🎙️Coalition of Concerned Creators demanding Spotify transparency and concerned about the impact of its new audiobook streaming offering

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📢 The podcast hosting service Simplecast has announced a number of new features, such as enhanced analytics, quicker episode notes, and tools for uploading to YouTube.

📢 Triton Digital® released its November 2023 U.S. Podcast Ranker and Canada Podcast Ranker. SiriusXM Podcast Network topped the November Top Sales Networks Report again with 43.7M Average Weekly Downloads and 13.2M Average Weekly Users. While in Canada, the top three Canada originated French-language podcasts included Le Radiojournal (CBC/Radio-Canada) again at #1, Richard Martineau (QUB) climbing to #3, and Les chroniques de Pierre-Yves McSween (Cogeco Media) at #3.

📢 New funding round for Podimo totals €44m Danish state fund supports investment. Podimo, a podcast subscription platform, closed its latest round of funding today, including Danish state investments, to continue developing its features.

📢 New York State Attorney General Letitia James is ending SiriusXM's 2023 with legal action as the satellite provider prepares for massive expansion in 2024. James posted, “Illegally traps people into subscriptions,” on X, suing SiriusXM over its difficult cancellation process.

📢 US writers form the Coalition of Concerned Creators to push Spotify for greater openness. Our concerns include the streaming giant's new audiobook streaming offering and its effects on author compensation, book value, and the literary industry.

• US multicultural advertising spending targeting Hispanic, Black, and Asian consumers is rebounding, according to PQ Media. Spending is expected to rise 8.4% to $45.83 billion in 2024 after falling 5.7%. On another research from Horowitz that Black American haven consistently been among the most engage with entertainment and technology.

• The Power of Creator Content: Revolutionizing the Effectiveness of Ads. An Interactive Advertising Bureau report showing marketer interest in placing ads alongside creator content suggests audio creators could benefit from media buyers funding the creator economy.  

• Driving the Future of Media: How Video Podcasts are Overtaking Audio.More podcast listeners watched than listened in the last 30 days for the first time. However, posting your pod on YouTube may fail. What should podcasters do? Sound You Can See examines how consumers view video podcasts and how they shape the medium.

• Trend Alert: Massive Surge in Podcast Advertising Predicted for Next Five Years. The September–October 2023 study found that global marketers are ten times more likely to predict a five-year increase in podcast ad spend than a decrease.

• Edison Research Unveils American Audio Habits: Rise in Podcasting, Changes in Radio Listening. The authoritative American audio time study is Edison Research's quarterly “Share of Ear” study. Edison Research surveys 4,000 Americans annually to measure audio reach and time spent.

• Cumulus Media and Signal Hill Insights' latest Podcast Download report calls this YouTube's podcast ambitions' “banner year”. It finds that weekly podcast listeners who only watch podcasts have increased from 8% to 14% since April 2022. YouTube is used by 28% of weekly podcast listeners, more than Apple Podcasts and Spotify combined.

• October Sees Rising Podcast Ad Spend by Top Brands: Magellan AI Report. Magellan AI found that podcasting's top 15 advertisers spent more in October than September.

• Global Audio Market to Grow 7% with Podcasts Leading the Way - Deloitte Report. The audio entertainment market is poised for growth. The podcast, streaming music, radio, and audiobook market is expected to reach US$75 billion in 2024, up 7%. Podcasts have untapped per-user revenue.

• Nielsen Unveils Soaring Popularity of Podcasts Over Other Media Platforms. Americans prefer audio over video, even though there are plenty of video services. The Nielsen 2023 Consumer Survey found that 21% of consumers plan to listen to podcasts more in the next six to 12 months, more than any other media.

• The Sound of Success: Audio takes the Spotlight in Digital Entertainment, says Survey. The survey finds that 90% of respondents engage with audio content daily, highlighting its significant role in American entertainment habits.

10. The Infinite Dial's 25th year tracked the U.S.'s transition from dial-up to digital dominance, as 75% of those age 12+ have listened to online audio in the last month
Source: The Infinite Dial® 2023 sponsored by Amazon Music, Wondery, and ART19

9. A majority (58%) of audio listening now occurs in the home, and largely through connected devices
Source: Audio in Evolution sponsored by Amazon Ads

8. Time spent with on-demand audio passes time spent with linear audio
Source: Share of Ear from Weekly Insights

7. Level of education played a role in how Ohioans voted on abortion, but it’s not as simple as those with or without college degrees
Source: Edison Research Exit Poll/Ohio Referendum Issue 1, 2023

6. Despite all the new audio choices on the in-car dashboard, radio is number one in France, Germany, and the UK
Source: Dashboard Dialogue from Edison Research and WorldDAB

5. In-car listeners spend the most time listening to audio through a radio, but mobile devices continue to gain share
Source: Share of Ear from Weekly Insights

. Spoken Word Audio has reached another all-time high, and podcasts now account for 36% of the total
Source: The Spoken Word Audio Report from NPR and Edison Research

3. UK Podcasters Dominate the UK Charts
Source: Edison Podcast Metrics UK

2. Diverse audiences are engaged podcast listeners
Sources: The Black Podcast Listener Report sponsored by SXM Media, and Mindshare USA; The Latino Podcast Listener Report sponsored by LWC Studios, Latina to Latina podcast, Libsyn, Latino Media Network, and SXM Media

1. Kids are engaged podcast listeners and grow into loyal adult listeners
The Kids Podcast Listener Report from Edison Research and Kids Listen, with sponsors American Public Media, Disney Podcasts, Tumble Media, and Wondery; The Gen Z Podcast Listener Report sponsored by SXM Media

Bonus finding: The podcast "New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce" sees a four and a half times increase in weekly podcast listeners age 13+ since the Swift-Kelce pairing became public; audience shifts to 50% female
Source: Edison Podcast Metrics from Weekly Insights

• Acast and CAMH Launch Unique Podcast Campaign to Boost Mental Health and Addiction Resources. CAMH Foundation and Acast's brand storytelling experts promote mental health and addiction resources on the “WTF with Marc Maron” and “Cat & Nat Unfiltered” Podcasts.

• Rebranding Goals: SiriusXM Targets Younger Generation with New Streaming App. The app, available on the App Store, Google Play, Amazon Fire, and the web, emphasises user discovery and personalisation.

• Revolutionize Your Podcast with Tink Media's New Game-Changing Program!Tink Media is thrilled to introduce Podcast Group Therapy, a revolutionary programme that will enable any podcast creator to get community support and advice on niche marketing.

• BetterHelp Dominates Podcast Advertising Spending with a Whopping $9.4M in November Alone. The online mental health service BetterHelp is expected to be podcasting's top advertiser this year. Based on Magellan AI's analysis, BetterHelp spent $9.4 million across 1,103 podcasts in November, again leading the pack.

• Ruthless: A Unique Political Podcast with Groundbreaking Advertising Strategies from Club Road Associates. Groundbreaking Political Podcast Ruthless to Shatter Podcasting Space Precedents

• American Investigative Journalism Gets Revamped: Mother Jones & CIR to Merge to create a multimedia nonprofit news outlet that provides in-depth reporting on every platform people get their news, from online and social media to video, radio, podcast, and print.

• Adthos Launches Game-Changing Tool, Turns Photos Into Engaging Audio Ads.Upload product images, billboard ads, or storefront photos, and the tool uses AI to analyse their content, brands, slogans, target audience, and more to create a brief that is then turned into an audio ad with AI voices, music, and sound effects.

• Six Leading Real Estate Investing Podcasts Join the Cumulus Podcast Network. BiggerPockets' six podcasts are downloaded over four million times a month, including two of the top-20. They offer tools, education, and support to real estate investors.

Presenting New Voices AMPLIFIY! For independent creators who already have a podcast and are looking to expand their audience, there is an 8-week marketing accelerator available.

Selected participants will receive accelerated learning, mentorship from top industry professionals, and a $1,000 stipend. Participants will be a part of a cohort of independent podcasters with the chance to create long-lasting relationships, in addition to workshops and exercises on monetization, audience engagement, and promotional campaigns. You will have a tonne of knowledge and techniques at the end of the programme that you can use right away with your podcast!

The application period is now open!

• Former Audible and Gimlet executive joins NPR as head of podcast strategy. Colin Campbell will start new role this December.

• Westwood One will be led by Cumulus Media EVP of Corporate Strategy & Development Collin Jones starting January 1, 2024. He succeeds Suzanne Grimes, who left after eight years.

• AdLarge announced today Tom Brady has joined the company’s sales force. In this new role, Brady will work directly with EVP of Audio Sales, Robin Sloan.

• Rachel Williamson was elevated by Audacy to the position of President of Local Sales Strategy and Innovation, from Regional President. Williamson will answer to Chief Revenue Officer Brian Benedik in the newly created role.

• At the end of March, Spotify's chief revenue officer, Paul Vogel, will be leaving the company. Following a third round of layoffs that affected Spotify earlier this week, the announcement was made.

• After five years, Denise Viltola, who oversaw social media, PR, and influencer marketing at Bayer, announced her departure. She is still deciding what to do next.

• Jeff Howard will succeed James Warburton as Seven West Media's managing director and CEO, according to Seven West Media Chairman Kerry Stokes AC.

• Rachel Fountain has been appointed as Content Director, Audio (News, Sport, and Lifestyle) for NewsCast, News Corp Australia's on-demand audio division.

• Warner Bros Discovery's Millennial and Gen Z-targeted content company Rooster Teeth's podcast network, The Roost, will have new leadership in the new year. From now on, Roost Podcast Network VP AJ Feliciano will manage all podcast sales and partnerships.

• Vinyl Group, listed on ASX, will fully acquire Australian youth publisher The Brag Media, including its premium mastheads and events.

The UK's chief book lover, Queen Camilla, will launch a podcast on January 8. The weekly series with host Vicki Perrin and the Queen discussing books and literature is starting at her charity, the Queen's Reading Room.

Curate a list

• Breaking Down What Makes a Podcast Successful. Buzzsprout Conversations is a new-ish podcast where we dive into the real-life stories of podcasters and what makes them successful!

• New AI Tool Creates Podcast Launch Kits in Minutes. Showplanner AI generates a free podcast launch kit to help independent podcasters launch a new idea in minutes.

• 5 new tools to automate podcast production, powered by AI. For the last 3 months, Resound, the AI podcast editor, has been quietly building, iterating and announcing a big step forward to achieving our mission of automating audio production.

• How to Make Your Podcast Recommended by ChatGPT. ChatGPT became the fastest-growing app ever, with 100 million active users in two months. During its initial launch, 13 million people used ChatGPT every day. That number may be much higher today.

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Here are our current featured roles. Check the job board for more jobs and some freelance gigs.

• Johns Hopkins Carey Business School is seeking a flexible and talented Casual Audio Editor/Sound Designer - for on-call assignments

• Bloomberg is looking for a Full-time and contractor Podcast Producer. Bloomberg is expanding its audio offerings and seeking an experienced podcast producer for a daily economy, world, and enterprise business news podcast.

• Google is hiring Associate Product Marketing Manager Whether you're on a consumer product (like Gmail, Search, Maps, Chrome, Android) or a business product (Google Ads, AdSense, Google Marketing Platform, Analytics), you take part in a complete marketing experience as you lead every facet of the product's journey. 

• Vice Media is looking for a Freelance Podcast Producer Series. As a producer you will be responsible for owning all aspects of pre-production, production and post-production of narrative audio documentary.

• Sinclair, Inc. is looking for an Associate Producer, Podcasts to assist in developing and producing a slate of audio series. 

• Nova Entertainment is hiring a Audio Engineer. NOVA Entertainment is Australia’s fastest-growing audio entertainment business.

• Rode is hiring a Social content creator. As a Social Content Creator specializing in TikTok, Reels, and YouTube Shorts, you will play a pivotal role in our brand's growth strategy. 

Please mention Podworks.io or Podwires in your application.

To get more podcast jobs , subscribe to Podworks IO Click here

• Our first events for 2024 are now also open for registration with the year kicking off with our Sydney Audio Summit and Melbourne Audio Summit 

• Design a Great Podcast with Strategy In Mind. This class will take you through a design process that blends vision, planning, and strategy.

• The Hot Pod Summit is returning to Brooklyn on February 28th, 2024, as part of On Air Fest for a day of in-depth talks, intimate conversations, and industry networking.

• The Institute for Independent Journalists 2024 Freelance Journalism Conference on February 29 and March 1, 2024

• Podcast Academy: What is “growth” for my podcast? Setting realistic goals with Arielle Nissenblatt. (Register Here)

• Rand Fishkin Joins Us at the Brand Podcast Virtual Summit in January 2024!

• The Associated Press reports that TikTok, Meta, and X are suing Utah over March laws that would prohibit minors from using social media at night without parental consent and require them to verify their age on their accounts.

• Meltwater's top 10 Australian TikTok creators are listed by Mediaweek based on their fans, reach, and Meltwater Klear Influence Score, which is calculated using multiple variables and Klear's proprietary AI algorithm.

• Sole Retriever reports that Nike is suing Divide The Youth founder Nicholas Tuinenburg and Eben Fox (Cedaz) for promoting and selling counterfeit goods.

• Over 100 creators have threatened to leave Substack after allegations that Nazi content, from swastikas to references to the “Jewish question,” has appeared unchecked in at least 16 newsletters, some with tens of thousands of subscribers. Over 50 Substack writers wrote an open letter supporting the platform's content moderation strategy.

• The Information reports that Facebook is ending its 55% creator ad revenue share. Video performance-based payouts will replace the program's percentage-based revenue share from ads played next to videos.

• Social Soup, an Australian and New Zealand influencer marketing agency, launched an AI-powered verification and barcode scanning tool to connect influencer content to in-store product trials and purchases.

• As part of his new podcast network, The Big Podcast Network, Shaquille O'Neal will launch a weekly podcast show this fall.

Welcome to the Podcaster Toolbox, a crowd-sourced resource for independent, DIY, and/or beginning home-based podcasters.

The Kangaroofern Media Lab team will review the resources submitted here and add them as soon as possible to the Podcaster Toolbox.

• 🏜️ Transistor.fm - is a powerful and simple podcasting platform. The ability to host multiple podcasts on one account makes it ideal for podcasters with multiple shows.

• 🎙️ Acast - is a podcast hosting service that enables you to publish, share, and earn money from your podcasts.

• 🎧 Epidemic Sound - is a company that provides content producers with access to a sizable library of royalty-free music.

• 🚗 Niceboard - modern job board software, helps communities and organisations create and manage job boards.

• 📼 Tubebuddy - is a complete tool for YouTube channel management and growth.

• 📹 VidIQ - is a website for learning that focuses on offering video tutorials and analytics to aid users in expanding their YouTube channels.

The complete Toolbox can be seen at https://www.podworks.io/p/toolbox

Send press releases, jobs, events and podcast ads in the street to [email protected]. Editorially, we may rewrite headlines and descriptions.

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