
As the podcasting world has evolved there’s been one question which has caused lots of debate – how do you commercialise your content?
One of the reasons behind a reticence to invest has been a simple one – it was argued by some that there’s never been the volume of audience to justify investment. Here at Absolute Radio we’re now achieving podcasting numbers which means clients DO want to be involved. We’re consistently achieving more than 3 million podcast downloads per month – Frank Skinner remains our most popular podcast with 5 million downloads of his Saturday Show and midweek podcast exclusive.
However, one of the clever things we’ve been able to introduce is targeted advertising where clients can choose specific groups of podcasts to sponsor. They can be associated with our comedy podcasts, our music offerings or our TV & Film content, dependent on their client’s demands. Manning Gottlieb OMD took up the opportunity to get involved with us, promoting the new Kings of Leon album – Come Around Sundown. They sponsored our music related podcasts in October – meaning their messages were associated with all of our podcasts of band interviews. There’s more than 70 Absolute Radio music podcast channels available on iTunes and at absoluteradio.co.uk and we’ve opened up our archive to podcast thousands of interviews from 17 years of radio at 1 Golden Square. We’re also adding new content whenever bands return to Absolute Radio.
The freedom of podcasting means the commercial messages were added to all of our Kings of Leon content as well as the content of related artists, using a mentality of ’If you like that, you might like this’. With many people streaming their podcasts directly from iTunes, it was a perfect opportunity as people were in the perfect place to buy the album after hearing the Kings of Leon ad. They were literally a couple of clicks away.

As well as the audio message at the start of the podcast, Kings of Leon took over our iTunes podcast channel page as well as the music homepage of absoluteradio.co.uk and we provided on-air promo trails for the campaign. As ever, we turned the campaign round quickly and met the client’s demands.
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The good news is that it’s prompted another new client to sponsor our music podcasts. Coming soon to a podcast near you – Bruce Springsteen.

Absolute Radio will be staging an exclusive gig with legendary singer songwriter Elton John in the beautiful surroundings of The Union Chapel in Islington, London on Thursday 25th November.
Elton John has sold over 250 million records making him one of the most successful recording artists of all time and has just released his critically acclaimed album “The Union”, making the ethereal surroundings of The Union Chapel the perfect setting for this unique gig and an exceptional experience for fans.
The gig will be hosted by our very own Christian O’Connell who will be giving you the chance to win tickets to see the man in action. Tune in to Absolute Radio or log on www.absoluteradio.co.uk for your chance to win tickets
Elton will take to the stage for an amazing solo performance, no band, no orchestra just the man and his a grand piano. He will perform tracks from the new album “The Union” and will of course be treating fans to an array of classics from his back catalogue.
You can also catch highlights from the gig throughout the week commencing 6th December on Geoff Lloyd’s Hometime show every day from 5pm. The gig will then be broadcast in full on Boxing Day at 6pm.
If that wasn’t enough The Absolute Radio Christian O’Connell Breakfast show will be carrying out an exclusive interview with the man himself. You will be able to catch the interview on air and as ever at www.absoluteradio.co.uk.
The playlist is out now.

Elton John / Leon Russell – Hey Ahab (release date TBC)
Elton John’s latest album ‘The Union’ sees him exploring American roots music like Gospel and Blues – rather like U2 did with the ‘Rattle and Hum’ album. It’s a collaboration with Leon Russell, a songwriter/session musician who’s played with many iconic artists like Bob Dylan, The Beach Boys and Frank Sinatra.
Manic Street Preachers – Some Kind of Nothingness (6th December)
The Manics do like a duet – but this is their first with a bloke – and who better than Ian McCulloch: Echo & The Bunnymen were one of the first bands the young Manics saw in concert, on the Ocean Rain tour. The Manic Street Preachers play a very special event for Absolute Radio in London the 30th of November. Geoff Lloyd will be giving you the chance to be there on his daily Hometime show, from 5pm, in the coming weeks.
Skunk Anansie – Over The Love (8th November)
The much-loved 90s band returned recently with the excellent ‘Wonderlustre’ – their 4th studio album, and first in 10 years. It follows the well-received new tracks on 2009’s ‘Smashes and Trashes’ greatest hits, and a busy summer of festival slots around Europe.
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