All posts by Jen Thorpe

The Podcast Show 2023 Announces Speakers

Podcast News

The Podcast Show, the biggest international festival for the business of podcasting, is back for a second year. This one-of-a-kind event is open to industry professionals, independent podcast creators, business leaders, emerging talent, and fans alike, and will see the podcast community gather for two days at The Business Design Center in Islington, London, on 24th & 25th May. Day and night, thousands of visitors are expected from around the world, with visitors from 25 countries already represented.

Headline partners for The Show this coming May are Acast and Amazon Music and Wondery. As well as brining well-loved voices from its extensive network, Acast will offer podcasters and advertisers a “choose your own adventure” – style experience, to learn how the creator economy in podcasting can work for them. Amazon Music and Wondery will be hosting their own exclusive sessions across the two days as well as delivering, for the second year, an Amazon Music and Wondery branded activation on the main show floor. Details will be announced soon.

Also joining as official partners this year are Audioboom, BBC Sounds, Global, Spotify, and Veritone. New partners joining the roster include Dolby, Tortoise Media, Simplecast, Adswizz, Sennheiser, Neumann, Bumper, Frequency, Musixmatch, Evergreen Podcasts, and AudioPlus.

This year, the show has partnered with YMU Entertainment, (a division of leading global talent group YMU), who will be taking part in the Preview Night, as well as taking over The Origin Theater between 9:30am and 12:30pm on both show days. The division will be showcasing – and in conversation with – their clients including Fearne Cotton, Gabby Lopez, Giovanna Fletcher, Cel Spellman, Raphael Rowe, and Jack Harries and key members of the YMU Entertainment leadership team.

On Day One, The Rise Up Stage will be presented in partnership with Listen and Arcade Media. Their talks will focus on what the podcast industry can learn from the creator economy. In line with this, they’ll be showcasing talent including Jordan Schwarzenberger (Host of Unboxed, Co-Founder of Arcade Media and manager of The Sidemen), Patricia Bright (Author, YouTuber and Founder of The Break), and top commissioners and reporters including Marta Biino (Creator Economy Reporter at Business Insider), Tom Pauc (Sky’s Senior Podcast Manager and host of Plot Twist podcast), Rae Votta (Global Podcast Content Lead at Netflix), and Pia Brady (Head of Creator Ventures at LinkedIn Editorial).

These names join those previously announced; Ashley Flowers, Dan Snow, Hala Taha, Nick Grimshaw, Jordan Harbinger, Spencer Matthews, Vogue Williams, Sam & Billie Faiers and William Hanson.

International speakers confirmed thus far include Emma Vaughn (Spotify Global Head of Advertising Business Development & Partnerships), Lory Martinez (Founder of Studio Ochenta), Julien Neuville (Co-Founder of Nouvelles Écoutes). Tom Höglund (Co-Founder at Epidemic Sound), Fatima Zaidi (CEO and Founder of Quill Inc), and Jeff Vidler (President and Founder of Signal Hill Insights).

This year, The Show will also launch its inaugural International Podcast Trailblazer Award, recognizing an individual who has made a global impact on the podcast industry. This will be announced at the Preview Night in the Business Design Centre on 23rd May, 7:30pm. Soon to be announced is the Industry Advisory Panel, a group of key influential players from across the industry, which will ensure the festival caters to the international podcast community. The panel will select the winner.

The Podcast Show LIVE will host a week-long podcast festival promoted by TEG Live Europe. The evening shows will take place around London from 22-28 May, celebrating world-class talent and bringing some favourite voices to the stage. The Show is pleased to announce live shows from Kermode & Mayo’s Take, Tape Notes Live with Adam Buxton!, Tea With Me – Shane Todd, The Socially Distant Sports Bar, AFTV: The Invincible Podcast, and The Useless Hotline. These are taking place across Isilngton at Union Chapel, Islington Assembly Hall and The Business Design Centre, with more to be announced.

The Business Design Centre is a stone’s throw away from Kings Cross train station and the Eurostar. Delegate Day Passes are on sale now at thepodcastshowlondon.com. Prices start from £55 (Day Pass) and £99 (2 Day Pass), with a limited number of £30 tickets for those aged 30 and under. Produced by AV Media & Events (AVME), a joint venture between SME London and GetOnMedia.

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.

Backyard Ventures Uses Libsyn’s AdvertiseCast

Podcast News,

Liberated Syndication Inc. (“Libsyn”), the leading all-in-one podcasting platform for creators and advertisers, announced a strategic deal between Libsyn’s AdvertiseCast, the industry’s premier podcast advertising marketplace that connects podcasters, and Backyard Ventures, a full-service partnerships business for creators. The collaboration is designed to ensure Backyard Ventures’ roster of creators maximize the full potential of their content with the addition of Libsyn’s Automatic Ads, a programmatic advertising solution.

Austin-based Backyard Ventures specializes in connecting its clients with premium brand partners. The company supports brand development and revenue generation across podcasts, social media, video, and newsletters, and represents such notable podcast creators as Ryan Holiday, A Little Bit Culty, Boss Babe Podcast, Chasing Excellence, and Granger Smith. The Libsyn partnership enables those creators to access the flexibility and speed of programmatic buying and build a revenue stream from their podcast with little to no additional effort.

Libsyn’s Automatic Ads allow creators to monetize their podcast by dynamically inserting ads. The automatic ads solution lets creators to choose where they want their ads to run – pre-roll, mid-roll, or post-roll. Unlike live reads, Automatic Ads are just that – automatic – not a permanent part of a podcast. They are inserted in real-time and even allow creators to monetize their back catalog. For brands, Automatic Ads enables contextual relevance, buying efficiency, and dynamic insertion, allowing advertisers to reach high-value audiences with relevant messages.

Matt Cisneros, Founder of Backyard Ventures, said, “Since day one, Backyard Ventures has been fully focused on creating the most opportunities and revenue for our clients and this partnership with Libsyn further solidifies our efforts. Our roster of clients is the lifeline of this business and offering a programmatic partnership will only aid in our efforts in offering premium service.”

“Backyard Ventures is a fast-growing independent entity with a strong leadership team that has a great eye for high quality shows. Our new pilot partnership is focused on developing effective monetization efforts for a select group of podcast clients,” said Dave Hanley, Chief Revenue Officer, Libsyn’s AdvertiseCast. “We’re looking forward to pushing the boundaries of what programmatic podcast advertising is capable for both Backyard Ventures’ burgeoning roster of creators and the brands that are leveraging podcasts as part of their marketing mix.”

Audacia Partners With AdsWizz To Represent Marketplace Ad Inventory

Podcast News,

Audacia, a global advertising marketplace connecting publishers, advertisers, and customers across premium audio environments, announced that it has entered into an agreement with AdsWizz to represent AdsWizz’s marketplace ad inventory across streaming and podcasts in Asia. AdsWizz’s audio advertising technology combined with Audacia’s expertise in the JAPAC market will streamline podcast, music, and gaming inventory connections, making premium audio content more easily accessible to advertisers.

Audacia will leverage AdsWizz’s audio ad technology and advanced targeting capabilities to sell its audio network in Japan, Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. Through the use of AdWizz’s technology, including AdsWizz campaign manager and supply side platform, Audacia will aggregate audio inventory from other publishers in these markets such as All Ears English & TuneIn Radio.

With ad spending in the digital audio advertising segment in Asia projected to hit US$2.15bn in 2023, this collaboration will allow further opportunity for clients to connect with an increasingly engaged audience.

“The buzz across JAPAC right now is electric. It definitely feels that the region is having a moment,” said Kym Treasure, CEO & Founder of Audacia. “Investment is flowing in, and it’s a thrilling place to do business. Since Audacia’s launch in 2022, the immediate interest in JAPAC from advertisers and publishers across the globe has exceeded our expectations. And our latest collaboration with AdsWizz is a formidable partnership that cements our position as Asia’s premium audio network. We are excited about the opportunities this collaboration will present to our clients. With 34% of the world’s population listening to at least one podcast in any given month, now is the time for advertisers and publishers alike to invest in their audio offering.”

“We’re trimmed to work with Audacia to offer advertisers in Asia access to our marketplace inventory across music and streaming,” said Brieuc Verwilghen, VP, Head of Commercial Partnerships & Strategy, EMEA & APAC at AdsWizz. “With our innovative technology and Audacia’s evolving presence in the market, buyers can now target and reach an engaged audience of listeners across JAPAC.”

The collaboration will enable a flexible podcast offering in-market, with advertisers benefiting from expanded targeting capabilities, rich engagement in premium content and a growing audience across Asia.

About Audacia

Audacia is a global advertising marketplace connecting publishers, advertisers, and customers across premium audio environments. It is the only independent, full-stack, digital audio advertising platform providing a full-service global solution. To learn more about Audacia, visit audaciaaudio.com.

About AdsWizz

AdsWizz, a subsidiary of SiriusXM, is the technology engine powering the monetization of audio content worldwide. A pioneer in the space, AdsWizz provides publishers and independent content creators with the tools they need to scale their audio business, while offering marketers innovation at scale, allowing them to connect with audiences globally. From radio, streaming, and podcasts to dynamic ad insertion, advance programmatic, contextual targeting, and first-to-market audio ad formats, only AdsWizz seamlessly connects an entire ecosystem of audio buyers and sellers with the click of a button. To learn more about AdsWizz, visit adswizz.com.

Vizzy Studio Update Makes It Compatible With Spotify Video

Podcast News

Vizzy Studio, a popular podcast enhancing software platform has released an additional feature to help podcasters produce video versions of their show. Vizzy is now the fastest way to produce engaging video content for Spotify; podcasters and creators can upload any mp3 audio and inject a series of images via the Vizzy Studio which will generate a video file that is compatible with Spotify for Podcasters (previously Anchor). Existing Vizzy users can use 1 click to generate videos for their already visually enhanced episodes to use in Spotify, YouTube and other video hosting services and social media platforms.

Podcasters can produce a video with Vizzy in a few simple steps:

  • Upload their audio
  • Use Vizzy’s simple timeline to add contextually relevant images at exact points in the audio
  • 1 click to generate a video file to use in YouTube, Spotify, Vimeo etc.
  • Use the Vizzy show notes generator to get chapters for Spotify and YouTube too.

This new feature integrates seamlessly with all existing Vizzy Studio features:

  • Add images to audio files that listeners see in Apple Podcast Player
  • Easily create chapters to break up your story
  • Add short form urls to create trackable links to products and advertisers

“We’ve been excited to launch this product which has broad application to podcasters, creators and even educators,” said Nic. “This method of producing video satisfies many requirements; it’s fast, simple and effective, while still providing engaging on screen visuals. We also expect this to be popular for the production of narrated video slideshows and and many other creative applications.”

About Vizzy

Vizzy’s mission is to build the software tools that enable podcasters and creatives to add images and interactivity to podcasting.

For more info check out www.vizzy.fm or sign up for a Vizzy Studio account go to app.vizzy.fm/login. Follow our founder, Nic on @Nic_Vizzy on Twitter and feel free to get in touch with the team on hello@vizzy.com.au.

Podbean Announces VIP Program

Podcast News

Podbean announced the launch of their exclusive VIP Program designed to connect podcasts with large audiences in the Podbean Ads Marketplace. Members of the VIP Program will receive free hosting and access to unlimited podcast channels as well as unlimited bandwidth and storage. The intention of the program is to allow podcasters the ability to focus on creating compelling content while Podbean will prioritize monetization and bringing in ad revenue.

Podbean CEO, David Xu commented on the announcement, “As a leader in the space, we understand the future of podcast advertising and the needs of our creators. With this new program, not only will Podbean promote your podcast to thousands of advertisers and provide you with demographic analytic data, but we are also offering access to our customer success team and regular free training on podcast creation and promotion. This program is a game changer for creators and will elevate their podcasts to the next level.”

The Podbean VIP program is by invitation only to large volume podcast meeting marketable content criteria; podcasts with a minimum of 10,000 downloads per month, and content that complies with Podbean’s AUP, and is not targeted toward children. To become a member, your podcast must commit to staying on the Podbean platform and opt in to our Programmatic Ads programs. But don’t worry, we don’t require exclusivity, so you can still get ads from other sources.

Take your podcast to the next level with Podbean’s VIP program by submitting your application here.

About Podbean

Podbean has been providing innovative podcasting, live audio, and enterprise audio and video SaaS services as an industry leader since 2006. Podbean integrates recording, mobile editing, publishing, management, distribution, programmatic monetization and analysis tools into an easy-to-use podcasting platform. The Podbean community consists of over 600,000 podcasts, including corporate and organizational podcasts, and a rapidly expanding listener community on one of the top podcast listening and recording apps for Android and iOS.

LiveOne’s PodcastOne Partners With AI-Driven Seekr

Podcast News,

PodcastOne, a leading podcast platform and subsidiary of LiveOne, announced that it has reached an agreement with Seekr, a first-of-its-kind, AI-driven content scoring platform with applications for audio-based brands and advertisers. The partnership will enable PodcastOne to ensure brand suitability for its advertising partners. Seekr’s machine learning platform employs natural language processing (NLP) to rapidly evaluate and score content for safety and reliability.

“Seekr’s partnership with PodcastOne provides current and potential advertisers an extraordinarily high level of confidence and peace of mind that their ad-buys will be made in brand-suitable environments,” said Pat Condo, Chief Executive Officer of Seekr. “PodcastOne has been able to achieve remarkable growth – amassing nearly 2.5 billion downloads – in large part, because it is leading in innovation, and we’re excited to see AI technology supercharge those efforts. Seekr’s content evaluation and rating technology immediately positions PodcastOne as an industry leader in the adoption of advanced AI”

Once fully implemented, the initial beneficiaries of Seekr’s technology will be existing PodcastOne business partners. The full spectrum of PodcastOne’s podcasts will be evaluated and rated instantly to help determine the most impactful places to drive brand visibility an be heard in the moment. Additionally, PodcastOne podcasts will have direct connectivity to Seekr.com, an independent search engine that rates content using AI, allowing PodcastOne listeners to leverage Seekr’s proprietary technology and patented search capabilities.

“Brands want security in knowing that their investment is being made with reliable, honest, truthful programming that aligns with their core values and intended audiences. With Seekr’s AI technology, we now offer media buyers an additional third-party option of trust that does not currently exist in the audio advertising marketplace. As we continue to be at the forefront of emerging technology within the audio space, aligning with Seekr puts us ahead of the pack for advertising clients who want the content reliability and for consumers who want to trusted, honest content which allows PodcastOne to remain a trusted network for advertisers,” said Kit Gray, President of PodcastOne.

PodcastOne continues to develop and produce compelling and entertainment and current event based content to generate excitement and intrigue in the audio and streaming space. With podcasts being the fastest growing medium by far, PodcastOne is determined to remain a leader in expanding audiences and forging synergistic relationships for its podcasters. With select podcasts available in over one-million Tesla vehicles, PodcastOne’s full roster of programming is available on PodcastOne, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and wherever podcasts are heard.

About Seekr Technologies Inc.

Seekr is a privately held artificial intelligence company that specializes in transparent content evaluation and objective ratings. Its AI technology is designed to rate all content, both authentic content created by humans, and synthetic, machine-generated content. Seekr empowers user choice and control by streamlining access to reliable information. The centerpiece of Seeker’s technology is an independent search engine that is powered by the proprietary AI and employs natural language processing (NLP) to generate a Seekr Score and Political Lean Indicator. Seekr is committed to building a web that people can trust by giving everyone access to technology that makes it easy to find reliable content in context.

iHeartPodcast Network Announced Influencer Summit For Creators And Brand

Podcast News

The hands-on educational event will feature diverse podcast authorities such as the widely popular media personality and founder of The Black Effect Podcast Network, Charlemagne tha God; the woman behind the successful Stuff You Missed In History Class podcast, Holly Frey; and esteemed journalist, author and Co-Founder of Pushkin Industries, Malcolm Gladwell, joined with today’s biggest marketers to explain why podcasting is growing rapidly and how brands need to adapt, invest and create audio advertising that resonates with podcast fans.

“Podcasters are the most creative, fastest-growing, diverse wave of influencers to hit content and marketing in years – just as influencer marketing more generally was becoming a key new way to reach audiences. This event came together because our podcast creators are deeply invested in the brands and advertising that become part of their shows, that they asked us to give them a chance to sit down with marketers at scale and talk about what makes host-read creative work,” said Conan Byrne, CEO of the iHeartMedia Digital Audio Group.

“What really differentiates podcasting and our iHeartPodcast Network from other mediums is that creators and fans expect the advertising to be endemic to the shows, often voiced by the hosts and authentic to the listening experience. This is a chance to roll up your sleeves and co-create, collaborate and showcase the simplicity, speed and creative potential of podcasting.”

The iHeartPodcast Network, the leading podcast publisher globally according to Podtrac, is home to some of the biggest podcast creators with more than 800 iHeartPodcasts, all of which are influencer-driven, across a wide variety of genres from business, sports, spirituality and technology to entertainment, family, comedy and true crime – and everything in between. According to eMarketer, in the past two years podcasts and influencers have been the fastest growing advertising channel for marketers. (68% and 58% ad spend growth respectively in 2023 vs. 2021.)

The event will feature workshops and provocative, forward-thinking discussions about the future of podcast advertising with iHeart’s most powerful podcast influencers and innovative leaders in marketing to bridge the gap between creators and brands. In breakout sessions, creators like Malcolm Gladwell will connect with brands on how to understand his audience and create a spot that pulls listeners in; while host Holly Frey of the successful Stuff You Missed In History Class podcast will put on a masterclass in podcast marketing. Other topics will include how to do great audio influencer marketing, how to select creators, how to collaborate with podcast influencers, how to measure their impact on campaigns and more.

“If you can have taken such as Will Ferrell, Paris Hilton, Bethenny Frankel, Wilmer Valdarrama and other influential hosts as your creative partner, imagine the possibilities and how powerful your podcast campaign will be,” said Gayle Troberman, CEO of iHeartMedia. “This will be a breakthrough moment for the ad industry to see why podcasting is the fastest growing medium with the lowest ad-skipping rates of any medium.”

“Audio storytelling has shown itself to be such a powerful medium over the past few years. At Pushkin Industries, in partnership with iHeartPodcasts, we’ve been able to be a part of that – developing and empowering some of the best creators at work today in podcasting,” said Gladwell. “Connecting those creators with exactly the right brand partners is the other side of the coin – a critical part of our role – and we can’t wait to focus hard on that part of the iHeartMedia summit.”

“Podcasting has been such a great space for Black creators and the Black Effect Podcast Network to make an impact while retaining creative vision, especially when it comes to working with brands,” said Charlemagne tha God. “Across the past two years, while we’ve built the Black Effect, iHeart has always been an awesome partner, collaborating with us to help brands learn how to start conversations that are important to listeners, and to find ways to uplift and inspire new, diverse audiences in this amazing medium.”

“One of the things that keeps me motivated is seeing how podcasting continues to rapidly grow and expand, while still maintaining the intimate experience for listeners. Collaborating with other iHeartPodcast creators and brands at this event to find the best ways to create compelling podcast marketing for listeners is exciting,” said Frey. “I’m looking forward to sharing my experience of being part of the ‘Stuff’ team as it has reached new heights, as well as gaining fresh insights into how brands and creators can collaborate even more effectively to deliver incredible results.”

Marketers interested in joining the April summit at the iHeartMedia office in New York City can reach out to b2bmarketing@iheartmedia.com.

Blubrry Podcasting Releases Thrive Bundle

Podcast News

In the Thrive Bundle, Blubrry Podcasting has released new features for Advanced Hosting customers to access for a small additional monthly fee.

The ways in which podcasters can reach and engage their audience is always expanding. The Thrive Bundle brings these assets together in an easy-to-access location. This combination of features has been designed for podcasters who desire enhanced features!

Main components of the Thrive Bundle include pre-roll dynamic advertising insertion, enhancement to Quicklinks adding Value4Value, Google Analytics, hyperlink support. Plus two new podcast statistic metrics and Apple Podcast reviews located in the dashboard. These features allow podcasters to further understand and engage with their audiences.

The Thrive Bundle is available for any Advanced Hosting and above user to purchase for an additional $10 a month. Additional features will be added over time to the Thrive Bundle. For any issues or questions, please contact the Blubrry support team.

Libsyn Adds Seasoned Podcast And Digital Sales Leader Meredith Krantz

Podcast News

Liberated Syndication Inc. (“Libsyn”), the leading all-in-one podcasting platform for creators and advertisers, announced the appointment of Meredith Krantz as Director of Brand Partnerships, based in New York. She will be responsible for driving brand partnerships and sales of direct, programmatic, and integrated podcast-first campaigns for Libsyn’s AdvertiseCast, the industry’s premier podcast advertising marketplace that connects advertisers with podcasters. Krantz joins Libsyn from Cumulus Podcast Network, owned and operated by Cumulus Media, where she served as Vice President of Digital Partnerships.

“With a diverse growing listenership, podcast advertising remains a bright spot – especially as more advertisers look to take advantage of the new programmatic capabilities,” said Chris Bowlby, Head of Brand Partnerships at Libsyn’s AdvertiseCast. “Meredith brings an impressive audio and digital media background and a passion for podcasts, and we’re thrilled to have her join our team to build and strengthen relationships with East Coast brands and agencies as we scale our next phase of advertising growth.”

With a track record in partnership building, consultative sales, and new business development, Krantz brings a decade of podcast industry and more than 15 years of multi-platform expertise spanning branded content, live events, and digital audio. At Cumulus Podcast Network, she led the go-to-market strategy for the creation of sales of podcast-first branded solutions for the podcast network. Previously, Krantz served as Senior Director of Partnerships at The Atlantic focused on driving sales of branded content programs, display and programmatic advertising campaigns for the publisher.

Before that she held senior sales positions at Slate and digital ad networks, TargetSpot and Undertone. At these organizations, she successfully introduced and educated advertisers on best practices for working with emerging digital channels and her work resulted in impactful programs for clients, including Volvo, HSBC, Remy Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover, IHG, BMW, and Shell, among others.

Krantz holds a Bachelor of Science in Literature and Dance from Sarah Lawerence College.