Month: March 2017

Anchor Unveiled Anchor Version 2.0

~ jen

Anchor has unveiled version 2.0 of the Anchor platform. It is an improved version of the original Anchor platform.

The new Anchor lets you broadcast your voice, clip external sound bites, mix in full length tracks from Apple Music and Spotify, take call-ins from your listeners, add interludes created by world class sound designers and musicians, all from your phone. Plus, everything on the new Anchor can be heard on iOS, Android, Amazon Echo, Google Home, web, and in your car via Bluetooth.

Anchor 1.0 was launched a little over a year ago. It combined easy production, social networking, and a new way to distribute audio. People from nearly 200 countries used Anchor 1.0 to record audio daily. Some were going to great lengths to pull in external music and audio clips, to do interviews, and to make sure the story they wanted to tell could be heard how they wanted it to be heard.

In the new Anchor, everyone has a station. It is a place for you to broadcast a stream of bite-sized audio. Anchor 2.0 still includes the ability for people to record audio by holding their phone to their ear – and then edit that recorded audio with high quality background music. Anchor 2.0 includes a brand new set of production tools that make it easier to make content.

Here are a few features in Anchor 2.0:

Add External Clips: You can pull external clips into your station to showcase news, quotes, and soundbites, and then add your own perspective to it. It was possible to do this in Anchor 1.0, but is seamless in Anchor 2.0.

Mix in Full Songs from Apple Music or Spotify: DJ a real music station by mixing in songs and then add commentary to tell your listeners more about the songs and the artists who made them.

Take Call-Ins from Your Listeners: Anchor 1.0 allowed people to leave audio replies for other Anchor users. Anchor 2.0 adds the ability to curate those replies for a much better listening experience.

High Quality Interludes: Anchor 2.0 includes segments designed by world-class musicians and sound designers. You can use them to transition segments in your show.

Anchor 2.0 has something new called Dial. Use it to find Anchor Stations from companies like Gizmodo, Jezebel, Lifehacker, WNYC, The Outline, The Infatuation, IGN, Backchannel, Big Beat Records and JASH. The Anchor Rundown is a personalized, A.I. Powered station that is designed just for you. It features up to the minute news and weather powered by Dark Sky.

Anchor 2.0 instantly converts all recorded audio into rich, colorful videos that play seamlessly on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and other platforms that support video. Anchor 2.0 is now available for download for iOS and Android, and can be listened to on Amazon Echo on your Google Home.

VICE Launched The VICE Magazine Podcast

~ jen

VICE has launched The VICE Magazine Podcast. New episodes will be released monthly. As you may have guessed, the podcast focuses on VICE Magazine.

The VICE Magazine Podcast is your definitive monthly guide to enlightening information. Each episode brings in-depth interviews, sonically rich cultural insights, and a rare glimpse into how we make the magazine.

It is hosted by Ellis Jones, the Editor-in-Chief of VICE Magazine. The first episode of The VICE Magazine Podcast was released in February. It was about their Future of Technology Issue.

In the first episode, Elizabeth Renstron, VICE photo editor, who made the cover image for the February issue of VICE Magazine, explains how that image was made. Author and investigative journalist Emily Witt explores the world of virtual reality porn. There is also a roundtable discussion including guest editors from Motherboard, Waypoint, and the Creators Project.

You can find The VICE Magazine Podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Stitcher. The second episode will be released sometime in March.

I think this podcast is a creative way to provide listeners with interesting topics to listen to, while also advertising for their magazine. Presumably, if you like what you hear in the podcast, you may want to subscribe to the print issue of VICE magazine (which has 100-plus glossy pages and can be delivered to your doorstep each month.).

Wondery Launches Original Podcast Series – Inside Psycho

~ jen

Wondery announced the launch of Inside Psycho.  It is an original limited podcast series that explores the untold story behind Alfred Hitchcock’s classic movie.

Inside Psycho is a six-part audio series that will explore the wild and surprising backstory of one of Hollywood’s most notorious and revered thrillers, “Psycho”. It tells not just the incredible story behind “Psycho”, but also the story of the extraordinary struggles of making a movie that, against all odds, became one of the most iconic films of all times.

“It’s all here, from the real-world serial murders that inspired the film, to the movie star crank calls that gave use the voice of ‘Mother’, to Hitchcock’s relentless efforts to terrify Janet Leigh, to the way the movie re-made Hollywood forever,” said host and creator Mark Ramsey. “We have created a biopic without pictures, a swashbuckling story of fear and loathing, risk and reward, great joy and paralyzing fear – all in a rich, immersive, ground-breaking sound design.”

“Wondery is excited to premiere the audio adventure Inside Psycho,” said Hernan Lopez, founder of Wondery. “The series is not just for movie-buffs, it’s for all artists and entrepreneurs who have chased a dream and experienced the thrilling highs and crushing lows of the creative journey.”

The first two episodes will premiere March 24, 2017, with a special sneak preview available today wherever you listen to podcasts. Inside Psycho joins Wondery as the newest original, alongside the critically acclaimed series Hollywood & Crime, FOUND, Terms, and Secrets, Crimes & Audiotape.

I took the time to give the sneak preview episode a listen – and I highly recommend it! It impressed me so much that I subscribed to the podcast and am really looking forward to hearing the upcoming episodes.

The 2017 Sarah Awards Winners

~ jen

Sarah Lawrence College announced the winners of the 2017 Sarah Lawrence College International Audio Fiction Awards. There were entries from more than 200 podcasts and radio dramas from around the world. You can buy tickets now to the 2017 Sarah Awards Ceremony.

This is the Second Annual Sarah Awards. The winners have been listed in alphabetical order. The entries highlighted the variety of radio dramas made in the year since the previous Sarah Awards took place. They included psychological thrillers, to musicals, to pieces that blended fact and fiction.

Who won what will be announced at their 2017 Sarah Awards Ceremony which will take place at the Jerome L. Greene Space on March 28, 2017. You can buy tickets now. The event will feature performances by Welcome to Night Vale, the Sugartone Brassband, and others.

The 2017 Sarah Awards Winners are:

  • “An Occurrence at B.E. Investments” by Andrew Wardlaw for Lamplight Radio Play podcast.
  • “Black and Blue: Two Radio Plays Exploring Race and Policing in America” by Judith Kampfner of Corporation For Independent Media for BBC Radio 4.
  • “Homecoming” by Eli Horowitz, Micha Bloomberg and Mark Phillips of Gimlet Media
  • “Randys Mema Died” by Andrea Silenzi of Panoply’s Why Oh Why podcast
  • “The Man in the Barn” by Jonathan Mitchell and Louis Kornfeld of Radiotopia’s The Truth
  • “Wait, Wait, Don’t Kill Me” by Dave Holstein and Andrews Schmuckler with Wondery’s Secrets, Crimes & Audiotape

Sarah Lawerence College has provided a description of each of the winning entries on their website. They also included a link to where you can listen to each one.

The Washington Post Launched “Can He Do That?” Podcast

~ jen

If you have been paying any attention at all to American politics since Trump was inaugurated, you are undoubtedly aware that a lot of things are happening at once. Some of the decisions made by Trump and his administration have been controversial. A podcast called “Can He Do That?” asks that question.

Can He Do That? is a podcast from The Washington Post. The podcast is hosted by Allison Michaels, who is a digital editor on The Washington Post national desk. Each episode is co-hosted by a rotating cast of Washington Post reporters.

Donald Trump’s historic presidency will look unlike any other that’s come before it. From his outsider status in Washington to his family’s continued residence in New York to his complicated business empire, each episode of this podcast will focus on one aspect of Trump’s time in the White House that defines conventions and asks the question, “Can he do that?”

Every episode features original reporting that will illuminate the ways Donald Trump can reshape the presidency. In addition, the host and co-hosts try and explain what the Trump presidency means for people in the United States and the rest of the world.

The first episode of Can He Do That? was released on January 27, 2017. One month later, on February 27, 2017, the Washington Post reported that the podcast reached one million downloads in its first month. New episodes are released every Friday.

Nashville Rock n Pod Expo is Funded!

~ jen ~ 6 Comments

The Rock n Pod Expo set up a GoFundMe in an effort to raise enough money to pay for the venue of the event. It didn’t take long before they were fully funded. It appears their next step is to come up with the money for other expenses related to the Expo.

On March 4, 2017, BJ Kramp created a GoFundMe on behalf of Chris Czynszak. It is unclear to me who these two people are or how, exactly, they are involved with the Rock n Pod Expo. In any case, the GoFundMe was set up with a $1,500 goal.

According to the information on the GoFundMe, Nashville Rock n Pod Expo will take place on August 26, 2017. It will include rock and roll podcasters from across North America. The Expo will take place in Millennium Hall in Nashville, Tennessee. The GoFundMe provided the following information:

A venue has been selected that is available for the date that works for most of the podcasts and right now we need your help. The goal amount of $1500.00 will allow us to have the venue rented for our target date of 8/26. It also gets us on firm ground to start funding other expenses including travel for the out of town podcasts. There will be some incredible perks/rewards in that campaign but before that fun stuff happens, we need to get over this hurdle, fast.

It only took two days for them to reach their funding goal.

There is some tentative information on the GoFundMe regarding who might be at the Rock n Pod Expo. It states that Expo attendees will quite possibly get to meet the hosts and have the opportunity to witness episodes recorded live by some or all of the following podcasts:

  • Decibel Geek
  • Pods & Sods
  • PodKISSt
  • The Rock n Roll Geek Show
  • Rock Solid
  • Talking Metal
  • Rock and Metal Combat
  • The Classic Metal Show
  • The KissFAQ
  • Kiss My Wax
  • Zilch! A Monkees Podcast
  • Cheap Talk with Trick Chat
  • The Shabby Road Record Show
  • Cobras and Fire
  • Talk Toomey
  • Rock Strikes Ten
  • Podcast Rock City
  • …and maybe more.

According to the GoFundMe, there will be vinyl and memorabilia vendors on site, Q&A sessions and signings with “certain rock celebrities”, and a charitable auction. This GoFundMe was the “first step toward making it all happen”. It appears that a second GoFundMe will be launched to over the rest of the expenses.

Innovation Crush Podcast Marks its 150th Episode

~ jen

Chris Denson, host of Innovation Crush, in partnership with podcast network Wondery, presents the 150th episode of the podcast. This benchmark episode features an interview with comedian Orlando Jones of American Gods.

A cross between The Daily Show and Fast Company, Innovation Crush is an energetic, funny, and highly informative series profiling the rock stars of innovation and the game-changing ideas shaping the world today. The weekly series has just over 700,000 subscribers, and explores marketing ideas, technological advances, groundbreaking business models, and personal development with today’s leading trailblazers. Recent guests include Daymond John, Elizabeth Gore, Rob Dyrdek and David Pogue.

“I’m super happy that we’ve been able to entertain and inform so many people around the world for all this time. Orlando’s appearance on our 150th episode is a great culmination and representation of everything Innovation Crush stands for – ideas, creativity, entertainment, and a little bit of ‘how-to,’” said host Chris Denson.

The monumental episode comes on the heels of a new production partnership with the SAE (School of Audio Engineering) Institute, and only days before a series of live “Crash Courses” at SXSW 2017, hosted by Walmart’s Spark Lounge.

“Innovation Crush brings together some of the best entrepreneurial minds to share their commentary and ideas with a large community of listeners and creators,” said Hernan Lopez, founder of Wondery. “Wondery is proud to congratulate Chris on this fantastic benchmark.”

The 150th episode of Innovation Crush with Orlando Jones will become available today, March 7, 2017, and can be found on iTunes, iHeart, Soundcloud, and everywhere else podcasts are available.