Author: Shawn Thorpe

AudioMate Brings Podcasters and Advertisers Together

~ Shawn Thorpe

AudioMate logoMuch time and energy is spent within the podcasting community on the subject of advertising. Many podcasters want to know where they can get it, and whether or not it’d be a good thing to pursue. The long-running story on podcast ads has always been, “Until you have X-thousand regular downloads per episodes, advertising platforms won’t even talk to you.” Albeit slowly, that mindset may be changing as new services are constantly popping up to try and bridge the gap between podcast producers and advertisers.

AudioMate is one such service. The company offers to bring content creators of all kinds together with potential advertisers. The AudioMate platform allows creators to offer available ad inventory. Then, ad buyers can bid on those ad spots:

Our front-end user friendly interface allows publishers in our network as much control over their inventory as possible. Through our client login portal, publishers can ban or approve any brand or buyer in the advertiser network, access revenue and reporting information, connect directly with a live client service representative, set and adjust pricing floors for their inventory, and view highly detailed information on the kinds of agencies and brands buying into their inventory and why.

AuidioMate also offers a “zero-touch” embeddable media player that publishers can use on their own websites to simplify the process of delivering AudioMate-enhanced content. It’s unclear if AudioMate’s ads appear only in this special player or if creators can also distribute their ad-enhanced shows thru other channels.

AudioMate states the service was developed “in concert with” heavy hitters like CBS, Apple, Microsoft, Univision, and Google, among others. Having these partners on board should provide good opportunities for AudioMate to work across many different platforms.

If you’d like to see what AudioMate can do for your podcast, you can sign up for free on the company’s website.

Is Mixcloud the First Podcast App on Apple TV?

~ Shawn Thorpe

Mixcloud Apple TV appThe new version of the Apple TV set-top box from Apple, was greeted with much excitement from new media producers. This new iteration is the first version of the device to come with a built-in app store, making it easier for third-party developers to add their own content to the platform. Podcast and music distribution service Mixcloud recently announced the release of its own Apple TV app, which could make Mixcloud the first podcast app on Apple TV.

Users were surprised to discover Apple’s nearly ubiquitous Podcasts app missing from the new Apple TV. Podcasts has become a standard-issue app on most of Apple’s mobile devices, as well as previous versions of Apple TV. It seems likely that Podcasts will eventually make its way to the new Apple TV. Until then, users will have to rely on third-party apps or other workarounds to consume podcasts on the device.

Mixcloud describes its app as:

Enjoy your favourite shows, Podcasts and DJ mixes directly from the comfort of your living room.

From Science and Education to Technology and Food, access thousands of Podcasts directly from your TV using the Mixcloud app.

Access the best audio online via shows, reposts, favorites and playlists on any host’s profile page, all tailored to fit the Apple TV with a sleek custom design.

There are millions of hours of audio on Mixcloud, now you can search and find something to suit any occasion from the comfort of your couch.

The Mixcloud app is available as a free download from the App Store.

Podcast Pulse is Seeking Beta Testers

~ Shawn Thorpe

Podcast Pulse screen shotIt’s undeniable that the “industry” of podcasting has really grown over the last couple years. With this growth, a number of services have popped up to help podcasters produce their shows. Podcast Pulse is a new entrant into the podcasting services field.

Podcast Pulse is designed to make it easier for podcasters to find guests for their shows. Account holders can submit a request for a guest with a certain type of background, and Podcast Pulse will deliver those requests to its list of available guests. When a match is made, podcasters can then schedule the interview using Podcast Pulse’s built-in calendar. Podcast Pulse even has its own recording tool that will capture the interview audio and then export it for editing.

The creators of Podcast Pulse are at a pivotal point in the service’s development. They need to find 25 beta testers to continue to refine and improve the product:

We need your help. As avid podcast listeners and recent hosts, we understand the complexities and confusion around trying to find podcast guests. But we are only a small data point. That is why as we continue through the development process, we are opening up Podcast Pulse to 25 beta users. Once we reach 25 users, we will be closing the first beta round.

Let’s be clear. We very much are still in a proof of concept stage. If we can get 25 beta users we will continue to move forward with the development. If we don’t get 25 beta users, well, smell ya later!

The Podcast Pulse beta comes with some caveats. The biggest one being a requirement to pay for a $199 lifetime membership with the service. Still, Podcast Pulse is promising that if they can find 25 beta testers willing to make the beta buy-in, those beta users will have lifetime access to the service and will never have to pay again.

If you’d like to learn more about Podcast Pulse or sign up for the beta program, click the link at the top of this article.

Serial to Become First Podcast Available on Pandora

~ Shawn Thorpe

Pandora logoMusic-streaming services sure do love podcasts. First, Deezer bought Stitcher. Then, Spotify opened a beta program for podcasts. Even Google, podcasting’s biggest stalwart, will be adding podcasts to Google Play. I guess it’s no surprise then that Pandora, one of the longest running and most successful music streamers, is getting into podcasting, too. But unlike these other services, Pandora is barely getting its feet wet in podcasting’s pool.

If you’re chomping at the bit to add your own podcast feed to Pandora’s catalog, slow down. Pandora isn’t taking open submissions. It’s not sending out private invitations or launching an exclusive beta. Pandora is entering the world of podcasting by adding one show to its platform. If you’ve paid any attention to recent podcasting news, you won’t be surprised to learn that this one podcast is Serial, the This American Life-fueled juggernaut that lit up the hearts and minds of so many pundits over the last year, causing them to gush many words about the so-called “podcast resurgence.”

Pandora will stream the first season of Serial starting on November 24th. And then some time after that (nobody knows when), Pandora will also stream Serial’s much-anticipated second season. The initial announcement of this plan led to some confusion, as many believed that Pandora would be Serial’s exclusive distributor for season 2. But that’s not accurate. Along with Pandora, Serial season 2 will also be available thru iTunes and most other podcast-y places upon its release.

Rabble Could Be a Useful Service for Podcasters

~ Shawn Thorpe

Screen Shot 2015-11-05 at 6.35.02 PMIt might be somewhat of a stretch to cover Rabble in the context of podcasting. Indeed, Rabble isn’t really a podcasting service. But some podcasters may find it to be a useful addition to their media production toolkit.

Rabble is an audio-only live-streaming service that encourages users to create their own commentary on sporting events or TV shows. Do you think you and your friends can call the game better than the official announcers? Fire up a Rabble stream and encourage your audience to put the game on their TV’s, turn down the sound, and tune into your Rabble. Want to provide some (much-needed) comedy relief to a presidential debate or political hearing? Create a Rabble stream and let others listen to it alongside the official TV coverage.

There are a couple of caveats to keep in mind when using Rabble. The service expressly forbids its users from including any native audio or other sounds of events that are being covered. For example, you can’t use Rabble to add commentary to a TV show while also running that show’s audio thru your Rabble stream. You probably also wouldn’t want to use Rabble to provide commentary from the scene of a live event that has its own official coverage, because then you’d be competing with the media outlet that has the proper broadcasting rights.

Sports, political, and TV podcasters could really have some fun and possibly grow their listener bases with Rabble. If you’re a podcaster in any of these categories, you may want to give the service a try.

PowerPress Update Provides Direct Crowdfunding Support to Skipcast App

~ Shawn Thorpe

Blubrry LogoPowerPress, the popular podcasting WordPress plugin developed by Blubrry, was recently updated to include direct crowdfunding support within the Skipcast app. This means that PowerPress users can add links to PayPal donate buttons, dedicated “support” pages, or services like Patreon to their RSS feeds. Then, Skipcast will use that information to create direct crowdfunding links within the app. This makes it very easy for listeners who are using Skipcast to provide donations or other crowdfunding support to the podcasts they love.

After updating to PowerPress 6.1, users will see a new Donate Link section under the Feeds tab in PowerPress settings:

PowerPress Donate Link

By checking the “Syndicate a donate link…” box, filling out the fields below, and then clicking the Save Changes button, the donate links will be added to the podcast RSS feed. Note: The links are designed for syndication within supported apps, so they won’t appear directly on the pages of a WordPress website.

Learn more about the new PowerPress Donate Link feature at this Blubrry support page.

Disclosure: I work part-time with the Blubrry support team. Podcaster News Executive Editor Todd Cochrane is CEO of Rawvoice, Blubrry’s parent company.

Third-Party Platforms Don’t Care About Your Podcast

~ Shawn Thorpe

SoundCloud LogoAn article about how the Guy Friends Podcast was recently banned from SoundCloud due to copyright claims is getting a lot of attention this week in the podcasting community. It’s a cautionary tale on two fronts about: 1.) Using unlicensed music in a podcast. 2.) Relying solely on a third-party platform to host all of your podcast assets, including your RSS feed.

The first point about unlicensed music is definitely key to the story. But a dozen lengthy blog posts probably wouldn’t even begin to scratch the surface on that topic. The second point, relying on a third-party platform, is what I’ll focus on here.

In podcasting terms, we usually think of “third-party platforms” as service providers like web or media hosting companies. To get literal, you (or your podcast) are considered to be the first party. (We’ll skip over the second party for now.) As the first party, anyone you hire or pay for services is then considered to be a third party. And while often times in podcasting, third parties hold important assets like web or media files, they don’t technically own them. Unless otherwise specified, those assets are yours. You own and control them. You’re just renting some space from whatever third-party service(s) you’re using. That makes these third parties into quasi-landlords over your digital domain. Break their rules, and they can (and probably will) evict you with little warning.

In the case of the Guy Friends Podcast, the show’s producers thought they were following the rules by relying mostly on music that itself had been mixed and mashed up by SoundCloud-hosted artists. The show’s producers understood that the songs contained unlicensed samples. But it only stood to reason that, if the DJ’s who remixed those samples weren’t getting takedowns on SoundCloud, the Guy Friends Podcast should be safe, too. They were even careful to make sure the songs they picked were licensed under Creative Commons. But these precautions weren’t enough to keep them clear of SoundCloud’s content ID system. After three years of hosting everything (including the show’s RSS feed) on SoundCloud, the Guy Friends Podcast was completely removed from the platform:

You can’t listen to anything we’ve ever created in three-plus years on iTunes either, as the RSS is broken. We face a dilemma many others who work online have dealt with as websites are shut down or reworked; our links are dead, our content is sailing around like ghost ships on the internet.

Again, getting back to the copyright topic, there’s a whole lot that could be written about how SoundCloud handled the removal of the Guy Friends Podcast. But if the producers of the show had taken the time to establish their presence on a domain they owned and controlled, the SoundCloud issue would’ve been a bump in the road instead of a major disaster. Instead, the Guy Friends Podcast went all in on SoundCloud’s platform. Now, the show’s producers are faced with the challenge of rebuilding their audience in a new location, with no direct way to carry over their previous subscribers.

This kind of thing has happened many times before in podcasting’s history. But usually, it occurs when a podcasting platform closes shop on short notice, leaving its users out in the cold. The situation with Guy Friends Podcast is slightly different, as SoundCloud is still in operation. But the outcome is the same.

Throughout the article about the Guy Friends Podcast, the show’s producers lay out a series of points that led them to believe SoundCloud was supportive of their show. But SoundCloud eventually gave them the boot because, in the end, third-party platforms don’t care about your podcast. They can (and will) remove your content if you break their rules.

The best preventative measure against this is to always own and control your own space, especially your RSS feed. Knowing that third-party platforms don’t care about your podcast, ask yourself this question: Do you?

NPR Launches Podcast Discovery Portal earbud.fm

~ Shawn Thorpe

earbud.fm logoFinding new podcasts to listen to can be a challenge. Log into any major podcast app or directory and you’re immediately confronted with thousands of possibilities. Standard conventions like categories, subcategories, publisher-specific pages, ratings, and reviews are usually offered to help users find “the good stuff.” But these systems are far from perfect, often leaving much to be desired.

Since podcasting’s earliest days, many different services have tried to solve this problem. Yet, none of them have really found one true solution. With the launch of its new earbud.fm, NPR has become the latest entrant into the podcast discovery game.

Instead of relying on mechanical meta data, earbud.fm describes itself in word-of-mouth terms:

It isn’t easy to discover new podcasts. There are just SO many out there. Sometimes the best approach is to simply turn to a friend and say, ‘Hey, what are you listening to these days?’ That’s why we created earbud.fm, NPR’s friendly guide to great podcasts. Each of the episodes in this app was hand-picked for you by a listener or a radio/podcast pro. It’s like getting recommendations from a couple hundred of your savviest friends.

At first blush, earbud.fm looks like it’ll be just another outlet to tell us how popular/great This American Life and Serial are. But it turns out earbud.fm may actually recommend podcasts not produced by NPR. The recommendation system works like this:

…we asked listeners to tell us about their favorite podcast episodes. More than 6,000 people responded, recommending episodes from more than 800 different podcasts. There were podcasts devoted to astronomy, beer, breakfast, nuclear arms control and Saved By the Bell. There were poignant stories and informative conversations.

NPR produces a lot of podcasts, and a number of them were submitted for consideration. So to keep things fair, we convened a panel of people from all over the biz who really know their podcasts.

Over the course of the summer, the panelists joined us for multiple rounds of listening and voting. They also had the opportunity to fill in gaps and add podcasts that they felt should be included.

earbud.fm goes on to explain that its system is not ruled by ballot-stuffing listener polls. The creators of earbud.fm admit that the service is far from scientifically accurate. They want earbud.fm to feel more organic than other discovery engines. They even told members of earbud.fm’s advisory panel that they can’t recommend their own shows to be included.

It’s also worth noting that earbud.fm is focused on individual episodes as opposed to overall podcast shows. This approach could make it easier to sample new programs, giving listeners the option to then go and subscribe when they’ve heard something they like.

Spreaker Partners with French Audio Aggregator Radioline

~ Shawn Thorpe ~ 1 Comment

Spreaker LogoThe U.S. is dominating the rest of the world in terms of podcast consumption. But other parts of the world are gaining ground on America’s lead. Research conducted by French firm Médiamétrie found that about 800,000 podcasts are downloaded every day in France. It’s a drop in the bucket when compared to the estimated 46 million podcast downloads that happen every month in the U.S. But it’s still a sizable number and more importantly, it shows that podcasts are definitely being heard on the European side.

Spreaker, a Berlin-based podcasting/live-streaming services provider, has partnered with Radioline, an audio aggregator in France. The collaboration between the two companies will bring Spreaker’s podcast catalog of 27,000 shows into the fold of Radioline’s directory, which currently lists over 25,000 radio stations and 10,000 podcasts from more than 130 countries.

This partnership should help to extend Spreaker’s reach as a distribution platform. It should also bring plenty of new content into an expanding market that’s likely to be looking for new things to listen to.

NMX Virtual Ticket Holders receive Cryptic Message from Event Coordinator

~ Shawn Thorpe

New Media Expo logo Podcaster NewsFrom its humble beginnings as the Podcast Expo to its recent co-location with the National Association of Broadcasters convention in Las Vegas, the New Media Expo has been a cornerstone event for podcasters. NMX’s place as the premier podcast-centric event has been challenged in recent years by Podcast Movement and its offshoot regional conferences. New Media Expo 2015 took place in April and since the conference ended, there’s been very little noise coming from the NMX camp. Many in the podcasting community were beginning to wonder what was going on.

More questions than answers were created with an e-mail sent last week by New Media Expo coordinator Rick Calvert. The message was sent to those who are holders of the NMX virtual ticket:

As a VIP ticket holder you are entitled to a Virtual Ticket as part of your VIP package. Due to a series of unforeseen circumstances, the Virtual Ticket is very late this year and I feel terrible about it. I also feel awful about not effectively communicating why the Virtual Ticket is late and when it will be available for use. I’m very sorry for making you wait and not keeping you informed.

The delay in your Virtual Ticket took place for three reasons. The first reason is our website was hacked. The second is that we are short staffed. We are making changes within our team and it has left us short handed for a bit. Lastly and most importantly while all this was going on, I had several family emergencies come up in my personal life. I was overwhelmed and honestly just checked out. My staff will tell you they couldn’t reach me either. You may have noticed I have not been online in social channels or anywhere else.

It may sound strange coming from someone who has been hyper engaged online for a decade now but I am a very private person in my personal life. I didn’t want to discuss the nature of my family circumstances or cause unnecessary worry. I realize now, that I should have allowed my team to be more transparent.

I am not making excuses to hide anything or to gloss over the poor communication you experienced in asking about the virtual ticket. I am only letting you know the reasons why it has taken so long to fix this for you. As NMX and the NMX community has never experienced anything like this in the past, we hope you understand. I hope you can forgive me. I promise you that as of now I will be available to answer any and all of your questions going forward.

Again, I apologize for the delay and frustration you experienced in getting answers and I’m grateful for the opportunity to make it up to you.

No updates have been posted since this message was sent. Best wishes to Rick Calvert and his family. Hopefully, things will settle down soon and we’ll hear some good news from the New Media Expo team.