Will Ferrell confirmed for Podcast Movement keynote

• Will Ferrell is speaking at Podcast Movement Evolutions as part of the first keynote. He’ll join Conal Byrne (CEO, Digital Audio Group at iHeartMedia) to discuss his experience hosting his own The Ron Burgundy Podcast, and growth of his Big Money Players podcast network. Here’s where to get tickets: we’ll be there!

• Humanists UK have posted a long statement criticising the NYT’s Trojan Horse Affair podcast. The group are seeking a number of corrections and retractions from the New York Times, and claim editing of one interview was misleading (giving comparisons between the raw interview and the edit). They have already succeeded in getting one published correction.

• LinkedIn is getting into podcasts. The company announced a podcast network, including one from co-founder Reid Hoffman.

• Gumball has signed a “multi-year, seven figure exclusive sales deal” with Mandii B and Bridget Kelly’s podcast See, The Thing Is… The show left the Joe Budden Podcast Network in October.

• Yesterday, we wondered about Spotify’s new auto-downloads feature - here are some more settings screens - and asked Spotify whether it is just a test, and whether the app stops downloading if you stop listening. It’s just a test, says Spotify; a spokesperson tells us: “We’re always working to enhance the Spotify experience and we routinely conduct tests to inform our decisions. Some tests end up paving the way for new offerings or enhancements while others may only provide learnings. We don’t have any additional information to share at this time.”

• Is auto-download important to you as a publisher or listener? You’ve not got much time to fill out the Podnews Report Card, and feed back directly to the podcast industry. We’d really appreciate it.

• iHeartRadio’s podcast revenue in the US last quarter was up by 130% year-on-year. In Q4/21 they made $96m in revenue. The radio stations made $726m.

• Sounds Profitable has added a deep-dive into the ThoughtLeaders Partner Intelligence Solution. Elsie Bernaiche takes Bryan through their tool.

• How much did Libsyn pay for PAR? (We’ll update this story tomorrow).

• How much did Spotify buy Whooshkaa for? We’re told, by someone familiar with how these things work, that it was around US $15m.

Moves and hires

• Sonal Chokshi is stepping down from the a16z podcast which is looking for a new host.
• Elsa Silberstein is now a producer for Australia’s ABC Audio on Demand.

Podcast News - with Quill

Produced by Quill: Contributors features provoking conversations about how to take your organization one step further by prioritizing more than just the bottom line. Hosts Marnie Niemi Hood and Russell Evans from the CAAT Pension Plan sit down with leaders who are contributing to the well-being of the country and global stage by innovating industries and leading change.

Frame of Mind is one of two new podcasts from New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. Being distributed by PRX, it’s produced by Goat Rodeo. Frame of Mind shares uplifting stories about how art supports well-being, especially during times of struggle and stress. - read more