Topic: Amp

The Alliance for Measurement in Podcasting (AMP) held a secret off-site to establish the "AMP Accords," a new framework for podcasting metrics. Major players like Spotify, SiriusXM, and Libsyn are attempting to standardize data to compete for advertising dollars currently going to YouTube. The hosts argue that these efforts will fail unless they include podcast app developers who hold the actual "first-party" listener data.

A new 173-page antitrust filing in the US alleges that Google used its "Accelerated Mobile Pages" (AMP) system to unfairly disadvantage competitors. The complaint claims Google intentionally throttled the load times of non-AMP ads by one second to make its own system appear faster. Additionally, Google is accused of covertly signing users into the Chrome browser if they were logged into other services like Gmail.

A lawsuit filed in the Southern District of New York alleges that a secret team inside Google called "G-Trade" manipulated advertising prices and engaged in front-running. The litigation suggests Google used its Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) system to track users and colluded with Facebook to fix prices in the digital ad exchange. These documents claim Google frequently won bids even when they were not the highest bidder, potentially defrauding advertisers.

News Corporation executive Tony Bush argues that Google and Facebook have broken the advertising system by capturing the vast majority of digital ad revenue. The discussion covers the failure of initiatives like Google AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages), which publishers adopted to increase speed but which ultimately gave more control to Google. Mary Meeker’s Internet Trends report is cited to highlight the shift toward mobile dominance over desktop.

Bob Heil details the accidental birth of his professional sound company when the Grateful Dead's PA system was confiscated by federal agents before a show at the Fox Theater. Heil provided a massive system built from discarded Altec A4 speakers and Macintosh amplifiers. The success of that night led to a touring contract with the Dead and a front-page story in Billboard magazine.

President Obama issued a proclamation extending normal trade relations to the Russian Federation following its admission to the World Trade Organization. Dvorak notes that this opens the U.S. market to Russian products, including high-quality vacuum tubes for audio equipment.

While stuck in traffic on I-10 in Houston due to a fuel spill, the experience of listening to CB radio is described as "Twitter for truckers." The discussion covers the technical aspects of CB radio, including the use of illegal linear amplifiers and the distinct speaking styles of various operators.