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Spotify and WWE are tag-teaming on podcasts
The Ringer will host live Greenroom discussions after major pay-per-view events too.
Spotify and FanDuel will let you take on Bill Simmons in fantasy sports
FanDuel has signed a deal with Spotify to make itself the exclusive sports betting partner of The Ringer.
Spotify's Daily Sports playlist combines music and podcasts
Daily Sports playlists will feature a mix of music and podcasts.
Recommended Reading: What happens when bands don't tour
How coronavirus is destroying the livelihood of music's behind-the-scenes workforce Samantha Hissong, Rolling Stone By now, you've watched, or at least heard about, a musician who's cooped up at home turning to livestreams to connect with fans. While that does give the masses some form of entertainment to replace live events and tours, it doesn't help the behind-the-scenes crew who are out of work for the foreseeable future. Rolling Stone explains how stage crew, venue employees and more have been struggling since the all events came to a halt earlier this month.
Recommended Reading: The lasting effect of the Iowa Caucuses
Iowa might have screwed up the whole nomination process Nate Silver, FiveThirtyEight By now you probably know the story. The Iowa Democratic Party decided to use an app to report results from its caucuses this week. These events were the first primary-type votes cast in the 2020 Democratic presidential race, and would've set the tone for New Hampshire and the states to follow. Except the app failed, phone lines were jammed and it took the better part of the week for the full numbers to come out. So just how badly didn't Iowa screw up the whole process? FiveThrityEight's Nate Silver explains the candidate(s) who "won" didn't get the massive bump they would have and the field is still way too crowded.
Spotify is the new heavyweight champ of podcasts
Last year was a big year for Spotify. A massive podcast push that began in 2017 hit top speed with the acquisitions of Anchor, Gimlet and Parcast. But the company was clear it wasn't finished, because its massive investment in podcasts was actually attracting users to its core music-streaming service. We're barely a month into 2020, and the company is already spending again. Only this time, Spotify is getting a lot more than podcasts: It's also getting a new audience.
Spotify is buying The Ringer to boost its sports coverage
And there we go. Just an hour after it posted its latest financial results, Spotify has announced that it's buying The Ringer. Bill Simmons' sports and entertainment venture will offer up its podcast catalog, website and staffers, as well as its 100-million strong fanbase of listeners. Unfortunately, there's no word on how much the deal will cost, but The Ringer is a profitable company that made $15 million on podcasts in 2018.
Spotify reports 124 million paying users and 'exponential' podcast growth
"This was the highest net add quarter we've ever experienced," said Spotify in its fourth-quarter earnings report, adding that the service had added 10 million subscribers. The company is riding high after seeing the number of paying customers surge to 124 million and its overall user base grow to 271 million. It says that the source of (some) of this blockbuster success is the same as it has been for the last few quarters: Podcasts.
Spotify may be in talks to buy culture outlet The Ringer
Spotify might be making one of its biggest moves yet in its bid to conquer the podcasting world. Wall Street Journal sources say the streaming company is in "early" talks to acquire The Ringer, the sports- and pop culture-oriented outlet founded by ex-ESPN personality Bill Simmons (above). While it's not guaranteed this would lead to a deal, a purchase would give Spotify control of over 30 podcasts (including The Bill Simmons Podcast) that rake in over 100 million downloads per month.
