Spotify’s first full year of profitability

• Spotify released its Q4/24 financial figures. 2024 was the company’s first full year of profitability (posting net profit of €1.14bn (US $1.18bn). Revenue grew 16% year-on-year to €4.2bn ($4.3bn).

  • There are now more than 330,000 video podcasts, and 270 million people have streamed one, says the company.
  • Chris Petersen has also taken a look at the numbers.

• A claim we reported on yesterday from the Australian Podcast Report “requires additional context and clarification”, says CRA, the Australian commercial radio industry body, following queries by Podnews. We carry statements from CRA and Triton Digital; and give our own take: not least, CRA gave us quite a different response the first time we asked.

• “Music publishers are asking Spotify to remove thousands of unlicensed songs from podcasts on its platform”, reports the Wall Street Journal, claiming the number is around 2,500. The story adds: “Spotify said it reached out to NMPA … and asked for details, but didn’t receive any response.”

  • Spotify has always removed shows with whole music tracks, irrespective of licensing. But here’s how you can use commercial music in your show.

• Apple has launched Apple Invites, a way to “create custom invitations to gather friends and family for any occasion”. Anyone can receive an invitation; only iCloud+ subscribers can send one. “With Apple Invites, users can create and easily share invitations, RSVP, contribute to Shared Albums, and engage with Apple Music playlists.” You can’t use the tool for remote podcast guest invitations (you don’t appear to be able to share URLs) but it’ll absolutely work for in-person events.

• Remote audio tool Cleanfeed has a new cleaner website. Its free tier will become known as Cleanfeed Lite, and some features will go into Cleanfeed Pro, which changes pricing shortly. (Podnews uses a press account for recording the Podnews Weekly Review).

• The NZ Podcasting Summit is to return for 2025. The event, in Auckland’s AUT, will include speakers from across Aotearoa, networking opportunities, and “a group effort to record as many most hosts and guests as possible on a single podcast episode”. Tickets are available now.

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People News

• Dane Cardiel has concluded his tenure at the Headgum-owned advertising platform, Gumball, to pursue his role as Founder of Good Tape full time. He’s in search of strategic partners to accelerate this next chapter.

• David Moss is no longer at Evergreen Podcasts. He was Chief Creative Officer. The company acquired Rhapsody Voices late last year.

Tips and tricks - with Pod Predictor by Coleman Insights

• Here’s how to use commercial music in your show, if you like reading articles that say “you can’t” in various different ways.

Podcast News - with Memberful

Using Memberful: This Week in Tech is the top-ranked flagship tech podcast from TWiT.tv - and uses Memberful to get closer to its audience, giving it a consistent, recurring revenue.

Want to be part of a legendary new podcast? If you’re a fan of How I Met Your Mother, then suit up! Josh Radnor (who played “Ted Mosby”) has teamed up with series co-creator Craig Thomas for How We Made Your Mother, a rewatch podcast to explore how the show changed them, how it changed its fans, and how it changed the culture. They launched a special teaser a month before the first episode for one reason - they want to hear from you! Fans will be featured in every episode and can submit messages now.

History Daily celebrated its 1,000th episode yesterday. In the time it takes to commute to work, History Daily has transported thousands of listeners to the beaches of Normandy, the surface of the moon, and the trembling base of Mt. Vesuvius. It’s made by Noiser, Airship and Wondery.

Dear Movies, I Love You is new from Exactly Right Media - a podcast that treats cinema like that high school crush you never got over. Millie De Chirico and Casey O’Brien embrace the joy of movie culture, and discuss the kind of history, nuance and criticism that serious film fans crave.

The first fully authorized podcast dedicated to Charles Schulz’ beloved comic strip launched its second season yesterday. The first new episode of You Don’t Know Peanuts - The Untold Stories features Jeannie Schulz, Charles’s wife, and tells us that he hated the title Peanuts, which was forced on him by his syndicate.

Dish is coming back for its seventh season. The show is from Waitrose, with Nick Grimshaw and Angela Hartnett inviting listeners to their weekly dinner parties, where they dish out laughter, insights and a hearty serving of fun. Kicking off season seven is actor and comedian Steve Coogan.