Amazon Music

The Audio Production Awards Announces Amazon Music & Wondery As Pay What You Can Scheme

~ jen

AudioUK is delighted to be joining forces with Amazon Music & Wondery for a third year on the Pay What You Can scheme to help the Audio Production Awards to grow and to reach more audio creators across the UK. The scheme is key to ensuring inclusive and equal accessibility within the industry – an ambition shared by Amazon Music, Wondery, and AudioUK.

The APAs is sponsored by Audible and organized by AudioUK, the trade body which champions and supports independent audio production businesses in the UK.

The Awards, now in its thirteenth year, recognizes and celebrates achievement in audio production, across a huge range of audio content: podcasts, audiobooks, sound design, radio presenting, and are open to production talent across the UK.

There are 22 awards ranging from Best Producer in Comedy, Factual, Drama & Fiction, Arts, Music, Entertainment, Lifestyle & Society, Audiobooks, Sound Design and more, plus a variety of on-mic and emerging talent awards, Best Ensemble Cast, and the special AudioUK award – last year awarded to Lily Ames and Laura Blake, Heads of The UK Audio Network (UKAN).

The Pay What You Can Scheme was first introduced in 2021 to enable those who would find the cost of entry or cost of a ticket for the Awards a barrier to doing so.

Chloe Straw, Managing Director of Audio UK, said:

“I’m delighted that we will be teaming up with Amazon Music & Wondery on the Audio Production Awards Pay What You Can scheme once again. Their commitment has enabled us to expand the scheme and to do more outreach to ensure we are reaching more and more people each year. We introduced it to make sure that how much money a person has, or the challenges they face, are not barriers to entering or attending the awards. The support is key for the growth and success of the scheme.”

Jess Radburn, Head of International Podcast Content at Wondery, said:

“Continuing to provide independent creators with access to the Audio Production Awards through the Pay What You Can Scheme is incredibly important to Amazon Music and Wondery. We are committed to supporting an inclusive, diverse and sustainable audio landscape, and helping to reduce the financial barrier to entry some creators find is an important part of this.”

Contact katie@audioproductionawards.co.uk to access the scheme.

Entry Information

The Awards are opening for entry earlier this year so applicant will have 9 weeks to enter instead of 6 in previous years.

Early Bird entry fee is frozen at 2018’s prices of £35+VAT for AudioUK Members and £45+VAT for non-members, and will run for 7 weeks until Monday 11th September at 9am. From then on, the standard entry fee will be £45+VAT for AudioUK Members and £55+VAT for non-members until the final deadline on Wednesday 20th September at 2pm (please note: there will be no late extension to the entry deadline).

TO ENTER plus all category descriptions, eligibility criteria, and further details, click here.

Acast And Amazon Music Enter Agreement For Ad-Free Podcast Listening

~ jen

Amazon Music and Acast have entered into an agreement to deliver ad-free podcasts for Prime members and Amazon Music Unlimited subscribers.

Amazon Music has purchased all the ad inventory across thousands of Acast podcasts, and as a result, listeners will be able to access those podcasts ad-free on Amazon Music. Ad-free listening to Acast podcasts on Amazon Music will result in revenue for Acast podcasters.

The agreement enables Prime members and Amazon Music Unlimited subscribers to stream Acast podcasts without ads globally through the Amazon Music app, available via the listeners device of choice – including smartphone, tablet, PC/Mac, Fire TV, and Alexa-enabled devices like Amazon Echo. Prime members and Amazon Music Unlimited subscribers will be able to use Amazon Music to listen interruption-free to thousands of Acast shows, at no additional cost.

“This is an exciting deal and we look forward to partnering with Amazon Music. Monetization in the podcasting space has diversified massively in recent years. This deal opens up an additional channel to increase revenue and improve our sell-through rates based on our large ad inventory of Acast Marketplace. We will probably see more opportunities opening up in the industry going forward,” said Ross Adams, CEO at Acast.

“I am extremely excited that our Prime members and Amazon Music Unlimited customers can now listen to the fantastic selection of Acast podcasts ad-free, and at no additional cost. I’ve long been a fan of many of these podcasts and can’t wait to dive in. I look forward to our new relationship with Acast,” added Craig Strachan, Head of Podcasts, Europe, Australia & New Zealand, Amazon Music.

The partnership opens up a new revenue channel for Acast, and at the same time, it diversifies the revenue stream for Acast creators. Prime members and Amazon Music Unlimited subscribers can stream the podcasts ad-free on Amazon Music starting now.

Amazon Music And Wondery Sponsor International Women’s Podcast Awards 2022

~ jen

The Skylark Collective have announced Amazon Music and Wondery as sponsors of this year’s international Women’s Podcast Awards.

The sponsorship sees Amazon Music and Wondery showcase a shared commitment to the Skylark Collective’s ambition of amplifying the voices of women in podcasting, and providing recognition to those – both behind the mic and behind-the-scenes – who have created incredible audio moments and intimate listening experiences.

Both Amazon Music and Wondery are also launching a new initiative to encourage diversity and inclusion in podcasting.

The Amazon Music and Wondery Awards Fund will help to provide complementary tickets for the in-person event at The Conduit, and the global livestream online for those who find the costs prohibitive, and wouldn’t be able to attend.

This fund will provide the means for people worldwide to attend the awards free of charge, and is a big step forward in the endeavour of both The Skylark Collective and Amazon Music to continually improve accessibility in podcasting.

Completing of a short form is all that is required to apply. The fund launched on 1 August to coincide with the release of tickets for the event.

This year’s International Women’s Podcast Awards will be hosted by podcaster, writer, and comedian Deborah Frances-White of The Guilty Feminist at The Conduit in London on Thursday 29 September. The ceremony will be attended by a live audience in London, with a global livestream available for guests around the world. The category shortlists will be announced in early September.

Naomi Mellor, founder of International Women’s Podcast Awards, said: “Last year’s event had a wonderful energetic, supportive atmosphere full of joy, laughter and support, and we’re delighted that with the support of Amazon Music, we can open the door to even more podcasters joining us either in London or online to attend this year’s awards.

“We are constantly striving at The Skylark Collective to support as many podcasters as we can, and to create a truly level playing field in this exciting and growing industry.

“The global podcasting family is a wonderful place where everyone should feel they belong. This partnership provides us with another excellent way of providing a means of facilitating that, and we can’t wait for this year’s event.”

You can find out more about the fund and the awards at the Skylark Collective website.

Amazon Music Launches Synchronized Podcast Transcripts in the U.S.

~ jen

Amazon Music announced the launch of synchronized podcast transcripts in the U.S. for recent episodes of select Amazon Original and Wondery podcasts like SmartLess, Dr. Death, and Uncommon Ground with Van Jones, plus popular hit shows My Favorite Murder, Crime Junkie, Modern Love, This American Life, and much more. Podcast transcripts started rolling out for customers in the U.S. on November 3, 2021, in the latest version of the Amazon Music app on iOS and Android.

Similar to the popular lyrics feature introduced by Amazon Music in 2013, this brand-new feature allows listeners to experience podcasts in a whole new way. Amazon Music is the first music service to offer synchronized podcast transcripts, allowing customers to follow along or seek ahead in an episode, similar to thumbnail previews when scrubbing videos.

While listening, customers can navigate an episode by scrolling through the transcript to find a specific spot, and tap to jump right to it. Playback will resume at the specific sentence they tap on in the transcription, making it easy for listeners to navigate to the part of the podcast they are most interested in. Listeners can also jump forward and backward while viewing the transcript to find a segment they have missed, or look ahead quickly know what an episode is about – making navigation easier than ever.

“At Amazon, we always start with the customer experience and work backwards from there. We are leading the industry by introducing synchronized podcast transcripts for customers, to make it easier than ever for listeners to follow along with their favorite podcasts on Amazon Music,” said Amazon Music’s Director of Podcasts, Kintan Brahmbhatt. “With synchronized transcripts, we are changing the way listeners experience podcasts by making it effortless and simple for everyone.”

Transcripts will also be available for select shows from American Public Media, audio chuck, Cadence13, The New York Times, Stitcher, and TED.

Wondery Signed an Agreement to Join Amazon Music

~ jen

Wondery announced that it has signed an agreement to join Amazon Music. When the deal closes, nothing will change for listeners, and they’ll continue to be able to access Wondery podcasts through a variety of providers. With Amazon Music, Wondery will be able to provide even more high-quality, innovative content, and continue their mission of bringing a world of entertainment and knowledge to their audiences, wherever they listen.

Wondery is an innovative podcast publisher with a track record of creating and producing top-rated podcasts that entertain and educate listeners, including Dirty John, Doctor Death, Business Wars, and The Shrink Next Door. Wondery is already delighting listeners with its collection of immersive podcasts, and the company is evolving this entertainment medium into a truly new and exciting experience.

Amazon Music launched podcasts in September 2020, and together with Wondery, Amazon Music hopes to accelerate the growth and evolution of podcasts by bringing creators, hosts, and immersive experiences to even more listeners across the globe, just as they do with music. This is a pivotal moment to expand the Amazon Music offering beyond music as listener habits evolve.

Amazon Music’s commitment to podcasts, their focus on high quality audio with the Amazon Music HD tier, and our recent partnership with Twitch to bring live streaming into the app, make Amazon Music a premier destination for creators.

Together with Wondery, Amazon Music will continue to bring more customers to streaming as they expand selection and ensure they are a destination for their customers to find, discover, and listen to the creators and artists they enjoy.

The New York Times reported that Hernan Lopez, Wondery’s founder, will step down as chief executive when the deal with Amazon closes, and Jen Sargent, Wondery’s chief operating officer will take over management, according to an Amazon spokeswoman. The New York Times also reported that Amazon would not “predict” when the Wondery deal was expected to close.