Edison Research is in the process of releasing data from its Fall 2014 ‘Share of Ear’ study, which takes a panel approach to assessing how much time Americans spend listening to the many categories of audio.

The data produced a number of surprises, not least of which is a surge in podcast listening – more than 27 million hours consumed each day. Further, podcast listeners consume more podcasts than any other kind of audio.

Edison Research VP Tom Webster joins FIR co-host Shel Holtz to discuss the data and the implications for podcasting.

Additional links from the episode:

• The Marketing Companion, the podcast Tom co-hosts with Mark Schaefer
• Podcasting’s Share of Ear, Tom’s post on the Edison Research site
• Edison report on streaming audio consumption among teens

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About our Conversation Partner

Tom Webster is a specialist in consumer behaviour who has spent some 20 years telling stories with numbers and trying to gain insights from data. He is Vice President of Strategy and Marketing for Edison Research.

He is the principal author of a number of widely-cited studies in digital and social media, including The Social Habit, Twitter Users in America, and an annual series of studies and podcasting. He is also the co-author of The Infinite Dial, the longest-running research series examining consumer usage of digital and traditional media in America.

Tom blogs at Brand Savant. You can connect with him on Twitter at @webby2001.

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Podsafe music – On A Podcast Instrumental Mix (MP3, 5Mb) by Cruisebox.

(Cross-posted from For Immediate Release, Shel’s and my podcast blog.)