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Let’s dive in on today’s newsletter.

• 🎧Spotify Faces Criticism for Leaving IAB Podcast Certification

• 🎙️Masters of Scale Introduces Podcast Listeners' Bill of Rights

• 🚨 Podcast Insight: Spotify's Ad-Supported Subscribers Grow Faster than Overall Subscribers

• 🌏 Podcast Recommendation: The Trial of Lord Lucan

• 🛠️Podcast Events & Toolbox

🎧 IAB Podcast Certification: Why It Matters for Podcasters and Advertisers

Spotify is a key podcasting company known for its innovation and impact. Bryan Barletta of Sounds Profitable strongly criticised Spotify for saying this. Spotify's decision to leave the IAB US branch and not recertify Megaphone or Chartable to the IAB Podcast Guidelines has raised concerns about podcasting and spoken-word audio's future. This decision is likely not financially motivated, but it violates the agreed-upon measurement system for downloads and ad delivery, key podcast advertising metrics.

What does IAB Podcast Certification entail?

Companies can be guaranteed to follow the IAB Podcast Measurement Technical Guidelines by enrolling in the IAB Podcast Certification programme. These recommendations create a baseline set of standards that all measurement systems ought to adhere to, as well as a standard set of advertising metrics for podcasts. Advertisers can target highly specific audiences with podcasts, as their listeners are renowned for being the most devoted and active of any digital platform. The IAB Tech Lab created these guidelines to offer consistent metrics for podcast advertising in order to promote an equitable market for podcast businesses.

The Background

In September 2016, Tech Lab and its many member company partners created the first version of the Guidelines to establish an industry standard for consistent, transparent, and trustworthy podcast content and ad consumption measurement. 

Podcast publishers faced a unique challenge when sharing measurement data with their advertising clients due to a lack of consistency in measurement methodologies for downloaded media at the time. 

Significance of IAB Certification

For podcasting and advertising, IAB certification is essential because it guarantees accurate and consistent metrics. IAB-certified podcasts are a popular choice for brands looking to gain credibility and possibly even advertising deals, so inaccurate metrics can result in lost opportunities. Advertisers may not view non-certified podcasts favourably since they lack the same degree of credibility. Non-certified podcasts could also find it difficult to compete in the market, lose credibility, and miss out on important industry trends and insights. Thus, getting IAB certified is crucial to the success of podcasting and advertising.

Why is this significant for podcasting and advertising?

Because accurate metrics are essential for brands to make informed decisions about where to invest their advertising dollars, non-certified podcasts may struggle to attract advertisers or listeners due to a lack of credibility. In a competitive market, having IAB certification can set podcasts apart and open up more opportunities for growth and success.

Our Take:

By becoming IAB certified, podcasts can demonstrate their commitment to transparency and accuracy in reporting metrics, which can help attract more advertisers and listeners. Moreover, remaining abreast of industry trends and insights through certification is vital for podcasts to remain relevant and competitive in the constantly changing market.

🎙️Masters of Scale Introduces Podcast Listeners' Bill of Rights

AI is still developing, but it will soon influence podcasts. WaitWhat, the media company behind the podcast Master of Scale, has created a Podcast Listener's Bill of Rights. It provides AI-era podcast and audio consumption ethics.

The Background

“We prioritize transparency, but our industry lacks codified standards,” WaitWhat CEO Jeff Berman stated on the May 23 episode of Masters of Scale. A full vocal clone of Masters of Scale host Reid Hoffman was revealed in the episode. A synthetic voice called “Reid-ish” started a discussion about AI in WaitWhat.

The Revelation

As podcast producers and creators, we're excited about the arrival of new artificial intelligence (AI)-powered audio production tools. With the help of this software, workflows are enhanced, hours spent editing tape are reduced, and new creative opportunities are created. However, as podcasts are primarily auditory, we must reveal when AI is used to alter speech.

Our Data and Sources :

Waitwhat's AI in Audio industry guide promotes podcasting transparency and ethics. Producers who sign the Podcast Listeners' Bill of Rights agree to notify listeners when a host or guest's voice is synthesized or cloned using AI.

Why does this matter?

This is important because openness about the application of AI fosters audience and podcast creator trust. Listeners will be able to decide for themselves whether the content they are consuming is authentic if the use of AI in speech editing is disclosed.

Our Take:

Podcast producers must prioritize transparency in the use of AI technology to maintain credibility and build a loyal audience base. By being upfront about the modification of speech through AI, creators can ensure that their listeners are fully informed and engaged with the content.

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1. Effortless Collaboration: Connect with talented audio professionals who can elevate your podcast's production quality.

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Join the thriving community of podcasters who trust Podworks.io to simplify their journey. Sign up today and unlock the full potential of your show!

🚨Spotify's Ad-Supported Subscribers Grow Faster than Overall Subscribers

As digital audio has grown to account for nearly three hours per day in the U.S., an hour more than what is spent on social media, The Trade Desk declares that digital audio is "set for takeoff" in its biannual assessment of advertising trends on the open internet, where the top 500 digital publishers account for roughly half of advertising revenue.

The Background

For the first time in a decade, Facebook and Google collectively represented less than 50% of digital advertising spending in 2022, a trend that further accelerated in 2023.

Consumers now prefer premium content and spend most of their time outside Big Tech walled gardens. New Hollywood films, popular TV shows, streaming audio, live sports, and trusted journalism are included. In fact, US daily consumption of connected TV (CTV) and digital audio content has doubled since 2019.

Why and how advertisers are choosing the premium internet is examined in this report. The impact of exciting new channels like CTV and digital audio is reshaping the Internet landscape. Right now

The Revelation

The Trade Desk CEO Jeff Green says, “Digital audio advertising offers great value compared to other channels due to its targeting capabilities and effectiveness, and many of our advertisers are already showing interest.” Digital audio is one of the fastest-growing internet channels. According to a report, Americans spend nearly 3 hours per day streaming music and podcasts. Spotify has 602 million users, 379 million of whom are ad-supported. Spotify's ad-supported subscribers are growing faster (28% year-over-year in Q4 2023) than overall subscribers (23%). Consumers spend just over 2 hours per day on social media. Social media dominated US campaign spend in 2023, with $65 billion compared to $7 billion for digital audio. As more advertisers target engaged digital audio consumers, this imbalance will reverse.

Our Data and Sources :

The biannual Sellers and Publishers Report examines open internet growth drivers. The report uses data from The Trade Desk, which records 15 million digital advertising impression opportunities (or queries) per second on the open internet. Data is a proxy for the open internet. This data includes advertising transactions from 500 leading digital sellers (platforms that aggregate many digital destinations) and publishers (specific destinations) and thousands of premium destinations valued by top brands. About 50% of internet advertising spend is directed towards the top 500 sellers and publishers in the digital advertising industry. These top 500 sellers and publishers include streaming TV services, top news and editorial properties, top audio and podcast platforms, and popular entertainment, lifestyle, and sports destinations.

Why does this matter?

Understanding where internet advertising spend is concentrated can help businesses allocate their marketing budgets and understand the digital advertising landscape. Companies can target their advertising to reach their target audience by knowing which platforms and publishers generate the most ad revenue.

Our Take:

Understanding the leading digital advertising sellers and publishers is crucial for businesses to make informed marketing decisions, uncover industry trends, and align with consumer behavior, ultimately optimizing advertising return on investment.

👉 Get the latest news from Australia in a bite-sized report in 5 minutes. Click here to get started.

• John Mingione, a comedian, New York morning radio host, and TikTok star, hosts a weekly podcast featuring celebrity and friend phone chats. Jimmy Fallon, Kelly Ripa, and Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino were interviewed for John Mingione's podcast On the Phone this month.

• The first ever Crossed Wires Festival takes place in Sheffield this weekend (31 May - 2 June) and The Radio Academy is seriously excited to be there.

• The untold tale of what is possibly the first conspiracy theory on the internet is presented in a brand-new Audible Original podcast series created by BBC Studios Audio.

• PodcastOne reported record revenue in its fiscal year ending March 30. Revenue rose 25% to $43.3 million. Revenue rose a third to $11.7 million in the final quarter, which included January, February, and March.

• The Diary of a CEO by Steven Bartlett now has its own dedicated 24/7 channel available only on Samsung TV Plus.

In November 1974, British aristocrat Richard John Bingham, otherwise known as Lord Lucan, became the prime suspect in the murder of his children's nanny, Sandra Rivett.

He vanished soon after the incident, sparking one of the most sensational manhunts in British history and as a result, has never faced judge and jury. It's the Trial that never happened...

…until now.

Using exclusive, never before seen documents and mesmerising testimony, Caroline Cheetham, Stephen Wright and some of the world's most revered legal minds take part in a week long audio event to determine Lucan's fate... and YOU are the jury.

To get involved in this innovative True Crime event, head to dailymail.co.uk/lucan immediately.

This section is updated on a regular basis. View more, feel free to add yours

Send press releases to [email protected]. Editorially, we may rewrite headlines and descriptions. Visit podworks.io to post your upcoming events or job openings for free.

• Growing and retaining a podcast audience is a major challenge. But growing and connecting with your podcast audience doesn't have to be hard! Alban, Jordan, and Kevin discuss how Fan Mail and Buzzsprout Ads improvements can help you reach new and existing podcast listeners in this Buzzcast episode!

• How ChatGPT’s new model could transform podcasting and public media. OpenAI announced GPT-4o, its latest language model, this week, with improved multimodal capabilities. The “o” in GPT-4o stands for “omni,” emphasising its real-time reasoning across audio, vision, and text.

• Fixing a Major Drop in Downloads. In this episode of Buzzcast Jordan, Alban, and Kevin offer up some troubleshooting tips for fellow podcasters, break down.

• If no one hears your amazing content, is it still as brilliant as the adage "tree in the forest"? In this episode, Colin Grey and Matthew Mclean share "Top Promo & Growth Lessons From Successful Indie Podcasters" with us.

• The Biggest Threat To Podcasting in 2024, According to Experts. To different people, podcasting might signify different things. It's a community, a company, or a hobby for some people. To some, it's their life.

🌟 Share Your Experience! 🌟

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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.

• 📢 Zencastr is an all-in-one podcast production suite that gives you studio quality audio and video without needing all the technical know-how.

• 🎙️ 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.

• 🔊 Soundstripe is a platform that offers thousands of royalty free music, sound effects, and video for your projects.

• 📼 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/toolbox

👀 Employing? or trying to find a new job?

Do you need to hire for your podcast? Here's where you can post a job (for free). Come hang out with us at podworks.io if you are a professional podcast producer!

More on Kangaroofern Media Lab

• That Podcast Exchange - This podcast is an insightful conversation with people at the top of their game and deconstructs them to find the tools, tactics, and tricks to help you achieve your dream goal as Podcast Manager.

• Get Evening Post Wrap - for nightly bite size news around Australia and the world.

• Podwires Daily - for providing news about audio trends and podcasts.

• Podwires Asia - for reporting on podcasting and audio trends in South East Asia

• Trailer Mixtape - The Hottest Podcast trailer to watch

• There’s a Glitch - updated tech news and scam and fraud trends

• The Freeman Chronicle Podcast - features expert interviews on current political and social issues in Australia and worldwide.

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