The recipe for Nin Jiom Pei Pa Koa has not changed since it was first concocted in the 1600s. Yet the sweet Chinese cough syrup, which has the colour and consistency of mud, is enjoying a renewed surge in popularity. Sales rose by almost a third between 2019 and 2024, reaching 635m yuan ($88m) last year. Those coughing up for the syrup are not just in China, but increasingly in the West, too.
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Luis Walter Alvarez’s eclectic career
Luis Walter Alvarez’s career was marked by two explosions. The first was one the physicist enabled: a plutonium bomb, whose design he oversaw, destroyed the Japanese city of Nagasaki in August 1945. The second was one he theorised: the terrestrial impact 65m years ago of an asteroid sufficiently powerful to drive the dinosaurs to extinction. It may be for the asteroid theory—developed alongside his son and widely accepted after his death—that Alvarez is best remembered, rather than his groundbreaking contributions to the Manhattan Project.
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The killing of journalists in Gaza
“Usqut, Anas (Shut up, Anas),” the Israeli agent would say in Arabic when he called the Palestinian journalist’s mobile. He was not the only one. Other journalists in Gaza getting such calls had chosen silence or fled the strip. But Anas al-Sharif, a 28-year-old Pulitzer-prize winning correspondent in Gaza with a global following of hundreds of thousands on social media, was different. He spoke of the need to give Gaza a voice and ploughed on regardless.
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WTA 125 circuit hits new milestone with over 50 tournaments scheduled across 2025
- Rapid growth and success have resulted in doubling the number of WTA 125 tournaments in the past three years to over 50, compared with 24 events in 2022
- 2025 WTA 125 season will see an unprecedented $6m awarded in prize-money
- Fans have unrivaled access through WTA Unlocked, the online streaming service accessible via wtatennis.com
ST PETERSBURG, Fla. — The WTA 125 Circuit is celebrating an exciting new milestone with over 50 tournaments scheduled across the 2025 season, more than doubling the number of events at this level in just over three years.
WTA 125 tournaments this season will be staged in over 20 countries in five continents on all three surfaces and include several combined tournaments with the ATP Tour. This season the WTA 125 Circuit will offer over a record-breaking $6m in prize-money.
The WTA 125 Circuit offers both established WTA players and talented newcomers the ability to build their careers and progress up to the highest levels of the Hologic WTA Tour. Held in strategic weeks in the calendar to maximize playing and earning opportunities, this series of events has also provided an important stepping stone for players returning from injury and maternity leave as they transition back to professional tennis.
The last three seasons have seen high demand for WTA 125 tournaments and with it rapid exponential growth that is expected to feature over 50 events this year, up from 24 in 2022.
In addition, WTA 125 events have provided an important developmental step for today’s biggest and most high-profile athletes, with current PIF WTA World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka, Olympic gold medalist Belinda Bencic and most recently four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka all competing on the WTA 125 stage at some point in their careers.
Many 125 tournaments have also experienced success, such as Guadalajara, which was a 125 in 2019 and has gone on to host 250, 500 and 1000 events in addition to the WTA Finals in 2021. Rouen similarly progressed from a 125 tournament in 2022-23 to a WTA 250 event in 2024. The decision to award upgraded tournament sanctions was driven in part by how well tournament organizers showcased their efficiency, dedication, and passion for women’s tennis at the WTA 125 level.
In 2025, the WTA 125 season has delivered unprecedented action, with 22 different singles champions emerging from 26 tournaments. Memorable moments include Osaka winning her first clay-court title in Saint-Malo (France), Alize Cornet coming out of retirement and reaching the quarterfinals at La Bisbal (Spain) and 15-year-old Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi from India making the Mumbai semifinals on home soil.
Portia Archer, WTA CEO, said: “The growth of the WTA 125 Circuit exemplifies the massive appeal and interest we are seeing in women’s tennis. The WTA 125 Circuit provides an incredible opportunity for players to gain valuable experience as we see a great pool of talent coming through. Additionally, there has been avid support to host world-class tennis — as seen with the impressive growth in events from 2022 to 2025 — most coming from new markets. For the WTA it is a unique opportunity for us to take tennis to new territories and support all levels of players, from emerging talent to established names.”
Osaka added: “Every tournament is an opportunity to grow, and the WTA 125 event in Saint-Malo gave me the perfect opportunity to maintain my overall level for the clay swing while offering competitive and high-level match play. In my experience the 125 Circuit is extremely well run and operated, has supported my playing ambitions and helped me connect with tennis fans at all levels of the game.”
Fans can follow WTA 125 events more closely than ever before with WTA Unlocked, which features free live streams for matches from up to two courts. To date, there have been over 800,000 stream views and over 10 million minutes of WTA 125 tennis watched through WTA Unlocked, demonstrating continued appetite to enjoy women’s professional tennis at all levels.
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State Securities Regulators Stake a Claim in Crypto Asset Markets | Insights
The regulatory landscape applicable to crypto asset markets is rapidly evolving, with new laws both proposed and adopted by Congress, executive orders, and initiatives undertaken by federal regulatory agencies.1 State securities regulators are actively seeking to influence these developments. The North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) provided Congress with comments on two proposed versions of crypto “market structure” legislation being considered in the U.S. Senate: the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act of 2025 (CLARITY Act), which passed the House of Representatives on July 18, 2025, and the Senate-authored Responsible Financial Innovation Act (RFIA).2 The Chair of the Senate Banking Committee aims to pass market structure legislation out of committee by September 30, 2025.3
State securities regulators have been active in the crypto space, evaluating state laws and policy priorities and bringing enforcement cases against individuals and companies involved in crypto-related fraudulent offerings and advisory services.4 Most recently, NASAA submitted comments on the RFIA discussion draft, emphasizing the need to preserve state antifraud enforcement authority as federal regulators consider new rulemaking.5
One of NASAA’s primary concerns is the RFIA’s directive that the SEC define the term “investment contract” under the federal securities laws. By codifying specific elements —such as the investment of money, a common enterprise, an expectation of profits, and the efforts of others — NASAA cautions that the RFIA risks narrowing the breadth of the traditional Howey test, on which states have long relied for flexible, fact-intensive fraud investigations.
NASAA’s concerns arrive amid notable federal activity concerning the scope of the Howey test and application of the securities laws to crypto assets. SEC Chairman Paul Atkins recently voiced his opinion that most crypto assets are not securities, and CFTC Acting Chairman Caroline Pham announced an initiative to permit CFTC-registered exchanges to list spot crypto asset contracts for trading.6
NASAA Urges Congress to Preserve Broad State Authority
Whether a particular arrangement is an “investment contract” that constitutes a security under the federal securities laws is based on a judicial test known as the Howey test. As the Supreme Court put it in deciding Howey, the test “embodies a flexible rather than a static principle” and is intentionally broad. The RFIA contains a provision that directs the SEC to adopt rules defining the term “investment contract” as that term is used in the federal securities laws. The RFIA further specifies certain elements that must be present in a “contract” to be considered an investment contract in any rule adopted by the SEC.7 States rely on existing Howey jurisprudence for determining what is a security, and NASAA warns that these rigid definitions could narrow securities classifications and limit state fraud enforcement.
As evidence and support for the states’ role in antifraud enforcement, NASAA includes an appendix of over 300 cases brought by member states involving fraud related to crypto assets (although not all of these cases relied on the current investment contract test).
To address these potential issues, NASAA provides the Senate Banking Committee with proposed text, dubbed the Support Anti-Fraud Enforcement Act (SAFE Act), and argues that the proposed text should be included in either the CLARITY Act or the RFIA. The SAFE Act is intended to make clear that federal crypto market structure legislation does not preempt or restrict states’ ability to use their existing antifraud enforcement authority over securities and commodities.
NASAA’s Historical Position
States have been active in policing against crypto-related frauds for many years, with the NASAA-coordinated “Operation Cryptosweep” beginning in 2017. NASAA has also been active in recent efforts to shape federal policy regarding crypto assets.
Earlier this year, NASAA provided strongly worded comments to a discussion draft of the CLARITY Act prior to its introduction in the House of Representatives.8 As with its most recent letter, NASAA emphasized the role of state securities regulators in investor protection and advocated for expressly preserving states’ antifraud and examination authorities. NASAA also proposed significant structural changes to the CLARITY Act, including changes to the oversight of intermediaries, and the appropriate regulatory jurisdiction for crypto assets sold pursuant to investment contracts.9
Last year, NASAA submitted a letter to congressional leaders in both the House and Senate arguing that any market legislation should preserve a “technology-neutral” approach to regulation and similarly urged Congress to preserve states’ authority to “investigate and bring enforcement actions for any violation of federal law, regulation, or rule.”10
NASAA also responded11 to SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce’s statement12 earlier this year inviting public input on a wide range of issues related to crypto assets and blockchain technology. NASAA’s response provides general principles for the SEC to bear in mind when regulating crypto assets consistent with its letters to Congress, including that investor protection must be central to any regulatory scheme and that state antifraud and examination authorities must be preserved.
Prevailing Winds
States’ jurisdiction over crypto assets is a live issue. Both the CLARITY Act and the RFIA contain provisions excluding certain crypto assets and certain types of transactions from state (and federal) securities laws — although there are arguments that such exclusions present less of a change to existing state authority than NASAA members fear. Notably, however, none of NASAA’s proposed amendments to the CLARITY Act were adopted by the House of Representatives. Furthermore, a recently released report of recommendations by the President’s Working Group on Digital Asset Markets explicitly call on Congress to provide that federal law preempts state law with respect to securities and commodities laws applicable to SEC- and CFTC-registered intermediaries, including in the areas of state virtual currency business, “blue sky,” and commodity broker laws.13
Takeaways
As federal crypto asset legislation begins to take shape, the role, if any, the states will play is undoubtedly a key issue. Even if the CLARITY Act or the RFIA is passed as currently drafted, states are likely to maintain enforcement authority over certain types of crypto assets and related transactions. NASAA’s position is unequivocal: The state securities regulators are not stepping aside. This may mean lobbying for legislative text, an increased focus on maximizing what state powers ultimately remain, or even, as briefly suggested in NASAA’s most recent letter, a constitutional challenge. For market participants, this means navigating a complex and layered enforcement landscape — one in which state regulators are not just present but actively seeking to expand their footprint.
We are monitoring legislative developments closely and are available to assist clients in assessing their exposure and engagement strategies in light of these evolving regulatory dynamics.
Knowledge management lawyer Dan Engoren contributed to this Sidley Update.
1 See, e.g., previous Sidley Updates: President Trump Signs “Fair Banking” Executive Order Directing Financial Regulators to Remedy Past and Present Debanking Practices (Aug. 8, 2025), Alternative Assets — the Next 401(k) Plan Investment? (Aug. 8, 2025), SEC Announces Launch of “Project Crypto” (Aug. 5, 2025), The GENIUS Act: A Framework for U.S. Stablecoin Issuance (Jul. 21, 2025).
2 HR 3633, 119th Cong. (2025); U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, Scott, Lummis, Colleagues Release Market Structure Discussion Draft, Issue Request for Information from Stakeholders (Jul. 22, 2025).
3 Senate Banking Press Release, What They Are Saying: Support for Scott’s September Deadline on Digital Asset Market Structure Legislation (Jun. 27, 2025).
4 Following the SEC’s dismissal of a high-profile enforcement action against a digital asset trading platform earlier this year, some state securities regulators dismissed their parallel actions, while other states appear to be continuing enforcement actions or awaiting further legal developments — and at least one state has filed a new enforcement action, seemingly in response to the SEC’s dismissal.
5 NASAA Urges Congress to Protect Investment Contract Law and Pass the Support Anti-Fraud Enforcement Act (Aug. 5, 2025).
6 SEC Chairman Paul Atkins, American Leadership in the Digital Finance Revolution (Jul. 31, 2025); CFTC, Acting Chairman Pham Launches Listed Spot Crypto Trading Initiative (Aug. 4, 2025).
7 See Section 105 of the RFIA Discussion Draft.
8 NASAA Calls on the Federal Government to Leverage the State-Federal Partnership that Fosters Innovation and Mitigates Fraud in Our Capital Markets (May 29, 2025).
9 The CLARITY Act defines “investment contract assets” as digital commodities sold pursuant to an investment contract, generally granting the CFTC jurisdiction over digital commodities while preserving SEC jurisdiction over investment contracts. NASAA’s proposal defined investment contract assets — in addition to investment contracts — as securities, within the SEC’s sole jurisdiction.
10 https://www.nasaa.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/NASAA-Urges-Congress-to-Maintain-a-Technology-Neutral-Approach-to-Market-Regulation-9.16.24-F.pdf. At the time, NASAA wrote, “Congress’ piecemeal and varied approaches to legislating uses of [distributed ledger technology] in our capital markets makes it difficult for NASAA to offer legislative text that could be used universally across all proposals affecting state authority.”
11 NASAA’s Principles for SEC Crypto-Asset Regulation (May 27, 2025).
12 SEC Commissioner Hester M. Peirce, There Must Be Some Way Out of Here (Feb. 21, 2025). Also see Sidley Update, Engage With the U.S. SEC’s Crypto Task Force and Shape the Future of Crypto Regulation (Feb. 24, 2025).
13 President’s Working Group on Digital Asset Markets, Strengthening American Leadership in Digital Financial Technology (Jul. 30, 2025).
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Demo Chicken Run: Eggstraction on Steam
For a limited time only, players can take control of their favourite characters and attempt daring infiltrations across 6 levels in this exclusive demo. Expect high-stakes stealth action, dodge security cameras, outwit guards, and don chicken disguises, in a mission that demands strategy, timing, and a touch of poultry-powered courage. Play solo or team up with a friend in two-player local co-op, using stealth and special skills to save the day!
Following on from Aardman’s hit 2023 film Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, Chicken Run: Eggstraction raises the stakes and sends feathers flying with voices from Bella Ramsey, Josie Sedgwick-Davies, Amelia Dimoldenberg, Romesh Ranganathan and more! The story, penned by celebrated writer Larry Rickard (Ghosts, Horrible Histories), continues as the brave band of chickens sets out to rescue their fellow fowl from the clutches of the sinister nugget industry.
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Chris Paul Made Over $400 Million In The NBA. Now, He’s Got A Game Plan For Retirement
As he prepares for a final season in the league, the 12-time all-star just formed The Chris Paul Collective to house all of his businesses and investments, including a piece of the most valuable women’s soccer team and several Black-owned startups.
When it comes to the business of the NBA, no active player has experienced more than Chris Paul. Not Stephen Curry, not Kevin Durant, not even LeBron James.
Now 40, Paul was drafted in the first round of the 2005 NBA Draft by the New Orleans Hornets, where he won Rookie of the Year. Two years later, he earned his first of 12 All-Star selections. However, Paul faced significant challenges early in his career. He navigated the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which forced the Hornets to relocate to Oklahoma City. By 2011, Paul was at the center of one of the most controversial non-trades in NBA history—a mega deal that would have sent him to the Los Angeles Lakers to join the late Kobe Bryant. Instead, he eventually made his way to Los Angeles’ other NBA team, the lowly Clippers who were soon caught up in the turmoil surrounding the team’s racist billionaire owner, Donald Sterling. The controversy paved the way for billionaire Steve Ballmer, who purchased the Clippers for a record $2 billion later that year.
At the same time, Paul was president of the NBA Players Association, where he delivered stability and structure to the league after years of damaging lockouts and union mismanagement. In that role, Paul helped the league navigate the pandemic, and provided leadership to the dysfunctional Phoenix Suns, eventually leading the franchise to a 2021 NBA Finals appearance.
And to top it off, last season, Paul played all 82 games with the San Antonio Spurs. In doing so, he served as a role model for the NBA’s next big star — French phenom Victor Wembanyama, who was a one-year-old when Paul made his NBA debut.
Across 20 seasons in the league, Paul has put up Hall of Fame numbers, climbing to second all-time in NBA assists (12,499) and steals (2,717).
He has also earned more than $400 million, according to Spotrac, a website that tracks sports deals. Next season, he’ll add to the earnings after agreeing to a one-year contract with the Clippers worth roughly $3.6 million. The deal reunites him with the franchise where he played for six seasons. More importantly, Paul is returning home after spending more than five years living without his family following the trade that sent him to the Houston Rockets in 2017.
“This time now with my kids,” Paul says, “I cherish it.”
As for how much longer he’ll play, “At the most a year,” Paul said in June while appearing at the American Black Film Festival. “I’ve been in the NBA more than half my life, which is a blessing. But these years you do not get back with your kids, with your family.”
Now, approaching his 21st season, something only six players have accomplished, Paul is ready to put his post-NBA game plan into motion.
“I came into the NBA when I was 19,” Paul tells Forbes. “When you come into the NBA, you’ve been in the backyard acting like MJ (Michael Jordan), acting like Kobe, shooting fadeaways, not thinking about business—it’s time for me to make sure that I focus on my brand, my team, and how we can grow.”
On Thursday, Paul revealed a new entity, The Chris Paul Collective (TCPC), which will house his various companies, investments, and nonprofit organization, The Chris Paul Family Foundation. The limited liability company will include Paul’s business verticals, including snack brand, Good Eat’n, and Los Angeles-based production company, Ohh Dip!!! Entertainment. TCPC will also house Paul’s minor equity stake in the most valuable franchise in the NWSL, Angel City FC, which Forbes values at $280 million.
Among the other investments in TCPC are Paul’s stake in the recovery technology company Hyperice, which reached a valuation of $850 million in 2022, following a $40 million funding round. Paul also has ownership stakes in the Indian cricket team, the Rajasthan Royals; WatchBox, an online luxury watch platform; and The Soccer Tournament, or TST, a $1 million winner-take-all men’s and women’s league. Additionally, former Octagon executive David Schwab is joining Paul as president of TCPC.
Paul’s launch of the collective comes during National Black Business Month, which has long been important to the North Carolina-born all-star. Notable Black-owned businesses that attracted Paul as an investor include restaurant franchise Slutty Vegan, fintech platform Goalsetter, and streaming platform PlayersTV.
By forming TCPC, Paul is emulating a business playbook used by fellow NBA icons, including four NBA billionaires—Jordan, James, Magic Johnson, and the late Junior Bridgeman. Additionally, two-time NBA MVP Stephen Curry is growing his business ventures with SC30 Inc. Kevin Durant has 35 Ventures; Russell Westbrook created Russell Westbrook Enterprises, and Detroit Pistons legend Isiah Thomas has a holding company in Isiah International.
But to enhance his empire, Paul will rely on decades of institutional knowledge.
“My whole career, the benefit I’ve had [is playing on] different teams,” Paul says. “So, I haven’t seen everything one way.”
Chris Paul hired former sports and entertainment executive David Schwab as president of The Chris Paul Collective.
Photo Courtesy of Bobby Metelus
One business opportunity that has potential for TCPC is called The Playbook Group. The various basketball academies and summer camps develop and train middle school and high school players and have produced a plethora of NBA talent, including Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum, Memphis Grizzlies’ Ja Morant, and even incoming Dallas Mavericks star Cooper Flagg. The business allows Paul’s company to compete in a lucrative youth sports market that’s worth $40 billion annually, according to data from the Aspen Institute.
“Youth Sports is a huge business,” Paul says. “I have a very unique outlook. I can still remember being a kid playing on all these travel teams, and my dad spent his entire 401k on me and my brother playing tribal basketball.”
And before he hangs up his Jordan CP3 high tops, there is some unfinished business for Paul. Chief among them is to pass on what he has learned about business to younger players in the league.
“Most guys in the locker room are talking about cars, music, women, all these different things,” Paul says. “People don’t talk about finance. We’ve got to normalize talking about finance and money.”
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Apple returns blood oxygen monitoring to the latest Apple Watches
Blood oxygen monitoring is returning to the Apple Watch — sort of. Starting today, Apple is rolling out a software update that enables a redesigned version of the feature for the Apple Watch Series 9, 10, and Ultra 2 that circumvents the import ban imposed by the International Trade Commission.
To get around the ban, blood oxygen data collected on the Watch will now be measured and calculated on the iPhone that it’s paired to. While users won’t be able to view the data on their wrist, they’ll be able to view it in the iPhone’s Health app under the Respiratory section. Apple’s announcement states that US customs has ruled that the company will be able to import watches with this redesigned feature.
This redesign only covers Apple Watches sold after January 17th, 2024, once the ITC import ban took full effect. It doesn’t impact models sold before that date or watches sold outside the US, all of which still have the original blood oxygen feature. You can tell if you have a covered model by checking if the serial number ends with LW/A. To get the redesigned feature, people with Series 9, 10, and Ultra 2 watches will have to update their devices to watchOS 11.6.1 and their iPhones to iOS 18.6.1.
Apple has been in a lengthy legal dispute with Masimo, a medical device maker known for its pulse oximeters. Masimo alleged that Apple had infringed on several of its patents, filing a suit in 2020 accusing the company of stealing trade secrets. Masimo separately filed a case with the ITC in 2021, which culminated in an import ban in December 2023. Apple has also lodged suits against Masimo over its smartwatches, which it claims are Apple Watch clones. It also filed a 916-page appeal of the ITC ban. That appeal is currently ongoing and Masimo’s patents are set to expire in 2028.
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Who’s Really Winning the Podcast Wars — and How
The top of the podcast charts might not look like they’ve changed much over the past couple of years, but make no mistake: There has been a major shift in the currents of what’s popular in the medium. Lavishly produced, narrative-style podcasts have fallen out of favor. Chat shows and crime-of-the-week efforts rule. And being on camera is no longer optional.
“There is no question that there’s been a change, and what is working is what’s more affordable or cost-effective,” says Steve Goldstein, CEO of Amplifi Media and New York University podcasting professor.
Just take a look at the charts: Theo Von’s This Past Weekend podcast has been around for nearly a decade, but now it regularly places in the top 10. Self-help guru Mel Robbins has elbowed her way into the upper ranks, while a clutch of conspiratorial right-wing pundits like Megyn Kelly, Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson have amassed the audience and the clout to rival O.G. Ben Shapiro.
All are essentially low-fi chat shows — with video. “The dominant modality for podcast consumption is still audio — and not by a little — but the shows making the biggest noise right now are driven by YouTube,” says Sounds Profitable partner Tom Webster. “And it really is YouTube we are talking about, [not just] ‘video.’ “
My Favorite Murder’s Georgia Hardstark
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Indeed, a couple years ago, Apple was the No. 1 method by which podcasts were consumed, followed by Spotify. But a recent study by Coleman Insights and Amplifi showed that YouTube is now No. 1, Spotify is second and Apple is third. “There is an expectation that all content lives on YouTube,” Goldstein says. “And I was shocked how much of podcasting is now consumed on big-screen TVs at home.”
Yet the rise of YouTube has some in the industry concerned that podcasts — along with their independent advertising streams — could effectively become yet another Google subsidiary. “What worries me is if the ‘podcast industry’ becomes just an unclear subset of YouTube video-makers, then we don’t have a podcast industry anymore,” says Podnews editor James Cridland. “We’re literally just a bunch of YouTubers.”
The chat show conquest comes at a time when the traditional talk show models are collapsing after years of podcasts gradually eroding their audiences. The cancellation of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert may have come as an industry shock, but it represents a long-foreseen first pillar to fall.
“When Conan O’Brien started a podcast [in 2021], people thought maybe it was a consolation prize versus a late night show. Now, the late night shows are getting canceled, and everyone wants to build what Conan already has,” says Red Seat Ventures chief Chris Balfe.
Alex Cooper, who has grown her popular Call Her Daddy podcast into a network of shows, puts it another way: “On-demand, longform podcasting has completely disrupted the talk show space. Podcasts are the new talk shows.”
And just like traditional talk shows, they’re also drawing live, in-person audiences — and quickly selling out. The Acquired podcast — which tells the stories of successful companies — isn’t even in Nielsen’s quarterly top 50, yet it sold out 6,000 seats in Radio City Music Hall in July for an event that included financial powerhouse guests Jamie Dimon, Barry Diller, Meredith Kopit Levien, Howard Schultz and Andrew Ross Sorkin. Here’s the kicker: The podcast’s event sold out before the guests were even announced.
Consolidation has been another trend, with some fretting over Amazon merging Wondery into Audible and cutting staff. “I think Audible is fully aware that they need a video strategy and Wondery adds that, but it was tied up in a lot of this longer-form narrative content, which, again, doesn’t scale particularly well,” Goldstein says.
Podcasts are adulting, in other words, which signals the medium’s maturity and increasing dominance. Potentially left behind, however, are the types of shows that have long made podcasting so special — one random civilian with a microphone who isn’t camera-ready, who organically gains a following without the help of company. Breaking through as in independent act has never been tougher.
“The average person is listening to eight podcast episodes a week,” Goldstein says. “So getting on the shelf space is really hard. If they’re going to add a podcast, they have to get rid of something.”
And, unlike shows on CBS, nobody topping these charts is getting canceled.
Morbid hosts Ash Kelley and Alaina Urquhart-White
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This story appeared in the Aug. 13 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.
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SZA’s Next Project Post-Tour? Shoe Designer
How will this attitude translate into some of the future Vans designs you will see from SZA? The star says you can expect entirely new silhouettes and concepts. “I’ll go as far as they’ll let me go,” says SZA, who admits she is new to sneaker designing. “I’m still a novice, but I know color, and I know silhouette.” The star also maintains that the sneakers are still going to be affordable, given that is one of her favorite parts about the label. “I love cool, comfy things that don’t have a sprinkle of exclusion or elitism,” she says. In other words: Don’t expect SZA to start designing rare, one-of-a-kind designer Vans collaborations. “I’m not trying to make Vans into Bottega Veneta,” she says. “I just want people to feel excited about being active.”
We will see her debut designs for the label sometime very soon. But for now, SZA is enjoying some well-earned time off, considering she and Lamar concluded their tour earlier this month. In addition to her new fashion venture, you can expect new music from her soon, too. “I know it sounds silly, but I always really want to make music being on tour,” says SZA. “I have a bunch of energy that I need to shift, and I feel the best way to do that is to create.”
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