Tori Spelling Bares All; Podcasts Go Uptown; Spotify Audiobooks Part Three

Tori Spelling Bares All In A New Weekly iHeartPodcast “MISSPELLING”

The marketing people at iHeart should be congratulated and even given a raise for this one. This headline and the accompanying photo below make this new podcast announcement seem like a "must listen" for fans. Whether it is, or not, depends on your interest in actor and gossip generator Tori Spelling, and how easily you are swayed by ingenuous marketing. I am personally a pushover, so I'll be giving the show a listen, thanks to Tamar Aprahamian.

Basically, and without the fanfare and the salacious allusions, iHeartPodcasts and actor Tori Spelling, are announcing an all-new weekly podcast titled “MISSPELLING.”

You can listen to the premiere episode here.

Tori Spelling rose to fame in the 1990s as Donna Martin on “Beverly Hills, 90210”. She quickly became a household name as she grew up in the spotlight. Now, with “MISSPELLING”, Tori Spelling will unveil who the real woman is behind all the headlines and will open up like never before in this intimate podcast series.


 

The podcast will ask these questions:

• Who is the real woman behind the notorious Tori Spelling headlines?
• Is the mother of 5 living in a Beverly Hills Manor or in an RV?
• Is she Donna Martin or is she a down-and-out divorcee?
• For someone who grew up with Hollywood mogul Aaron Spelling, was she daddy's little girl? Or is she her father's daughter?

According to iHeart, "Miss Spelling is ready to reveal what's real and what's fake, as she strips down her Hollywood persona. If you think the rumors are shocking, just wait until you hear the truth!

Because when a woman has nothing to lose, she has everything to gain."

Folks, this is marketing copy at its best! I've never even seen an episode of Beverly Hills 90210 or heard any gossip about Tori Spelling, and I want to listen!

MISSPELLING marks the second podcast with Tori Spelling and iHeartPodcasts. She will continue to host 9021OMG alongside her BFF and former co-star Jennie Garth.


If you are a fan of Beverly Hills 90210 or Tori Spelling, this podcast could be your white whale. Check out MISSPELLING. If you dare!

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According to Karen Glover of Cumulus Media, Edison Research released their annual Infinite Dial study, which the company has been doing since 1998.

The goal is to understand how Americans use emerging forms of audio and new media. For marketers, the most compelling aspect of the study highlighted podcast audiences.

The results of Edison Research’s 2024 Infinite Dial study contain some compelling insights for marketers and media agencies. This week’s Cumulus Media | Westwood One Audio Active Group® blog outlines the key takeaways for marketers.




A key conclusion for podcast fans is, "No longer is podcasting a niche platform lacking scale."

"Over 135 million Americans, 47% of persons 12+, are reached monthly. Among demographics such as persons 18-34, 18-49, and 25-54, monthly reach is in the low 60% range."

Another study conclusion was that "it is feasible to consider shifting TV budgets to podcasting, given that podcast 18-34 reach performance is as big as TV. "

Another conclusion was that, "Brands targeting women should give podcasts a starring role in media plans: Podcast female audiences have hit record highs in habituation and reach."

Finally, from an advertising perspective, "Adopt agency media legend Arnie Semsky’s 5% solution to podcasts: Allocate 5% of digital ad budgets to podcasts."

This is all good news for podcasting and podcasters.

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You have to hand it to Spotify. The company does embrace the age-old wisdom of: "If you don't succeed, try, try again."

The company made a mess of its podcasting strategy and was largely responsible for an asset bubble that burst in podcasting in late 2022 and last year.

Spotify has made more judicious and cost-effective moves in podcasting in late 2023 and so far in 2024.

The second cousin of podcasting is audiobooks, another market which Spotify leaped into several years ago with high hopes and low levels of strategic planning and customer satisfaction. Sptoify has tried several marketing strategies that have been received about as well as we would welcome a blister on the underside of our big toe.

Just like with podcasting, Spotify is adapting. Here's its latest announcement: "Following the success of Spotify’s Audiobooks in Premium launch in the US, U.K., and Australia, Audiobooks for Premium will be available for Spotify Premium users in Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand on April 9."


Here's the new deal: "Spotify Premium users in these markets will experience a new way to listen to audiobooks on Spotify: access to 15 hours of monthly audiobook listening time which already includes an on-demand catalog of more than 100 million tracks and 5 million podcasts - delivering even greater value to Spotify’s Premium subscribers."

Spotify also expanded their catalog from 200K to 250K titles for Spotify Premium users in the US, U.K., and Australia, and in its new markets, Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand.

Here’s how it works:

• Find audiobooks in the Home feed of the Spotify app or by searching for your favorite books - and for those not sure where to start, an editorially curated selection of popular titles is available in Spotify’s audiobooks hub.
• The Audiobooks in Premium experience means that any audiobook marked as “Included in Premium” can be listened to with a Spotify Premium subscription, with users being able to listen to up to 15 hours of audiobooks per month.
• Once you select the audiobook you want to listen to, just hit play! You can track your listening hours in the settings of your Spotify app.
• Additional 10-hour allocations can be purchased as top-ups whenever needed (CAD $14.99, IRE €12.99, and NZD $19.99).

It is true that Spotify’s reach of possible new audiobook listeners has the potential to greatly grow the size of the industry overall and enable more listeners than ever to discover and engage with books.

The audiobook industry has experienced a 20% year-over-year growth as of 2022, and to be fair to Spotify, its expansion of audiobook listening in its ecosystem should contribute to accelerating this industry growth.

Spotify says that, "making Audiobooks in Premium available in Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand is the next step on that path."

The audiobook market does need more competition. After all, Amazon Audible needs at least one challenger.

Come on Apple. Do something other than overcharge for audiobooks.