee these partnerships while leading a new team of BDRs.

Chase Hattie, Chief Revenue Officer of mowPod stated: “James and Marilyn have been absolute game-changers for mowPod. Marilyn was our first hire outside the original team, joining as a BDR in 2021. Watching her growth over the years to now leading her own team of BDRs has been incredible.

And James — since he came on board in 2022, he’s transformed us from a US-centric company to the leading podcast audience growth solution across the UK and the rest of Europe. With the new products we’re set to launch, I’m excited to see how James and Marilyn will elevate our sales strategy in these new roles.”

About mowPod

mowPod is a leading podcast audience growth platform, providing innovative solutions that help content creators and brands expand their reach. With a focus on delivering measurable results and fostering meaningful audience engagement, mowPod is at the forefront of driving growth in the podcasting industry.