Welcome to the Wednesday version of Scorching Pod. You’ll be able to blame Rosh Hashanah for my tardiness. We’ve lots to get into as we speak, however first, some shameless self-promotion! I made an episode of The Vergecast about how the rise of streaming has modified music creation and what it means to be a star. Making podcasts is enjoyable, who knew?
Right this moment, CNN is shedding a few of its audio workers, Spotify is attempting to stem the circulation of white supremacist music, and iHeart is shopping for illegitimate downloads via cell video games.
CNN lays off audio staffers
CNN is chopping a few of its podcast workers because it refocuses its audio enterprise, in response to a laid-off worker. Alexander McCall, who labored as a product supervisor at CNN Audio, tweeted yesterday that he and different podcasting staffers had been laid off and that CNN plans to provide fewer collection subsequent yr. “I’m becoming a member of the ‘My firm invested closely in podcasting, after which realized it’s costly after which didn’t wish to pay for that anymore.’ cohort,” he mentioned.
CNN wouldn’t touch upon what number of staffers have been laid off or which reveals will likely be reduce. In an announcement, the corporate mentioned: “Audio is a vital development space for the corporate. During the last a number of years we’ve discovered lots concerning the subjects and productions that almost all resonate with our audiences. In consequence, we’ve refined our technique to focus our assets extra particularly in these areas.”
Most of CNN’s podcasts are tied to its reveals and hosts, however the community introduced a number of new collection in February. Breaking Information Alerts, which points minute-long information updates, continues to be up and operating. A particular season of Tug of Battle concerning the battle in Ukraine posted its final episode in June, saying there could be updates “sometimes” on the feed. (There haven’t been any.) Private finance podcast Diversifying ended its run in August. In the meantime, Anderson Cooper has a brand new podcast on grief, which is at quantity 5 on the Apple Podcasts chart and quantity 12 on the Spotify chart. Plainly standalone reveals could also be throwing in the towel as these centered on CNN’s anchors will stay.
In some methods, CNN’s scenario is exclusive — its just lately merged mother or father firm, Warner Bros. Discovery, is trying to find $3 billion value of cuts. However to McCall’s level, a number of media firms have expanded into audio up to now few years, maybe pondering it might be extra worthwhile than it’s. As indicators of a recession loom, I’d not be shocked if we noticed extra media and leisure firms abandoning their audio enterprises (although I actually hope not).
Podcast firms are utilizing cell video games to generate downloads
Yesterday, Bloomberg launched a reasonably damning report displaying how firms like iHeartMedia and the New York Submit are buying computerized performs inside freemium cell video games that find yourself of their general obtain tally. This issues as a result of these downloads drive these firms’ advert charges and assist them within the fixed rating of prime publishers.
The story is predicated on a report from DeepSee, which offers video demonstrations of how these computerized downloads work. When taking part in a freemium recreation, a participant is given the choice of shopping for their method into continued entry to the sport, or watching a video or listening to a sound clip. Gamers might imagine they’re simply sitting via an advert, however in some circumstances, they’re downloading podcasts. Podcast firms purchase these placements via an middleman firm referred to as Jun Group.
Bloomberg experiences that iHeart, particularly, which touts its place because the primary writer in response to Podtrac, has paid Jun Group $10 million and gotten 6 million downloads via cell recreation placements since 2018. iHeart didn’t reply to request for remark.
ADL finds white supremacist music on Spotify
A brand new report from the Anti-Defamation League discovered 40 white supremacist artists on Spotify and criticized the corporate for permitting the music to floor on algorithmically generated playlists. Spotify has responded to the report’s claims, saying it’s rooting out violent content material on the platform.
“Our workforce of in-house consultants usually opinions and takes motion towards violative content material on our platform,” the corporate mentioned in an announcement. “In truth, since January 1, 2022, we now have eliminated greater than 12,000 podcast episodes, 19,000 playlists, 160 music tracks, and almost 20 albums for violating our hate content material coverage globally. A lot of the content material referenced by ADL was discovered to violate our Platform Guidelines and was faraway from the platform. We acknowledge that even with our continued innovation and investments, on the subject of moderation, there may be all the time extra work to be performed.”
As Spotify grows as an area for creators, it has launched extra particular content material insurance policies and launched a Security Advisory Council earlier this spring to information its insurance policies transferring ahead. Two of the acts ADL recognized, Wiking 1940 and Pugilato NSHC, have since been faraway from the platform.
Whereas the report is particular to Spotify and its playlisting instruments, this can be a downside for different music companies as effectively. Wiking 1940 and Pugilato NSHC each have pages on Apple Music, although it seems like their tracks have been eliminated. Songs by Pugilato NSHC can be found on YouTube, although they have been posted solely a month in the past, probably after beforehand being eliminated.
Apple didn’t reply to request for remark. YouTube spokesperson Jack Malon mentioned, “Our hate speech coverage strictly prohibits content material selling violence or hatred towards people or teams primarily based on attributes like their immigration standing, nationality or ethnicity. We’ll take away any content material violating our insurance policies upon assessment.”
Netflix releases trailer for its Spotify-inspired collection, The Playlist
And lo, it is rather Swedish! Which is completely truthful, we’re speaking a few Swedish firm in spite of everything. The present, which was introduced final yr, will likely be a fictionalized six-part restricted collection primarily based on the e book Spotify Untold by enterprise journalists Jonas Leijonhufvud and Sven Carlsson. The trailer options numerous laptops and aughts references. (Pirate Bay!)
The individuals merely need extra enterprise dramas. I don’t as a result of they remind me an excessive amount of of labor and I’d a lot fairly simply rewatch Bob’s Burgers, however I’ll in all probability be compelled to look at this one. The collection comes out October thirteenth.
That’s all I acquired, see you subsequent week.
