Internet Listening

The Importance of Content: Exaget Week in Review

January 29, 2015

Exaget Week in review

In last week’s Week in Review we looked at the growth and acquisition of some well-known and emerging music streaming services as this market becomes increasingly competitive.

This week we’re looking at the various ways in which brands and companies use their content across a variety of platforms to reach new audiences while keeping their current ones happy.

 

BBC to test ‘experimental’ digital technology and content

The BBC has launched an online platform, BBC Taster, which will allow them to develop and test ideas for digital content and technology, which audiences will be able to watch and rate; such as interactive, short-form or social content, online features, as well as digital technology from BBC Future Media. The BBC hopes that this platform will enable them to respond to changing media habits as well as better serve its audience from gained feedback.

 

Umano offers streaming narrations of the web’s written work

Quite simply, Umano reads the internet for you, so that you don’t have to. The company supplies audio narrations of written web content, and currently has access to articles from several outlets, such as Forbes, Digital Trends, and VentureBeat. Umano’s PR have stated all narrations have links back to the original written posts, which will drive new traffic to the original publishers. Available as a free app for iOS and Android, the programme has already seen millions of downloads and streams, according to their PR. It’s good to see illiteracy levels being kept down….

 

Rdio launches in new countries & partners with Digicel

Rdio continues its empirical expansion into 24 new countries and territories across the Caribbean, Central America and Asia Pacific, as well as partnering with mobile phone network Digicel. 30 minutes of free Rdio internet radio listening will be offered to Digicel prepaid customers per day. A pay structure is, however, to be developed and launched in due time. These moves come following Rdio’s recent launch in India, where last year they acquired music streaming service Dhingana. Rdio CEO Anthony Bay had previously hinted at expansion plans: ‘Our ultimate goal is to be everywhere.’

 

Twitter tries to up its game with native video

Twitter is set to take on the likes of Facebook and YouTube in the world of native video content. Video is both a crucial and an important form of content for Twitter, as it drives engagement and generates more revenue than other forms of media. By launching its own video platform, users will be encouraged to upload their videos directly to Twitter rather than post links to clips on Facebook or YouTube, or any other video platform.

 

If you are interested in becoming a broadcasting partner, or would like to know what our integrating technology can do for you, contact our Partnership Account Manager Matthew Layton – matthew.layton@exaget.com or +447533517396

If you are interested in advertising opportunities, please contact the CEO of Exaget, Shankar Meembat –shankar.meembat@exaget.com or +447411130680

Acquisition and Growth in World of Music: Exaget Week in Review

January 22, 2015

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Our last Week in Review looked at the turning of the tide for online music streaming services, as two more companies entered the fray; but radio still remains as the go-to-place for new music discovery.

This week we’re looking at growth and acquisition, as some of our favourite and well-known companies acquire new investments and businesses in a continual bid to grow and keep up with the ever-changing times of the music streaming industry.

 

Shazam valued at $1 billion after new funding round

Music-identifying app Shazam has this week been valued at an impressive $1 billion following a recent acquisition of a $30 million investment. The company has stated that they are looking to use this investment to expand into new ‘market sectors’ – notably marketing and advertising. Shazam have not disclosed who is behind the investment, but with this new acquisition it will be interesting to watch in what direction they will grow.

 

Apple buys music analytics service Musicmetric

As part of its plan to relaunch Beats Music, Apple’s music streaming service, later this year, the American music giant has acquired British start-up Semetric, who operate Musicmetric; an analytics dashboard that tracks data on sales for music labels. And although Apple are not stating their exact reasons for acquiring Semetric, it can be surmised that Musicmetric’s dashboard will become Apple’s in-house tool for tracking sales and streams within iTunes.

 

Streamus: A Google Chrome extension that undermines Google’s streaming business

The verdict may still be out for Streamus. Digital natives and those who resist paying for on-demand music will love this Google Chrome browser extension which ‘turns YouTube into the music player you always wanted’. It annihilates the video – thereby improving stream performance – and it also does not contain any adverts – so no opportunities for advertisers there. Essentially a better version of YouTube, and a Chrome extension that goes against Google’s streaming business – the reception that it will receive is certainly worth keeping an eye out for.

 

If you are interested in becoming a broadcasting partner, or would like to know what our integrating technology can do for you, contact our Partnership Account Manager Matthew Layton – matthew.layton@exaget.com or +447533517396

If you are interested in advertising opportunities, please contact the CEO of Exaget, Shankar Meembat –shankar.meembat@exaget.com or +447411130680

NPR One – The blueprint for mobile radio apps?

January 21, 2015

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Statistically, online radio listening is increasing year-on-year, with the biggest percentage of listeners falling in the 12-24 years of age bracket; and it’s the same story for music streaming services. As both audio platforms try to boost their listener percentage, they must look at what makes them different from their competitors. But online radio looks like it might have an advantage…

 

BURSTING AT THE SEAMS

There is no denying that the online music streaming industry is over-saturated. Just off the top of your head you would probably be able to name Spotify, Pandora, Deezer, SoundCloud and Grooveshark. And that’s just the big international players – imagine how many more, local, music streaming services there are the world over. Just last week it was announced that Tesco’s ex-music streaming service, Blinkbox Music, is to be sold to Guvera, yet another such service, hailing from Australia. French service Deezer acquired US based Muve Music to expand their music streaming footprint in America. And yet again this week we have been informed of two – yes, two – more music streaming services that we should keep our ears peeled for – Boomio and Nusiki, who both lay claims to providing users with services that are different, and better, than their competitors.

 

‘IF INSTAGRAM AND SPOTIFY HAD A KID’

Brian Hewitt, co-founder of Chicago-based Nusiki, has described this new app as ‘if Instagram and Spotify had a kid’. The secret, it seems, in launching these new apps, is in implementing small features which other apps have overlooked and making a big fuss over that. Spotify shares music too publicly? Ok, we’ll make our sharing system more controlled, as in the case of Nusiki. After all, it’s the little things that make the difference, a phrase that seems to carry a lot of weight in the world of music streaming.

Boomio’s mantra seems to be ‘sharing is caring’ as users pick a song to listen to and share, and at the end are prompted to either re-share in order to hear the next song or buy the track on iTunes. Sharing can be done to an individual, a group, or a social network.

But at the end of the day, music streaming services are limited in what they can offer to the listener when compared to the content of radio. Radio stations are of course already available on mobile phones, but they often lack that element of personalisation that such services as Spotify and Pandora offer. But what if there was an app that brought to you relevant news and stories, in bite sized chunks, from your local radio station as well as internationally, with the curation aspect of music streaming services?

Larry Rosin, president of Edison Research, has recently talked about one such app – NPR One. Dubbed ‘Public radio made personal’, it is available only in the US, although users worldwide can still download it and listen in. The app itself has many great qualities, but it’s not just good; it could well be a blue-print for future radio apps with which to take the online audio platform by storm.

 

‘PANDORA-ITISATION OF CONTENT’

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The advantages of radio are numerous and well-known. One of the oldest social mediums, it still continues to have a large relevance in people’s day-to-day lives. What NPR One does so well is offer their listeners efficiency. Up-to-date relevant news and stories, in under 5 or 10 minutes. Like the music streaming services, you can skip stories, flag your favourite, and share. But it also reminds the listener that there is a local public radio station as part of its programme, and one that needs financial support. Through this scheme the app inspires a wholesome community feel; radio really does bring people together.

Of course, NPR One only deals with news and stories; there is no music, no presenter tete-a-tete, no real-time traffic and weather updates. But all of these typical radio features could be merged with NPR One’s principal concept to create great personalised radio apps, which would have a better value to listeners than all the current numerous music streaming services which fundamentally all do the same thing, albeit in differently packaged ways.

And it’s not just broadcasters and listeners who would benefit from such apps; advertisers too could cash in by the implementation of personalised user-targeted ads.

The moral of the story? NPR One have a great mission and concept. Taken on a global scale and implemented by other radio apps, mobile radio would certainly offer much more than music streaming services – the varied content of radio, with the curated personalisation of music streaming, and adverts tailored to both listener and broadcaster. We all know that radio as a medium is still going strong, with audience figures constantly on the up, and it’s refreshing to see that younger listeners haven’t been completely sucked in by the world of streaming – at least, not in the UK. 

 

If you are interested in becoming a broadcasting partner, or would like to know what our integrating technology can do for you, contact our Partnership Account Manager Matthew Layton – matthew.layton@exaget.com or +447533517396

If you are interested in advertising opportunities, please contact the CEO of Exaget, Shankar Meembat –shankar.meembat@exaget.com or +447411130680

 

The Tide Turns for Music Streaming: Exaget Week in Review

January 15, 2015

Exaget Week in review

In our last Week in Review, we took a look into our crystal ball to see what new ventures may be coming out of the woodwork this year – including the futuristic concept of smart glasses.

This week, however, we turn our attention back to something that is already a big, popular, and sought-after phenomena – music streaming services. With Tesco last week announcing its sale of Blinkbox, the streaming services scene is about to become even more competitive as two new rivals are set to emerge this year:  

 

Tesco close to selling Blinkbox Music

Last week, one of Britain’s largest retailers sold their video streaming service, Blinkbox Movies, to telecoms business TalkTalk in a bid to reel in cash spend – and profit loss. This week they are set to sell Blinkbox Music, their music streaming service, to Australian company Guvera, who are already big in Asia and partnered with Lenovo. Guvera will use this acquisition as a means to get their foot into the UK and European market. Under their management, Blinkbox Music will undergo a face transplant in the form of new branding.

 

Deezer acquires Muve Music

We bring our attention back to European players – more specifically, to French music streaming service Deezer. They already launched in the US in September 2014 following a partnership with Sonos, but now, with the acquisition of Muve Music, they are set to expand their presence in the US – which is also home to perhaps their biggest rival, Pandora. What will make Deezer different? Access to an impressive 35 million tracks, and a tantalising price of $6 per month, compared to the $10 that most other services charge. Will this launch them into a big player on the scale of Pandora? Watch this space…

 

Why mobile is key to Spotify’s future growth

Swedish music streaming behemoth Spotify is this week celebrating 15m paid subscribers and 60m active users; and more than half of these users are streaming via their mobile devices. Statistics show that 42% stream on smartphones, and 10% on tablets. Their free streaming on mobile through their shuffle feature increased their amount of mobile listeners dramatically; but now their goal is to transfer these listeners into paid subscribers. But with Apple to automatically install Beats Music on their iPhones, it will be interesting to monitor how this will affect Spotify’s iOS users.

 

Radio still beats digital for music discovery

Despite the influx of music streaming services vying for your attention, ears, and wallets, the days of the radio are still going strong. The latest statistics from Nielsen have shown that 51% of music consumers in the US find new songs through the radio – that’s an impressive 243 million. The figures include all platforms of radio; car radios, AM/FM sets, and online radio. They also show that listening in the car is the most common way of enjoying music; and that Disney’s Frozen soundtrack is the number one listened to. It looks like there’s no letting go of it…..see what we did there?

 

If you are interested in becoming a broadcasting partner, or would like to know what our integrating technology can do for you, contact our Partnership Account Manager Matthew Layton – matthew.layton@exaget.com or +447533517396

If you are interested in advertising opportunities, please contact the CEO of Exaget, Shankar Meembat –shankar.meembat@exaget.com or +447411130680

Exaget Week in Review: Radio & Media, Local Mobile Advertising, Internet Listening, Digital Ad Spending

April 10, 2014

Exaget Week in Review, Radio & Media, Local Mobile Advertising, Internet Listening, Digital Ad Spending

20 articles about Radio and the Media, curated by MediaUk‘s Radio Futurologist James Cridland

Consumers today want to feel like they are recognized and known personally by the stores they shop at and by the brands they buy. For national brands, targeting consumers and reaching that personal level can be a challenge. Many brands, however, are beginning to see mobile advertising as an effective avenue to directly reach those individual consumers.

Internet listening gained five percent in February over January, according to data released by Triton Digital in its Webcast Metrics Top 20 Ranker.

Spending on digital ads will make up around one-quarter of total media ad spending around the world

Here’s this week’s round up:

Links of interest for week ending 6 April 2014, 20 articles about radio and the media, curated by James Cridland:

Interesting articles such as, How not to digitally relaunch a radio station, 90 Years of BBC Radio in 90 Minutes, Nice positive story about community radio, The Battle of Radio vs New Media etc.

Franchisees See Mobile as the Future for Reaching Local Customers:

Right now mobile advertising accounts for about 9% of advertising spending for business franchisees or licensees according to BIA/Kelsey’s Local Commerce Monitor™. About 68.4% of business franchisees or licensees say they are planning to increase their current level of advertising and promotional spending in the next 12 months.

Internet listening spiked up in February, continued breaking new ground

five-percent gain from the previous month lifted total stream listening into new-high territory. February is the fifth consecutive month of Internet listening reaching into record levels.

Digital Ad Spending Worldwide to Hit $137.53 Billion in 2014

Digital spend will be up 14.8% over 2013 levels, according to the forecast, and will make up just over one-quarter of all paid media spending worldwide. That’s up from about one-fifth of spending in 2012, and it is set to rise to nearly one-third of the total by the end of our forecast period, when advertisers around the world will invest $204.01 billion in digital.

If you found this week’s update interesting feel free to join our mailing list or donate a share, like or tweet. Subscribe to our newsletter to get our update into your mailbox. If you are a broadcaster, or advertiser and are interested in learning how targeted audio advertising can work for you get in touch.

Exaget Team
Twitter – @Exaget
Facebook – Exaget

Exaget Week in Review: Internet Listening, Streaming Audio and Mobile Ad Spend

December 19, 2013

Exaget Week in Review, Internet Listening, Streaming Audio, Mobile Ad Spend

Internet listening reached all-time highs in October, according to data released by Triton Digital in its Webcast Metrics Top 20 Ranker. The cumulative number of AAS was 2,205,211 for domestic listening from 6:00am to 12:00am, Monday through Sunday. Top-line listening growth represents a 5% percent gain from the previous month.

Internet radio and streaming audio have inched toward mainstream use, but still lag other media consumption types. A new study from MIDiA Consulting (Media Insights & Decisions in Action) seeks to discover why — while profiling digital music users generally.

IAB research reveals that nearly 39% of respondents claimed that new budgets are being allocated for mobile ad spend, whilst mobile privacy and brand safety remain top challenges for UK media agencies.

Here’s this week’s round up:

Internet listening breaks records in October

Within the ranking, the best nominal month-over-month success belonged to market leader Pandora, which dramatically led the top-20 field by gaining over 85,000 average active sessions. In percentage terms the monthly top-gainer was Cox Radio, which grew active sessions by 25 percent. The largest monthly drop-off is attributed to EMF, whose October metrics tracked at 89% of September.

MIDiA study analyzes why streaming audio is still niche

Titled Decoding the Digital Music Consumer and sharply written by MIDiA founder Mark Mulligan, the survey is U.K.-centric, with a sample size of 1,000 respondents. The broadest discovery point is that digital music as a whole remains a niche sector, except for massive YouTube use.

39% of agency employees claim mobile ad spend comes from new budgets

The research shows that the amount of people that feel they now have an above average understanding of mobile has increased by 28%, now at an all-time high of 64%. Nearly 40% of media agency employees claimed that mobile is now a regular part of client proposals and encouragingly nearly 20% said that it’s now a regular part of their business.

If you found this week’s update interesting feel free to join our mailing list or donate a share, like or tweet. Subscribe to our newsletter to get our update into your mailbox. If you are a broadcaster, or advertiser and are interested in learning how targeted audio advertising can work for you get in touch.
Exaget Team
Twitter – @Exaget
Facebook – Exaget