🎙️ Universal Music Group Sends Stunning Open Letter and Removes Songs From TikTok Soon

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📢 A blistering open letter is sent by Universal Music Group, which will soon remove songs from TikTok.

📢 The second annual U.S. Podcast Report was released today by Triton Digital,Insights into the changing U.S. podcast scene through 2023 are offered by the report, which also includes information on audience demographics, listening patterns, and the top networks, podcasts, and debuts according to the Triton U.S. Podcast Ranker.

📢 To expand its Audio Studio for Creators platform, Wondercraft, an AI audio company founded by seasoned podcasting executive Oskar Serrander and multiple engineers, has raised $3 million in seed money.

• What Time Is Best For A Podcast Episode To Be Released? Lunchtime is a Good Target, According to Data.

• A recent report found that in 2023, 25% of the music available on streaming services was not played at all.

• Research indicates that YouTube has become the most popular platform for listening to podcasts as the medium and listenership continue to change.

• Edison states that audio's reach is still strong, even with younger listeners.

• With great pride, Edison Research presents the UK's Top 25 Podcasts for Q3 of 2023. This list ranks the 25 biggest podcasts based on total weekly audience reach as measured by Edison Podcast Metrics UK.

• Podcast listeners claim to hear more advertisements that are dry in their benefits or features, but they still prefer funny and entertaining commercials.

• Top podcast genres among listeners on a weekly basis, revealing a significant distinction between the UK and US markets. According to Edison Research, the biggest distinction is the percentage of weekly podcast listeners who choose to hear True Crime.

• Podcasting on YouTube and Videos Will Increase in 2024, Says Paul Riismandel of Signal Hill Insights

• Bloomberg reports that Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, and Sean Hayes have agreed to a three-year, $100 million deal to move their popular podcast "SmartLess" from Amazon to SiriusXM.

• The New iOS 17 Software From Apple Is A Good Development For Content Producers And Podcast Advertisers.

• Realm, the world's fastest-growing independent podcast network, has teamed up with Black Barrel Media. Realm will replace Black Barrel Media's monthly download count of over a million with respect to ad sales.

• Boom Shakalaka Productions, which is closing, criticizes the lack of funding for diverse podcasting. Boom Shakalaka Productions' founders describe the commissioning process as "exhausting."

• Broccoli Productions, a company that produces podcasts, is closing this week. The business claims that its early termination of its partnership with Sony Music Entertainment occurred, and it lists six employees on its website.

• Audacy is improving its public affairs programming by extending two major projects throughout its digital portfolio and more than 200 stations. 

• The NZ Podcasting Summit 2024 is scheduled to take place in Auckland on May 11, 2023. Numerous podcasters from Aotearoa, such as MediaWorks, NZME, RNZ, and NEWSROOM INVESTIGATES, are on the speaker list.

• Seekr, known for its AI-powered audio content assessment, has launched Align, a programmatic tool focused on brand safety and podcast ad suitability. Align for brands and agencies makes use of Seekr's one-of-a-kind content scoring system and language model.

• The podcast to broadcast model has primarily focused on radio, but ESPN is taking advantage of its hours of cable television programming to fill by announcing that each weekday between 2-3pm ET, it will televise a different video version of one of its podcasts.

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!

• Whoopi Goldberg, an actress and comedian, has invested in Gigmor, a startup that provides music discovery, booking, and ticketing services. The startup also revealed the addition of Spike Edney as an adviser. Spike Edney is the longtime touring musical director and keyboard player for rock icon Queen.

• Katherine Maher, a former executive director of the Wikimedia Foundation, has been named NPR's new CEO.

• Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese declared on Wednesday that he supports Kim Williams, the former head of News Limited and Foxtel, to succeed Ita Buttrose as the new ABC chair.

• As chief people and culture officer, oOh!media has appointed Lisa Green, a former head of human resources at ASX Group.

A new tool has emerged to help enthusiasts and independent filmmakers understand the sometimes confusing world of film distribution. On January 31st, Distribution Advocates Presents, a podcast hosted by filmmaker and co-founder Avril Speaks, formally launches. This week saw the release of the trailer, which gave viewers a first look at the show.

Distribution Advocates is a group that supports independent and pluralitous filmmaking while standing up for filmmakers. At the moment, Avril Speaks, Amy Hobby, Carlos Gutierrez, Karin Chien, and Abby Sun are members.

Their one and only objective is to collectively take back the authority that independent storytellers currently hold within the distribution and exhibition systems.

By addressing a critical question, this podcast seeks to shed light on the inner workings of independent film distribution: how can we better understand the current ecosystem in order to create more equitable distribution systems?

Curate a list

• The Podcast Host wrote about why Instagram is an excellent platform to grow your podcast.

• 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.

• Wondery LCC is looking for a Head of Podcast Content, LATAM to lead the growth of our original and exclusive podcast slates across Latin America.

• Sherwood Media is hiring an experienced Executive Producer to lead and oversee our podcast production efforts.

• Dear Media is currently looking to hire a full-time Advertising Sales Account Executive with experience in the digital space.

• Hatch Content team is growing and they looking for a Kids Content Strategy Manager  to join us in our mission to help kids get their best sleep.

  
  

Please mention Podworks.io or Podwires in your application.

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!

• Introducing a special "Ask Me Anything" (AMA) session, Podbean is excited to announce. On Thursday, February 22nd at 2pm Eastern, there will be an interactive event catering to podcast enthusiasts as well as those who are new to the medium.

• Edison Research and WorldDAB present “Dashboard Dialogue” hosted by Edison Research Vice President Megan Lazovick, and WorldDAB President Jaqueline Bierhorst.

• 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

• Lower Street, the organisation behind the Brand Podcast Virtual Summit, has released the complete list of speakers. The free event is intended for those who want to start or expand a brand podcast.

• TPA Presents: Why (and how) a Solid Social Strategy is (Still) a Must for Podcast Growth with Jade Media.

• The Podcast Show London is back, and from May 24–25, it will unite thousands of podcast enthusiasts from around the world under one roof at the Business Design Centre in Islington.

• A bill known as the Child Content Creator Rights Act was approved by the State Senate of California. A "proportionate percentage" of the creators' earnings must be placed in a trust for the minor if the bill's creators include under-18-year-olds in at least 30% of their content.

• Influencer marketing company Mavely revealed that in 2023, it will give more than $20 million to creators.

• YouTube's advertising revenue soared to $9.2 billion in Q4 of 2023, a blowout quarter compared to just under $8 billion in the previous year and quarter.

• Paypal sent an email to its employees announcing that 9% of its workforce would be laid off. According to reports from The information, the newly appointed CEO looks to reduce costs and increase profit on Tuesday.

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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.

• 🎙️ 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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