A new award for podcasters has come on the scene. Its called the Academy of Podcasters. As it is presented by Stitcher, one might speculate that this is the new face of the Stitcher awards (?). According to their website: “The Academy of Podcasters Awards will be a set of honors awarded every year to the best of the best in podcasting.  Through a unique take on the voting process that does not reward popularity as much as it does quality content, we believe this ceremony will soon become the most prestigious in the industry.”

It is held in Fort Worth Texas on July 31st during the Podcast Movement Conference. It is free to attend.

The Categories include:

Business and Industry
Comedy
Education
Entertainment
Games & Hobbies
Lifestyle and Health
Music and Music Commentary
News & Politics
Parenting, Family, and Kids
Science and Medicine
Society and Culture
Spirituality and Religion
Sports
Technology
World and International

Best New Podcast of the Year

 How are the Awards winners chosen?

Winners of the Awards will be chosen as a part of a unique two step process:

1. NOMINEES

   10 Podcasts will be nominated as finalists in every category.  Those 10 are selected as follows:

   – 5 podcasts will automatically qualify by being the top 5 eligible podcasts (see eligibility & criteria) in their respective category inside Stitcher for the voting year.

   – 5 podcasts will be nominated by a combination of input from the Academy, the board,  and from other podcast rating services.  This will specifically be to not leave out “under the radar” podcasts, or those that for whatever reason are not on Stitcher.

2. WINNERS

   1 winner will be chosen from the 10 finalists, through a multi-judge voting process:

   – Each category will be assigned 5 unique judges, who are members of the Academy.  These judges will not have any affiliation with the podcasts in their category, nor will they have a podcast of their own in that category.  While the voting members of the Academy will be made public, the judges assigned to each category will not be.

   – The judges will listen to a sample episode from each of the ten podcasts.  The sample episodes will be submitted by the nominated show themselves, or chosen at random if they choose not to submit a specific episode.

   – The judges will then score each podcast from 1-10 in each of a number of different criteria categories (see eligibility & criteria), and determine their total score for each podcast.  All five judges’ scores are tallied for all ten podcasts, and the top scoring podcast will be declared the winner.  The Board will be the only ones who know the winners until they are announced.

   – The winners will be announced at the Awards Show.

Timeline:

• Qualified shows released: May 1, 2014 through April 30, 2015
• Nominations period: May 1, 2015 – May 31, 2015
• Final 10 in each category announced: June 1, 2015
• Sample submission period from finalists: June 1, 2015 – June 15, 2015
• Judges evaluate finalists and submit their scores: June 15, 2015 – June 30, 2015
• Winners announced: July 31, 2015 in Ft. Worth, TX the night prior to Podcast Movement.

Here is the eligibility

• Qualifying podcasts must have not released their first episode after the start of the eligibility period (May 1, 2014)
• Qualifying podcasts must not have released their most recent episode greater than one month prior to to the end of the eligibility period (April 30, 2015)
• Qualifying podcasts must be available free of charge via subscription or download.
• Qualifying podcasts are eligible to be nominated as a finalist in a maximum of one category, plus the Best Overall Podcast of the Year.
• Qualifying podcasts must be originally distributed via podcast, and not re-purposed content from a television show, terrestrial radio show, a live event, etc.
• Any interpretations of this eligibility and final say will default to the Board.

Here is how the voting is handled:

• Five independent judges who are members of the Academy will be assigned a category containing ten finalists.
• Each judge will score each podcast on a scale of 1 to 10 in the following categories, for a maximum score of 50
  • Quality of audio
  • Quality of content delivered
  • Quality of show production
  • Additional Criteria
  • Additional Criteria
• The Board will then compile all votes from all judges, and the highest scored podcast from each category will be declared the winner.

If you are a person who is looking to boost your business through podcasting a new online event is taking place in January 2015. The Business Podcaster Summit is an online event (not a physical event). This is being produced by Jared Easley and Dan Franks (who helped put on the Podcast Movement event in Dallas). According to their website there will be presentations by some of the top podcasters in the business genre including:

John Lee Dumas
Christian Psencik
Chris Ducker
Kate Erickson
Tim Page
Leslie Samuel
Lou Mongello
Natalie Sisson
Rob Cesternino
Stephanie Sammons
Cole Palmer
Christina Canters

The event will be three days a week for two weeks. There will be two sessions a day. When you add it all up, you are  looking at 10+ hours of live training (and yes it will be recorded if you can’t attend live). The sessions will be 40 minutes with an additional 10 minutes for question and answers.  There will even be “virtual hallways” to network with other podcasters. For more information go to podcastersummit.com the tickets are being handled through eventbrite.com

Pricing

The Standard ticket is $197. If you order before October 31 you can get the early bird ticket for $97.

Dave Jackson is the founder of the School of Podcasting and produces The School of Podcasting’s Morning Announcements podcast and is the author of the Book More Podcast Money.

If you look on any sites like  Reddit or certain Facebook groups, or private forums there is a practice that is happening. Groups are agreeing to trade podcast reviews in iTunes (in many cases without listening to the show). Most feel because “everyone” is doing it, it must be ok. They are motivated by the ends (their podcast being in the new and noteworthy section of iTunes) justifying the means. Everyone wants to get pushed to the front of the line. Don’t get me wrong, who doesn’t? I just feel people may be missing the bigger picture.

In the long run, this is a bad idea. Please bare with me and let me share some history with you.

A Bit of History

I’m going to relate this to my musical background. There was a club in Cleveland, Ohio called Fat Fish Blue. When I formed a band, that was my target. That was my dream to some day be at THE Fat Fish Blue. We could’ve started knocking on the door the minute we had enough songs to play a full night, but we chose to wait. Much like your podcasting audience, you had one shot to impress Fat Fish Blue (and we didn’t want to waste it). Instead of sending in our demo we played small clubs, free fundraisers, and dives. We practiced a lot. On break we met with the audience and developed STRONG relationships so they would follow us to the next gig. Three years into the life of the band, we were like a well oiled machine. We made the cover of the entertainment section of the local newspaper (pretty cool). We opened for national touring bands. We submitted our demo to Fat Fish Blue, and they booked us – because we were good. I am SO GLAD that we didn’t submit the demo we made when we first started. We weren’t very good.

Do you know what? When you first start your podcast, it may have a lot of room for improvement. You may not have found your voice. You’re missing some polish. You are missing the icing. A cup cake without icing is a really bland muffin.

Think of all the American Idol winners. There may be three winners who have had extended careers. Why such a small number? Because they were pushed to the front of the line without the development that comes through time. They haven’t established that fan base through gig after gig. I haven’t heard much from the David Cook camp these days have you? When you artificially inflate your iTunes rankings you are doing the same thing. Your podcasting fame will be over before you can say “Taylor Hicks.”

Good marketing only allows people to find out you have a poor product faster.

There is a saying: Good marketing only allows people to find out you have a poor product faster. Getting into iTunes “New and Noteworthy” prematurely may be the worst thing that happens to you. People find you, they hear your inexperience. They hear the lack of confidence and organization. They hear the poor microphone choice. They hear the utter lack of originality and they tune out. Later when someone asks if they’ve ever heard your show they answer, “Yeah, it sucked.” Thanks to your “hustle” you’ve let more and more people know your show is not ready for prime time.

Remember word of mouth works both ways.

To this you say, “That’s OK Dave I’ll just change my shows name and resubmit again. I’ll buy enough reviews to push me back to the front of the line. Really? How about taking that effort and putting it into content that will IMPACT your audience? Create content that MOVES them to WANT to review you. Remember the old Smith Barney commercials (OK, of course you don’t) there was a phrase, “At Smith Barney we make money the old fashion way we earn it.” The best practice in the long run is to earn your podcast reviews.

http://youtu.be/yAMRXqQXemU (commercial on YouTube)

How Radio Lost It’s Influence

Let’s look at Radio. I wasn’t around for the 50’s, but books and movies make it sound like the listeners were drawn to the personalities. Fast forward 65 years and you have no personality and for the most part less and less listeners (once you start listening to podcasts – you don’t go back). People would gather in their living rooms to listen. They had everyone’s attention. The Radio industry was mesmerized  by the connection that the DJ had with the audience. They were amazed at the emotions that musicians evoked in their fans (causing them to faint). They pushed more and more advertising into the airwaves watering down the product. What was wrong with a little more more advertising? “Everybody was doing it.” They focused on profit. It became less about the music, and much, much more about the business. Creativity was squelched, and musicians who don’t fit a certain mold never stood a chance of being heard. All in the name of money, Radio was put on life support with no doctors and no cures in site. As someone who lives in the home of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame I can personally say the music stations are unlistenable.  If I have to hear “Two Tickets to Paradise” one more time I will seriously consider ending my own life. The platform has lost a large chunk of its power.

Review Swapping Hurts iTunes

What does this have to do with New and Noteworthy? Because when you join a forum and everyone agrees to write glowing reviews of each others podcasts it is false advertising. The people who use New and Noteworthy to find good shows, will find it less useful. Instead of finding engaging content they find (as Steve Jobs put it) “Amateur Hour.” New and Noteworthy will lose it’s integrity (and as podcasters we all know – all we have is our integrity).

On and Off the Chart in the Blink of an Eye – More History

Back around 2007 when PodcastAlley.com was THE place to get ranked. A very high profile Internet marketer used his giant email list to send him from zero to the #1 spot overnight. The podcast community thought, “Who is THIS guy?” We had never heard of him. I tuned in. The podcast was horrible. It was all about HIM and how awesome he was. There was zero value. It was awful. It was so obvious this person was clueless about his audience. The next week he fell completely off the chart – never to be seen again. Just to be clear he went from the number one position to completely off the charts. If  he had waited and figured out what his audience needed, and made a good show, he may have been the talk of the town. Instead he fell off the podcasting planet. When you spend money, promise reciprocal reviews, or whatever you’re using for compensation for reviews in iTunes you are doing yourself, and podcasting a disservice. Just because “everybody’s doing it,” does not make it OK.

One Important Question

So you bribe your way on to new and noteworthy. That exposure lasts for two months. Now what? In the end it’s your content that keeps people coming back. Yes podcast promotion gets people to your website, but its your engaging, impacting, entertaining, and valuable content that keeps them coming back. Is your plan to work the kinks out in front of your now larger audience?

So I Should Never Ask For A Review in iTunes?

No, not at all (and if that’s what you’re thinking you need to go read this again). Let your audience review you because they are inspired (not some stranger who you are trading reviews with or paying a fee).  Earn your reviews.

Long Term Podcasting Growth

While you may think that what you’re doing is best for YOU (and in the SHORT term it is), in the long term you get more people finding that your podcast is half baked. Finding a good podcast becomes synonymous with “finding a needle in a haystack” and new and noteworthy becomes a joke (some might say it already is).

As podcasters we need to think outside of our shows, and make sure that podcasting as a whole provides value to the audience. Without our audience – we have nothing.

Leave your comments below.

Dave Jackson is the founder of the School of Podcasting and produces The School of Podcasting’s Morning Announcements podcast and is the author of the Book More Podcast Money.

Depending on how old you are ask yourself, “Who do I know more than 10 years?” How about 20 years? If you’re 50, do you still talk to people who you’ve known for 30 years? Good friends are hard to come by, and should be embraced.

Many times these good friends are the people we want to start a podcast with. You have built in chemistry that has been created over years. If you start a podcast with a friend, I would advise you to put in writing all expectations. You need to define the responsibilities of each person. Answer the question, “What happens if someone wants to quit?” After all, if it is the Ernie and Bert show and Bert quits, what happens?

The other thing you need to make sure of is if there is ANY money involved you write down how it will be divided. You may or may not need to get a lawyer involved, but you need to get everyone on the same piece of paper. Then have everyone sign off on it it (so you are all on the same page). You need to do this before money is involved.

Why?

Because money changes everything. 

According to an article by ABC channel 12, Donny Misraje is someone who has been a friend of Adam Carolla for 30 YEARS. This friendship is going up in flames. Why?

Misraje claims he pushed his friend into podcasting when CBS canceled Carolla’s morning radio show in February 2009. The podcast was an instant hit. Within a month, he says, Carolla agreed to make him a partner and promised him a 30% stake in his company, Ace Broadcasting Network. Misraje’s 30% payday never came. He contends Carolla cut him, his wife and cousin loose as soon as the cash started rolling in. He even changed the name of the company, Ace Broadcasting Network, to Carolla Digital. (full details)

In a recent interview Misraje stated, “We’re definitely not friends. It’s, it’s wrenching,” he said. “We were like brothers for 30 years. The relationship was extremely close and tight, and it came to an abrupt end.” This is not the first (or last) time people will argue over a podcast partnership. Cali Lewis once hosted geekbrief.tv with her now ex-husband (which is why her show is now geekbeat.tv). If we go back to the early days of podcasting, Rocketboom fired their original host as she found out she owned 49% of the podcast.

By putting together a document that states who is responsible for the name, the podcast, etc you can map out what happens under all the “Worst case scenarios.” By knowing what is expected moving forward, you can put all the uncomfortable discussions behind you and get back to creating great content that will impact your audience.

Dave Jackson is the founder of the School of Podcasting and produces The School of Podcasting’s Morning Announcements podcast and is the author of the Book More Podcast Money.

Rick Calvert has announced the new dates for the New Media Expo  will be co-located with the NAB Show. It will be at the Las Vegas Convention Center the same location as the very first BlogWorld & New Media Expo back in 2007. Only now alongside the NAB Show the exhibits will take up the entire convention center and the Westgate Resort across the street.

NAB stands for National Association of Broadcasters. This is the annual trade show and conference where TV and radio broadcasters, film makers and marketers who create audio and video come to every year. It is the place where the latest technologies, tools and strategies are shared. Last year 93,000 electronic media professionals came to the NAB Show.

According to Rick:

“I promise you if you join me at NMX and NAB Show next April 13 – 16 it will open your eyes to what the New Media Revolution can be. You will see what I have been dreaming about, some would say preaching about, and working tirelessly towards for the last eight years.

Podcasters want to see the latest microphones, recording equipment, editing software, sound proofing, and other studio gear when they come NMX.

Web TV creators want to see the latest cameras, mics, video editing software, CDN networks, lighting, booms, tri-pods, cables and every other imaginable tool you can think of to make their content better when they come to NMX.

Bloggers want to network with potential partners and sponsors from the biggest media companies and brands in the world when they come to NMX.

You will find all of that and so much more when you come to NMX April 2015.

We will revolutionize the NAB Show and take The Media Revolution to an entirely new level.

I am more excited than I can possibly explain.”

This will be an interesting experiment to see. One would think that the podcasting gear that was almost non-existent at the last Expo should now at least make an experience. From what I hear, most of the gear at the NAB show would typically be out of reach of the typical podcaster budget. The good news is we shouldn’t have to worry about people getting snowed in in April.

— Post by Dave Jackson from the School of Podcasting and More Podcast Money

Stitcher announced today that when Android Auto rolls out they will be one of the first Android Auto’s developer partners. This will mean Stitcher will be available  in an even greater number of vehicles including Acura, Audi, Fiat, Kia and many more. 

They are also built into the new Aether Cone (so apps are now coming built in to speakers).

Last week, Stitcher launched their Tweetcards integration to increase engagement with your audio on Twitter. Now, if you use a Stitcher share link in a Tweet, Twitter will automatically embed Stitcher’s player where anyone is able to listen to the episode you shared. Listening that happens on Twitter using the Tweetcard counts toward your Stitcher listening numbers and also includes great features like a “Share” button as well as the “Listen Later” function, allowing your audience to save the episode to their Listen Later playlist if they don’t have time to listen when they come across your episode

Dave Jackson operates the School of Podcasting and produces The School of Podcasting’s Morning Announcements podcast and is the author of the Book More Podcast Money.

According to an article on the Apple insider, the new beta version of iOS 8 shows the podcasts app being a  native app (meaning you no longer have to install it – it will be on every Mac/iPhone/iPad device).

While installing the app was never a huge burden, removing it makes it that much easier to get the “non-techie” person to click subscribe. A key point as it is now “built in”, it can’t be uninstalled.

Looking back  just 10 years thinking of iPods that needed to be synchronized via cables, I smile as I see yet another baby step of podcasting’s continued growth for years to come.

Dave Jackson

School of Podcasting

Daniel J, Lewis the brains behind the WordPress Plugin Social subscribe & follow, and the award winning “The Audacity to Podcast” has released a new product called “My podcast reviews.”  The new services allows you to:

• Receive the complete archive of your international reviews within a few minutes
• Automatic daily or weekly notifications of new reviews
• Receive reviews for up to 10 podcasts (a future plan will allow unlimited shows on a per-podcast cost)
• See your reviews on the website at any time
• Share your favorite reviews on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, and other social platforms

Saves You Time

You may know that you can see your iTunes  reviews from your native country, but were you aware that there are other iTunes store in different countries? This can take quite some time to check all of these stores, and what My Podcast Reviews does is gathers all of the data and emails it to you. See the video below.

Pricing

$5 for a single podcast – weekly emails

$15 for up to 5 podcasts – weekly emails

$25 up to 10 podcasts and you can receive daily emails.

For more information go to www.mypodcastreviews.com

Dave Jackson operates the School of Podcasting and produces The School of Podcasting’s Morning Announcements podcast and is the author of the Book More Podcast Money.

Podbean.com has rolled out an unlimited plan for podcasters. They offer unlimited band width and storage for $8 a month for audio and $18 a month for video.

This may be in response to Soundcloud ($15 a month for unlimited audio).  Companies like Libsyn.com and Blubrry.com have had unlimited storage and bandwidth from day one.

This does not mean all media hosting is created equal. There are things to consider like support, stats (accurate stats I might add) and up time. I’ve invited Podbean to come on my show (about podcasting) and I couldn’t get a response. After hounding them, I finally got them to fill me in that they are in Canada. Other than that, the podcast space has very little on this company. If you go to their about us page there is no phone, address, etc. The only way to contact them is through email.

You can read about my attempts here. 

The one thing I like about Libsyn.com and Blubrry.com is they have a very strong presence in the podcasting community.

This post by David Jackson