The Podcasting Revolution Rolls On by Paul Sylvester

20Oct

Podcasting has been around for a few years now, but in the last 12 months we have seen a massive leap in terms of understanding and in the quality/volume of content available from media owners and independent producers alike… podcasting was even recognised by the Sony Radio Awards 2009.

A year ago, we had a couple of podcasts which did very well in the smaller market, however Absolute Radio can now boast several other massive achievements which have helped us to cement our place as one of the UK’s pioneering podcast producers.

We’ve delivered more than 4 million podcasts to listeners in 12 months and we had our best week ever last week, delivering more than 170 thousand downloads. This comes hot on the heels of our first ever iTunes number 1 podcast with Dave Gorman… the good news is we can now look forward to a weekly Dave podcast.

Podcasts of our programmes have accounted for 72% of our total, but that’s just the start of the story.

We have begun to go back through the Golden Square archives to offer listeners the chance to enjoy again some of the classic interviews we’ve done over the years. We’re also adding material as the acts make return visits. Creating channels for acts like Coldplay and Stereophonics allows fans of specific music/comedy acts to download the free podcasts when they search for other content within the iTunes store. As you can imagine, this is great for raising awareness of Absolute Radio amongst non-listeners.

In the last year everyone’s worked hard on our video offering. As well as filming videos for our website and YouTube, we now also upload them to iTunes for people to enjoy there – another great platform for us. More than half a million videos have been watched via iTunes. Video interviews with Florence and the Machine and Ricky Gervais have proved immensely popular in recent weeks.

So, with 100 different podcasts streams, we had to look at improving the way people could access the podcasts. Over the last few weeks we’ve been working with iTunes to allow us to display our podcasts/apps in a more efficient and engaging way which actually mirrors the iTunes store as a whole.

It looks a bit like this:

Absolute iTunes

We’re one of only a few providers around the world to have this opportunity and the only one in the UK. When you click on ‘Absolute radio’ via the podcast homepage, you’ll be able to search and see podcasts within our own categories, link to our applications and even related websites. We’re delighted to be able to do this and it dramatically enhances the iTunes experience we can offer – after all, it’s the place we know that most podcast users choose to source their material from.

So, the world of podcasting continues to develop into a highly competitive marketplace and one where we have to innovate to be noticed and succeed. We also have to continue to look at the commercial opportunities podcasting offers. Our podcasts have been sponsored by COI, Audible and Thresher and this has helped them to reach new audiences, we are now moving forward to offer further opportunities for clients to benefit from this growing audience.

Categories: podcasts 0

Posted by carrie on October 20, 2009

Absolute Radio launches CompareMyRadio.com by Duncan Amey

16Oct

comparemyradio

Today, the One Golden Square Labs team is thrilled to share a brand new beta service with you : CompareMyRadio.com

CompareMyRadio.com tracks what UK radio stations are playing, how often songs get repeated and what their most played artists are. No matter what your musical tastes, it can tell you what station you should be listening to.

We think it works a treat (although we already have plans for improving the service and increase the number of radio stations covered) and insist that you give it a try at CompareMyRadio.com.

If you’ve got any feedback, want us to add your station or have some suggestions, please get in touch.

And for those of you in search of more information, here it is:

  • Key benefits to users of CompareMyRadio.com include being able to search for your chosen artists or bands from over twenty major radio station’s data collected from ‘now-playing information’. Once a user has found their station of choice, there is a link straight through to the station’s website to listen live.  If you are looking for a station that plays “non stop Lady GaGa” then it tells you where to go, if you are looking for a station that provides a variety of music, it also tells you where to go.
  • CompareMyRadio.com has been developed by One Golden Square Labs – the in-house working group develops applications for the web and new and emerging platforms including wi-fi radio, next generation DAB with integrated internet and social media with an open-source approach and will actively encourage involvement from the digital community
  • CompareMyRadio.com will initially be launched commercial-free, but as the product develops there will be opportunities for commercial partners on this and Dabbl.

Duncan

Categories: Compare My Radio labs 1

Posted by adam on October 16, 2009

The Song That’s On Fire by David Lambert

14Oct

On Monday the big quest to find the song of the decade begins and with so many for everyone to choose from, the eventual result will undoubtedly be intriguing, fascinating and perhaps even controversial. However, one thing we can be certain about, is that Kings Of Leon will be in the mix. A band who can now happily sit alongside Coldplay, Snow Patrol and The Killers at the top table of “The Band of the Noughties” party, their smash “Sex On Fire” could well end up becoming the song of the decade.

Each week during the playlist meeting, we look closely at the music research and at the percentage scores for the positives (like) and passion (love) on a song. Traditionally we find that a good A-list song will score around 30 percent in passion. If it becomes a huge hit that figure may rise to 40 percent. Only twice in ten years of music research at one Golden Square has there been a song that has touched the 50 percent mark for passion – those being “Chasing Cars” and “Bohemian Rhapsody”. So you can imagine the reaction upon seeing Sex on Fire score 61 percent for love during its most recent test.

You can’t please all of the people all of the time, but with huge love scores and a downward trending graph in terms of negatives, “Sex On Fire” clearly appears to disprove this theory – the slide show attached demonstrates the extraordinary growth of this song.

Officially a modern day Absolute classic that over 60 percent of our audience loving, there can be no denying that we will be hearing this song for a very long time to come.

Sex On Fire Oct 2009
Categories: Music Song of the decade 1

Posted by carrie on October 14, 2009

Playlist: 14th October

14Oct

The playlist is out now.

Florence1

Florence And The Machine – You’ve Got The Love (16th November)
One of 2009’s big success stories, Florence releases her excellent version of ‘You’ve Got The Love’ from her Top 5 album ‘Lungs’. The song was originally a hit for Candi Staton & The Source. ‘Lungs’ is the biggest-selling debut album by a UK artist so far this year. You can watch Florence And The Machine perform for Absolute Radio’s 1st Birthday, at Abbey Road Studios, here.

Editors – Papillon (12th October)
Papillon is the lead single from the album ‘In This Light And On This Evening’ which is out now. The 3rd album by the band, who formed at Staffordshire University in 2002, sees Editors add synths to their dark brand of indie rock.

Weezer – (If You’re Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To (9th November)
The L.A. rockers who brought us ‘Buddy Holly’ return with this single from their new album ‘Raditude’

Categories: Music playlist 0

Posted by carrie on October 14, 2009

One Year On by James Curran

08Oct

We recently celebrated our first year as Absolute Radio which recalled for those in the Programming Team frantic, but energised, evenings and weekends in Sep 2008 spent readying the station for its name change and a redefined music position.

One year on as part of our continuing review of the music we play we have taken on board some of the things listeners have been telling us . A few months back we felt the station might be sounding a tad too old so we slightly cut back on some of the 60s and 70s classics we were playing and upped the amount of 90s as a consequence. Now listeners are telling us that they are loving the 90s but they are missing some of the older classics we seemed to play more as part of the early Absolute Radio.

Always a station to keep an open mind, and ear, we are responding to that by reintroducing some of those classic 60s and 70s tracks you love . Another thing you have been telling us is that you prefer your 70s classic rock to your 70s pop so one will be upped at the expense of the other. But don’t worry we won’t be trying to steal the mantle of our sister station Absolute Classic Rock , we will still be playing lots of the 80s, 90s and noughties you love too!

James

Categories: Music 2

Posted by adam on October 8, 2009