Comfortable Thursday, everybody. We’ve acquired a number of large objects at the moment: a Megaphone / Chartable / Podsights mashup, layoffs at Audacy affecting stations throughout the US, and extra information from Apple Podcasts.
Apple debuts two new charts for subscription podcasts
We love a chart! At the moment, Apple Podcasts is introducing a pair of latest high 100 charts that observe subscription podcasts and subscription podcast channels. It ought to give these paywalled reveals, which can not make it onto the primary rankings, a little bit extra visibility. I personally find it irresistible as a result of it lets me keep watch over which reveals persons are keen to spend cash on.
Amazon’s steady of reveals dominates the brand new charts. Morbid, SmartLess, and One thing Was Fallacious, which launch early for subscribers of Amazon-owned Wondery Plus, nab the highest three spots amongst subscriber reveals within the US. The kind of association, which is looser than the platform-exclusive association that Spotify has with reveals like The Joe Rogan Expertise and Name Her Daddy, seems to be working in driving subscriptions.
Wondery Plus, in the meantime, is the highest subscription channel general within the US, Canada, and the UK. Within the US, the Sword and Scale +PLUS Mild (elegant!), The Binge, Luminary, and Pushkin Plus take the following 4 spots.
Caveats abound, in fact. Like the primary Apple Podcasts charts, these new ones use a singular and considerably opaque definition of “high.” That’s to say: these aren’t a direct measure of which reveals and channels have essentially the most subscribers or are making essentially the most cash — although these components are factored in. Like Apple’s different podcast charts, these new charts base their rankings on a mixture of listener engagement, follows, and completion fee. Additionally they weigh complete subscribers and engagement with subscription content material, Apple spokesperson Zach Kahn tells Scorching Pod.
TL;DR: making a ton of cash isn’t sufficient to hit the highest of the listing — folks nonetheless should be tuning in. Although for those who’re making all that money… likelihood is you’ve acquired some large followers anyway.
Audacy hits employees with layoffs
Anticipating a tough promoting marketplace for radio, Audacy is shedding a few of its workforce, with the variety of cuts touchdown beneath 5 p.c of employees, spokesperson Ashok Sinha tells Scorching Pod. Hosts and staffers at native stations in cities together with Milwaukee, Las Vegas, and St. Louis, amongst others, have confirmed their departures, in accordance with RadioInsight, and the company-wide cuts are anticipated to have an effect on the podcast facet of the enterprise as nicely.
Audacy’s podcast operation is just not as large as rival iHeartMedia’s, however the radio big has made a lot of purchases within the digital audio house. It acquired podcast studios Cadence13 and Pineapple Road Studios in 2019 in addition to WideOrbit’s audio streaming tech in 2021.
In an announcement to Scorching Pod, the corporate mentioned that it has added lots of of latest roles because it expanded over the previous few years. “In gentle of present macroeconomic headwinds, like so many different corporations, we have now been proactively taking actions to mitigate in opposition to the influence of any downturn,” mentioned an Audacy spokesperson. “These embrace evaluating budgets, lowering bills, and likewise lowering our workforce.”
At the same time as the corporate grew in some methods, it additionally quietly pared down the variety of folks on its payroll. At the start of 2020, Audacy had greater than 7,000 staff. In 2021, it was down to six,000. At the start of 2022, that determine was beneath 4,900. Assuming Audacy’s staffing has stayed comparatively steady since then, which means as much as round 245 further folks could have been laid off.
Correction: this story initially mentioned Audacy was reducing 5 p.c of its employees. Sinha tells us the quantity is beneath 5 p.c.
Spotify affords new perk for Megaphone customers — candy, candy information
For podcast publishers who use Megaphone, Spotify will begin providing free entry to Chartable and Podsights, the information measurement instruments it acquired earlier this yr. In line with Spotify, the brand new information capabilities will permit Megaphone customers to higher perceive their listeners and which commercials are making an influence.
“This new bundle underscores our dedication to empowering our companions with viewers insights and measurement instruments which are integral to the success and scale of their companies,” mentioned Emma Vaughn, head of promoting enterprise improvement and partnerships at Spotify.
Spotify isn’t just being beneficiant right here. That is additionally a deeply aggressive transfer designed to make Megaphone an much more interesting possibility and convey extra podcasters onto its internet hosting and promoting platform. Promoting is changing into an more and more essential a part of Spotify’s enterprise, making up 13 p.c of the corporate’s income final quarter. With two high information and attribution providers bundled in, Megaphone — and its promoting providers — will look even tougher to keep away from.
That’s all for at the moment. Jake’s again tomorrow, and I’ll see a few of you subsequent week at Podcast Motion.
