By Tom Taylor
The following article comes from Tom Taylor’s newsletter, Taylor on Radio-Info.
Arbitron says – Don’t compare its numbers to those of “Internet music services”
Pandora (NYSE:P), true to the original Greek myth, has opened up a box-full of controversy with last week’s report titled “Pandora increases listenership in top radio markets.” It began issuing listening estimates from the top 10 radio markets in July, showing market-by-market AQH ratings. There was a followup release in September, but the December 13 release was the first one that added cume ratings to AQH ratings. Suddenly, the metrics are starting to look very “radio”-like. As Arbitron says (without naming Pandora), they “use the same labels and descriptions as Arbitron radio estimates.” TRI believes that’s the context for yesterday’s extraordinary release that Arbitron calls “a clarification…about whether Arbitron’s radio audience estimates are equivalent to those derived from Internet music services’ in-house server log files.” Its answer – with 10 bullet points – is “no.” Arbitron’s now hearing a dull roar of protest from its own paying clients about something strange out there. By sheer coincidence, Triton Digital yesterday announced its new “Webcast Metrics Local” service, breaking down its national monthly numbers for local radio markets. Again, TRI believes that the unnamed trigger for Arbitron’s “clarification” wasn’t Triton Digital, but Pandora. (There’s a story coming up soon about the Triton Digital service.) So what’s Arbitron saying about these “Internet music services”? Read More
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