I started a podcast recently and learned a lot about the industry in the process and thought I’d share.

  1. The term “podcast” has been bastardized to the point that it is a completely meaningless word. It’s no longer audio-only and no longer requires syndication of any kind. At best, it could probably be loosely-defined as long-form interview/conversational media.

  2. Video is a big component of podcasting now. YouTube has become the most popular “podcasting” platform, even though they don’t even actually support “podcasts” at all (more below). Video podcasts can actually be distributed properly via RSS. This has the potential to muddy what a “podcast” actually is even further. I’ve already noticed several straight up TV shows being syndicated as “podcasts”. This is problematic because a user is typically looking for a “podcast” that they can count on consuming without any visual elements. I suppose it’s possible for any particular client to filter out video podcasts, but I don’t see that option in any of the apps I’ve tested.

  3. Spotify is trying to kill podcasts as an open platform

  • they do not allow you to add podcasts by URL/RSS in the app. So if a publisher you want to listen do does not have a Spotify account, you cannot listen to them.
  • You can syndicate your podcast into Spotify, but it will not support video. It also does not support video syndication out of Spotify. So if you want a video on Spotify, you’d better upload it directly.
  • they pay popular podcasters hundreds of millions of dollars to not make their content available elsewhere. This makes things worse for everyone in a blatant attempt at dominating the podcast industry the same way they have the music industry. Fortunately it does seem like it was unsuccessful at this point but I’ve canceled and deleted my account/app regardless.
  • Even if you have a paid premium Spotify account, you’re still served ads from Spotify if the creator chooses to add them. They do not offer any option to pay extra and opt out of these ads.
  • I’m afraid, given enough market share, that they will start adding ads to all podcasts, regardless of if the uploader wants them or not.
  • Im also afraid with sufficient market share, they will stop supporting syndication altogether for shows hosted on their platform. I can’t imagine any other reason they still allow you to host your podcasts on their platform for free.
  • Despite all of this, they have been successful at becoming the second most popular platform for podcasts.
  • Spotify does not allow you to update the RSS link (anymore?). The only way to update it is to delete your account, which deletes the podcast, then make a new account.
  1. YouTube is not great either
  • A “podcast” on YouTube is, technically-speaking, nothing more than a video playlist that receives a special tag so it can be categorized in the YT “music” app (because apparently you can’t have a music app without podcasts now).
  • They killed their podcast app to fold the functionality into YT music, which is, just dumb, and really awful to use. Podcast-exclusive apps are typically already difficult enough to use.
  • You can import a podcast via RSS, but you cannot syndicate via rss.

  1. Because of these syndication failures, I find myself laboriously uploading the same content to several different platforms (self hosted, Spotify and YouTube), which kinda defeats the purpose of podcasts, not to mention being unnecessarily wasteful of resources.

  2. Apple is, shockingly, the most open popular podcasting client, and yet a distant third in popularity. Probably because you can’t even get the app outside of Apple devices (which is fair, considering I don’t expect them to create apps for competing devices that don’t benefit them in any way).

  • They don’t even support hosting
  • They seem to be the only popular platform that supports syndication of video podcasts.

  1. Peertube would be an excellent hosting platform, except that they don’t support RSS standards properly. If your client supports it, you can import them in the app and they will work great but if you want to add them directly to popular platforms like Spotify, or especially Apple podcasts (which, as mentioned above, supports video syndication) they will be rejected due to this missing information.

  2. Castopod is a pretty great platform, supports ActivityPub federation, is fully-featured, easy to use, and can be self-hosted (and I do). Unfortunately it does not support video.

Please correct me if I’m wrong about any of the above.

  • DJDarren@thelemmy.clubEnglish
    2·
    1 hour ago

    As someone who’s made a number of podcasts on and off over the years since 2007, much of this post resonates.

    However, I take solace in thinking that a podcast is just an extension of a broadcast; where a broadcast is, well, broad, a podcast is a self contained…cast. In a pod. Broadcasting covers audio and video, so it figures that podcasting would as well.

    With that in mind, my own style of podcasting, and my preferred format is personal stories. I love podcasts that are by people in their bedrooms talking about their lives, or by journalists who talk to regular folk. Regardless of what Spotify do, that style will always be out there, available on an RSS feed.

    I don’t use Spotify, I don’t use YouTube. If I can’t get it in my app then I don’t listen to it. And that’s OK.

    I really need to get back into it though. I used to love making them.

    • Ulrich@feddit.orgOPEnglish
      11·
      1 hour ago

      Regardless of what Spotify do, that style will always be out there, available on an RSS feed.

      Will it though? What if your favorite creator decides they want to use Spotify to host because of their popularity and free hosting, but then they decide they don’t want to support RSS anymore?

      • DJDarren@thelemmy.clubEnglish
        1·
        55 minutes ago

        I’ve lost a couple of podcasts to Spotify. Life goes on. I don’t begrudge anyone wanting to earn money, but I won’t support Spotify’s practices.

        There’s such a wonderfully low barrier to entry these days that there’ll soon be something else coming down the pipe.

        • Ulrich@feddit.orgOPEnglish
          1·
          5 minutes ago

          Sure but the more market share they gain, the more podcasts you’ll lose. We’re only lucky that YouTube and Apple still give them a run for their money.

      • sem@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
        1·
        1 hour ago

        They would lose a lot of listeners doing that. I’ve stopped listening to plenty of podcasts that moved to Spotify – and I already subscribe to Spotify. Just out of principle. I will never listen to a podcast on Spotify.

        • Ulrich@feddit.orgOPEnglish
          1·
          8 minutes ago

          They would lose a lot of listeners doing that.

          They would lose some and gain many others. They wouldn’t be the first platform to gain from exclusivity.

  • plsAEnglish
    2·
    7 hours ago

    Really love podcasting. Last one I created was a decade ago, give or take, gotta do another soon. :-)

    But I think you pretty much nailed the current state of affairs.

    • Ulrich@feddit.orgOPEnglish
      8·
      1 day ago

      I’ve tried to make this point several times but every time I’m met with “who cares?” and “language evolution”. Personally I see podcasts as a sort of last bastion of popular internet freedom, but I also see several corporations trying to exploit that popularity to end the freedom. EEE in it’s purest form.

  • 👍Maximum Derek👍@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
    10·
    1 day ago

    Podcasts being audio only was pretty brief. The first video podcasts were released months in advance of the iPod video. That’s how I learned everything I needed to know from Ask a Ninja ca. 2005.