Author: Shawn Thorpe

Amid Controversy, Podcast Awards Winners Named

~ Shawn Thorpe

Podcast Awards logoLast Sunday, the 2016 winners of the Peoples Choice Podcast Awards (commonly referred to as the “Podcast Awards“) were announced. Award winners were unveiled during a live-streaming video presentation, as has been done in past years. The presentation itself went down with minimal issues. But just after the awards were given out, a bit of controversy came into play when it was determined that a specific group of podcasters had used a special web tool to encourage their listeners to vote for specific shows.

Podcast Awards winners are decided by a weeks-long voting content that asks the fans of awards-nominated podcasts to go to the Podcast Awards website and vote for their shows. There was some confusion when it was discovered that a fan of the Diamond Club podcast network had devised something called #HattingTheSystem that directed its users to vote specifically for Diamond Club shows.

It was unclear at first whether or not the Diamond Club’s web tool actually violated the Podcast Awards anti-cheating rules. But upon further review, it was determined that the web tool wasn’t auto-filling the Podcast Awards voting form. It was only directing voters to find the shows that Diamond Club was supporting in the different awards categories. It was then decided that all winners would be allowed to stand.

Here’s the complete list of 2016 Peoples Choice Podcast Awards winners:

  • Peoples Choice: The Fantasy Footballers Podcast
  • Arts: The Beerists Podcast
  • Business: The Bizarre Briefing
  • Comedy: Matt And Mattingly’s Ice Cream Social
  • Education: Scam School
  • Entertainment: We Have Concerns
  • Games & Hobbies: The Angry Chicken
  • GLBT: Diary of a Trans Woman
  • Government & Organizations: Politics Politics Politics
  • Health: Sleep With Me
  • Kids & Family: Hypothetical Help
  • Mature: JuRY
  • Music: Joe and Meg’s Musical Adventure
  • News & Politics: No Agenda
  • Religion & Spirituality: Oh No Ross and Carrie
  • Science & Medicine: Weird Things
  • Society – Culture: The Phileas Club
  • Sports & Recreation: The Fantasy Footballers Podcast
  • Technology: Hak5
  • TV & Film: Post Show Recaps

Disclosure: Peoples Choice Podcast Awards founder Todd Cochrane is the Executive Editor of Podcaster News.

Twitter Has Invested $70Million in SoundCloud

~ Shawn Thorpe

SoundCloud LogoNews items about SoundCloud are so repetitive, they’re starting to sound like a broken record. We’ve reported more than once about how either SoundCloud is rapidly burning thru the money it has, or that it’s taken on more debt in the form of venture capital. This week’s SoundCloud news is focused on the second of those two, as apparently Twitter has invested $70million dollars in the audio platform.

This fact on its own is amusing considering Twitter itself has yet to actually turn a profit. Also, this isn’t the first time SoundCloud and Twitter have been linked financially. In 2014, rumors began circulating that the micro-blogging service was about to buy SoundCloud. But that deal ultimately fell thru. Now the two companies have come back together. But this time, Twitter isn’t going for the full buyout.

Since its launch in 2007, SoundCloud has raised over $193million in funding thru a total of five investment rounds. The money has come from nine different investors, including Twitter. Historically, it’s been difficult for audio-streaming services to reach profitability. The biggest hurdle these kinds of companies must overcome is dealing with the licensing and legal issues that arise around streaming music. SoundCloud has even had to consider giving equity to the major record labels in order to keep them happy.

While it does provide services for podcasters, SoundCloud has always been a music-first platform. It’s hard to say what SoundCloud’s financial standing could mean for podcasters who rely on the service. But if the company doesn’t at least break even soon, SoundCloud’s future doesn’t look very bright.

Two New Documentaries Tell the Story of Podcasting

~ Shawn Thorpe

Messengers logoSince the relaunch of Podcaster News in 2014, we’ve noted again and again how large media outlets misunderstand the nature and history of podcasting. No, the medium didn’t start with Serial. No, iTunes didn’t invent podcasting. Yes, there is actually a lot of important podcasting happening outside of the New York media bubblesphere. Now, more than ever, it’s extremely important to get the whole story about what podcasting is, in front of as many people as possible. And that’s what two new podcasting documentaries are hoping to do.

The first documentary is called The Messengers. Here’s the trailer:

The Messengers features interviews with a wide range of podcasters. The documentary is currently in production and will be narrated by Dave Jackson of School of Podcasting (Dave is also a past contributor to Podcaster News).

The other documentary about podcasting is called Ear Buds. Here’s the trailer:

The producers of Ear Buds have traveled all over the world to document not just podcasters, but also the fans who love listening to the shows produced by those podcasters. The documentary will be screened on Thursday, July 7th during the Podcast Movement conference in Chicago.

PodcastOne Hires Jim Berk as New CEO

~ Shawn Thorpe

PodcastOne LogoPodcastOne, the podcast production company started by Westwood One founder Norm Pattiz, has picked up a new CEO named Jim Berk. Pattiz will remain in his role of Executive Chairman at PodcastOne. Jim Berk will also join PodcastOne’s Board of Directors.

Berk may seem like an outsider when it comes to podcasting. But he has many years of experience in the media business. He was previously the CEO of Participant Media, where he oversaw the release of over 60 major films like The Help and The Kite Runner.

PodcastOne, launched earlier this decade, has made a name for itself by distributing some of podcasting’s most popular shows. Adam Carolla, Dan Patrick, and Shaquille O’Neal are just a few of the big names on PodcastOne’s roster. The company bills itself as an all-in-one platform that connects potential podcast advertisers with shows that can deliver results.

Last month, PodcastOne launched a premium subscription service that offers on-demand access to PodcastOne’s full archive of shows, as well as exclusive content from many of the network’s star producers. As CEO, Berk will undoubtedly work to bolster not only ad revenue, but also premium subscription sales.

:30cast Will Provide Music Licensing To Podcasters

~ Shawn Thorpe

30cast logoInclude music in a podcast or don’t include music in a podcast? It’s an area of constant curiosity and debate among podcasters. Some podcasters work diligently to include music in their podcasts that they know is “podsafe,” often sourced directly from the artists that created it. And there are also many podcasters who feel they can play anything they want, based on a loose interpretation of Fair Use law. Adding to the confusion, the major arms of the recording industry have yet to release a comprehensive license for podcasters. Amid all of this hyperbole and chaos, a new platform is launching to make the process of finding truly podcast-safe music easier.

:30cast is a new service that provides a go-between for podcasters who need music and the musicians who can provide it. The :30 part of :30cast’s name comes from the fact that the service is focused on providing 30-second pieces of music. Overall, the idea is pretty simple. Composers upload their musical creations to the :30Cast website. Podcasters can then browse :30cast’s online store to find songs they’d like to license.

No pricing information has been made public (pricing is available here) as :30cast isn’t officially launching until July. Podcasters who are interested in using the service can apply for a free membership. :30cast staff is reviewing membership applications and inviting approved shows into the platform.

podToPod Creator Joins Interview Valet as Director of Podcast Relations

~ Shawn Thorpe

Interview Valet logoHere at Podcaster News, we follow a lot of different channels in our efforts to bring you newsworthy items about the podcasting space. One such resource is the podToPod newsletter, published by Joe Berman. podToPod has been consistently rounding up items of interest to podcasters and releasing them via e-mail since June of 2014.

Joe reached out to me this week to let me know that he has accepted a position as Director of Podcast Relations at Interview Valet, a new service that helps podcasters book guests for their shows:

Interview Valet (IV) is the concierge-level podcast guest booking service providing the fastest way for executives, businesses, & thought leaders to maximize the benefits of podcasting.

Our premium ‘hands free’ solution takes care of everything but the speaking to reach your ideal audience with the least amount of snags or hassle.

IV’s all-inclusive system empowers clients with interview preparation, Certified Guest™ training, and personalized attention that ensures you, the podcast guest or host, the best experience in the podcast industry.

In his message to me, Joe elaborated on this, stating that Interview Valet is working to build relationships with podcasters in order to find guests that are matched to the types of shows they produce. This approach should help to ensure that podcasters who use Interview Valet will book the right guests for their show’s niche.

Check out the Interview Valet website for pricing and other information on the service. And congratulations to Joe Berman on his new position as their Director of Podcast Relations!

Auphonic Edit Is a Non-Destructive Audio Editor For Android Devices

~ Shawn Thorpe

Auphonic logoCompared to other platforms, Google’s Android operating system has been somewhat lacking in good podcast-production apps. Audio software developer Auphonic is working to change that with the release of Auphonic Edit 1.0 for Android.

Auphonic Edit is a non-destructive audio editor and recorder with a focus on ease of use and high-quality audio. Combined with Auphonic’s integrated web service, users can access all of the post-processing and publishing tools Auphonic is known for.

Here are some features offered in Auphonic Edit 1.0:

  • Render audio sessions into uncompressed WAV or compressed AAC files and share with any other Android app on the device.
  • Upload audio files, including metadata and chapter marks, in the background directly from the application to Auphonic’s web service.
  • Encode audio files in MP3, Opus, AAC/MP4, Ogg Vorbis, ALAC, FLAC, WAV, and more.
  • Loudness normalization to new broadcast standards: EBU R128, ATSC A/85, mobile audio, and more.
  • Intelligent leveler: Balances levels between speakers, music, and speech – no compressor knowledge required.
  • Automatic noise and hum reduction.
  • Publish your finished files automatically via YouTube, SoundCloud, Podlove Publisher, Spreaker, Libsyn, Blubrry, Archive.org, Dropbox, (S)FTP, HTTP, Google Drive, WebDAV, Amazon S3, and more.

Auphonic Edit 1.0 is available as a free download from the Google Play Store.

Peoples Choice, Academy of Podcasters Awards Nominees Announced

~ Shawn Thorpe

Podcast Awards logoSummer is fast approaching and it’s apparently become the season of podcast awards. Two different podcast awards competitions, the Peoples Choice Podcast Awards and the Academy of Podcasters Awards, both recently announced the nominees for their respective award categories. While there may be some minor overlap between the two awards systems, they both work differently and completely independent of each other.

The Peoples Choice Podcast Awards is now in its 11th round. Commonly referred to as just “the Podcast Awards,” nominees for this awards system are determined by online voting, followed by a vetting and qualification period. Then, podcasts are chosen to compete in the following categories:

  • Peoples Choice
  • Arts
  • Business
  • Comedy
  • Education
  • Entertainment
  • Games & Hobbies GLBT
  • Government & Organizations
  • Health
  • Kids & Family
  • Mature
  • Music
  • News & Politics
  • Religion & Spirituality
  • Science & Medicine
  • Society – Culture
  • Sports & Recreation
  • Technology
  • TV & Film

Just like the nomination process, the Peoples Choice Podcast Awards winners are determined via online voting, which officially open Sunday, May 29th.

Academy of Podcasters Awards and HOF 2016The Academy of Podcasters Awards operate in a closed-ballot system. Finalists are chosen by the Academy, and only members of the Academy are allowed to vote for shows in these categories:

  • Arts
  • Business
  • Comedy
  • Education
  • Fiction
  • Food & Drink
  • Games & Hobbies
  • Health & Fitness
  • History
  • Kids & Family
  • Music & Commentary
  • News & Politics
  • Religion & Spirituality
  • Science & Medicine
  • Society & Culture
  • Sports & Recreation
  • Technology
  • TV & Film

Academy of Podcasters Awards winners will be announced during a ceremony on Wednesday, July 6th in conjunction with the Podcast Movement conference.

Podcasting Lands on Jeopardy! TV Show

~ Shawn Thorpe

Jeopardy logoIt’s the latest indication that podcasting is moving closer to the mainstream. On the Friday, May 27th broadcast of long-running TV gameshow Jeopardy!, “Podcasts” was a featured category of questions.

For those who haven’t checked into Jeopardy! in awhile, the show pits super-smart people against each other in a match of whits that covers literature, history, pop culture, science… pretty much everything. Players select an item from a list of featured categories. Each item carries a dollar value. The higher the value, the more challenging the question. And actually, Jeopardy! questions aren’t really questions at all. They’re technically answers to questions, and players are prompted to respond in the form of a question.

Here’s the list of items in the “Podcasts” category:

  • $200 item: One “Grammar Girl” podcast podcast dealt with homophones, homographs & this other similar-starting word. Correct response: What is homonym.
  • $400 item: This network has a music podcast that’s called “All Songs Considered”. Correct response: What is NPR.
  • $600 item: Karina Longworth talks old Hollywood on “You Must Remember This”, a line from this classic movie song. Correct response: What is “As Time Goes By”.
  • $800 item: Elvis Costello & President Obama have been guests on “WTF”, this comedian’s podcast. Correct response: Who is Marc Maron?
  • $1000 item: On this comedian’s “Experience” podcast, he interviews comics & does recaps of ultimate fighting events. Correct response: Who is Joe Rogan.

A video uploaded to Twitter by the official Jeopardy! account (tho strangely, the original tweet that contains the video has been deleted) shows four out of the five questions. Another tweet (which is still available) provides the last of the five questions.

Hat tip to Mignon Fogarty for providing Twitter links to the questions. And congratulations to Grammar Girl for being included on the show!

Ummo App Is Your Personalized Speech Coach

~ Shawn Thorpe

Ummo logoPeople don’t usually grow up with the notion that one day, they may spend countless hours talking into a microphone and thus, they should be constantly honing the craft of speaking. That’s why many podcasters, veterans and newbies alike, struggle with overused “vocal connectors” like umms, ahhs, and you-knows. Hang out on any podcasting-related message board for a day or two and a topic with the headline of “How do I stop saying ‘umm’ all the time?” is sure to pop up. Of course, some of these problematic vocal tics can be removed thru audio editing. But a better approach would be to avoid speaking them in the first place. That’s where the Ummo app comes in.

The first step in using Ummo involves creating a customized list of “filler words and phrases.” Next, press Ummo’s record button and begin speaking. The app will analyze your voice and provide a report based on customized metrics you’ve created. Ummo can also give you feedback on things like the loudness of your voice and your pace when speaking, as well as how clearly you’ve pronounced certain words.

Ummo offers these features to help you improve your speech:

  • Annotated speech transcript that helps you review your speech
  • Word frequencies and locations for your most-used words and your FillersPace and volume over time, at the word level
  • Length of pauses and where they occurred
  • See how close your pronounciations were to the average American accent

The Ummo app is available from the iOS App Store for $1.99.