A gambling company is one of US podcasting's top advertisers

• Magellan report that DraftKings, a US gambling company, is now in the country’s top 15 podcast advertisers list. The top is Geico, an insurance broker; Spotify is at #9.

• Libsyn’s changes to become a “Spotify passthrough” destination - so Spotify appears in their standard stats - has had the effect of instructing Spotify to download every single episode all over again, the company says, causing a spike in download numbers. “Don’t panic!”, they add. Spotify stats are available for users paying $20 or more per month.

  • The company has also announced a new independent director: Brian Kibby, CEO of N2Ventures and Senior Partner of N2Growth, an executive search firm that works with private equity companies and venture capital firms. He’s over here on Twitter.
  
  Aug 18 2023: This broken link now points to the Internet Archive.

• AccuRadio, a humanly-programmed online music service, has released data which they claim demonstrates that human curation is better than algorithms.

• In France, media research company Médiamétrie will start measuring podcasts on January 1. Like radio measurement in some countries, the company will use a small electronic gadget known as a “portable people meter”; podcasts will need to be watermarked with an audio code; and panelists will need to plug both their headphones and their phone into the meter for it to register. (That won’t work with Bluetooth). The company admits it has yet to approach independent podcast producers, preferring to talk to its current clients in radio and television. It has also worked on its own download guidelines to rival the American IAB’s.

• Jake Brennan (“Disgraceland”) and Brady Sadler have launched Double Elvis Productions, with four music-focused podcasts for iHeartMedia. The company has Podfund as an investor. The first podcast will be Dear Young Rocker, a podcast which will start with some remastered episodes from her initial podcast, and a further ten new episodes from the story.

• Podblade has launched a $20 podcast editing package: “a low-cost editing solution that allows podcasters of all sizes to outsource their post-production without spending an arm and a leg”. The flat $20 fee per episode also includes social media content, said Apple Crider, a co-founder of the company.

• Sonos has spent $37.5m buying a voice assistant: a French company called “Snips” which claims to perform more tasks on the device rather than use cloud computing. One of the co-founders of Snips, Rand Hindi, is leaving the company as part of the deal, which is reported as being a low valuation.

• Too busy to listen to podcasts? easypodcasts offers short clipped “takeaways” of them, complete with a transcription.

  • Opinion: It’s generally expected by publishers that a podcast app won’t edit the audio (or make other “derivative works”). This is the second such app covered by Podnews this month that does so. “Copyright infringement” seems a big phrase to use in this case; but I’m not entirely comfortable with other people cutting my podcast up. Some publishers want a little more control.

• Presumably in a bid to increase page impressions from furious podcasters, The Spectator’s Matt Labash has posted The Pod Delusion, highlighting why he “hates all podcasts”.

• Podcasting websites are getting excited that Emily Ochsenschlager, former director of podcasts at National Geographic, has apparently joined Apple Podcasts. “What if Apple produced their own podcasts?” they ask. But in March, our Editor wondered how Apple could revitalise Apple Podcasts - not by just producing exclusive content; but by selling it instead. Is this the master plan?

Tips and tricks - with Acast Open

• If you do an interview podcast, just two words can make your small talk - and your interview - more interesting. Guy Raz and Tim Ferris use them all the time. If you’re curious, they’re over here.
• 500,000 Downloads In One Year and 1,200 Reviews Later: What I Did (or Think I Did) to Continue to Grow as a Podcaster is a set of ideas from Steve Sarumi, from the Super Effective Pokemon Podcast.

Podcast News - with Spreaker Prime

Spreaker Prime: Latter-Day Lesbian is hosted by Mary and Shelly (the latter) who share their raw, honest and funny life experiences. Shelly is a divorced mother of seven dealing with leaving the Mormon church and learning about her sexuality for the first time. They’re using Spreaker Prime to host for free and make more money.

Gee thanks, just bought it focuses on the stuff you want to buy next. “All the life-changing under-the-radar products you didn’t think you needed — like hand warmers that double as phone chargers, foot hammocks, and full-face ice masks”. We miss Sky Mall magazine. (Forever35/Caroline Moss/Acast)