Show HN: I built a podcast app that skips over the ads • Hacker News Board

Re: Show HN: I built a podcast app that skips over the ads

#151

Post by shantly » Wed, Dec 04, 2019, 9:29 PM UTC

rahuldottech wrote: post #12

Cool idea? Yes. Good idea? No. If we do stuff like this, the podcast industry will switch to a closed system which would require you to install proprietary apps to listen to stuff. Likely several different apps for different shows and companies. As it exists today, it's a very open system, with publicly accessible feeds and the ability to use any app. Don't ruin it. It's not hard to press the "skip forward 30 seconds…

> Edit: also, it's super unethical to have a paid app that profits by taking away any scope for content creators to monetize. Leaves a very bad taste in my mouth.

Absurd. Software's whole deal is wrecking people's jobs to save someone else money or make their lives easier. This time it's ad-supported mp3 makers instead of any of the tons and tons of other people who've been tossed around by software. Often this does suck but to single out helping people avoid ads as the one thing you must not charge for is silly.

Re: Show HN: I built a podcast app that skips over the ads

#152

Post by izacus » Wed, Dec 04, 2019, 9:29 PM UTC

jaywalk wrote: post #110

avocado4 wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not different. Brave's business model of inserting themselves as a middleman and charging a ransom is awfully unethical.

You sound like you work for Google.

There's seriously no need for a personal attack.

Re: Show HN: I built a podcast app that skips over the ads

#153

Post by adskipprod » Wed, Dec 04, 2019, 9:29 PM UTC

kaffeemitsahne wrote: post #134

And now suddenly (looking at a lot of the comments here) ad-blocking is about privacy? I simply don't want to see/hear crap, period.

You are the perfect customer for this app. $1.99 :)

Re: Show HN: I built a podcast app that skips over the ads

#154

Post by PascLeRasc » Wed, Dec 04, 2019, 9:29 PM UTC

adskipprod wrote: post #101

sneak wrote: post #62

Ads are terrible regardless of whether they are “nice, inoffensive privacy protecting ads” or “unethical spyware web ad network ads”. This is a great tool and saves people their only truly nonrenewable resource: time. Thank you for making it; if I listened to any of these podcasts I would be using it. Always block everyone’s ads.

Thank you. Which podcasts do you listen to?

If you value your podcasters' livelihoods, don't tell him.

Re: Show HN: I built a podcast app that skips over the ads

#155

Post by lmartel » Wed, Dec 04, 2019, 9:30 PM UTC

endorphone wrote: post #127

zozbot234 wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree that this app is somewhat less than ethical and that folks should refrain from using or supporting it. It's one thing to block 3rd-party ads on the Web, which come with fairly severe privacy implications for the user and ruin their Web browsing experience - but none of this applies to ads which are simply part of an open audio podcast. If the industry shifts to proprietary players in order to enforce ads, thi…

Podcast ads have a much more insidious problem in that they perpetuate and encourage a disingenuous, lie-for-dollars[1] culture. Hearing podcasters gushing about products that just so happen to sponsor their podcast is exactly what advertisers are paying for -- that it's "genuine" and someone who you theoretically trust is pitching whatever they're selling -- and it's just incredibly greasy and distasteful. It is the…

I agree completely. My favorite podcasts are crowd-funded with no ads, but the least-bad approach to ad reads is when someone reads a script, verbatim, in a bored monotone. Especially when it's not one of the hosts reading, but a producer whose voice you don't recognize and implicitly trust. But this is really rare.

Re: Show HN: I built a podcast app that skips over the ads

#156

Post by criddell » Wed, Dec 04, 2019, 9:30 PM UTC

asymmetric wrote: post #113

roywiggins wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not actually against paid-for podcasts, but hiving it off into a separate app does not appeal.

How would you deliver paid-for podcasts otherwise? You could put them behind an RSS feed with a ?passcode maybe? Not sure.

That's basically how most Patreon supported podcasters do it - a private feed.

Re: Show HN: I built a podcast app that skips over the ads

#157

Post by mersenne » Wed, Dec 04, 2019, 9:30 PM UTC

Would you mind sharing what approach did you use to trim the ads? Did you manually detect the ads and then trimmed the file or are you using an automatic (perhaps ML-based) approach?

Re: Show HN: I built a podcast app that skips over the ads

#158

Post by mywittyname » Wed, Dec 04, 2019, 9:30 PM UTC

corodra wrote: post #42

DataGata wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Podcasts and podcast advertisers know we can skip them, they accept this. If they see a lot of users skip ALL of them, it isn't okay.

Exactly. Because the podcaster is saying the script (normally), we may actually listen (pay attention) to it. That's what they hope for. If there isn't even a chance in hell that we would even START to hear it, then there's no more ad spending. Which means there's less content because not everyone can do the stuff for free at high quality.

Even if you skips 90% of a 90 second ad, the advertiser still has 9 seconds to get a pitch in. Sometimes in advertising, just reminding the users you exist is enough. If you hear "Dave's Pizza" twelve times before going to the grocery store, then you're much more likely to subconsciously grab one if you see them one in the freezer.

Podcast advertisers often fall into a category of product where name recognition is important. They are okay knowing that most of us skip the ads because they know the audience will hear the name before they have a chance to skip the ad.

Re: Show HN: I built a podcast app that skips over the ads

#159

Post by robbrown451 » Wed, Dec 04, 2019, 9:31 PM UTC

naravara wrote: post #71

rahuldottech wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If no users are listening to ads, then no one will purchase ads on the podcasts and the revenue for the creators will dry up.

Or they find alternative revenue streams such as: a.) Patronage/donation model b.) Paywalls c.) Integrated the advertising into the program rather than making it a separate ad read

Not sure if you are suggesting that is good or bad. I see all those as bad. I don't like being guilted, paywalls just suck (also for the podcasters, they lose all their word of mouth), and blurring the lines between ads and content is awful

Re: Show HN: I built a podcast app that skips over the ads

#160

Post by b3lvedere » Wed, Dec 04, 2019, 9:31 PM UTC

rahuldottech wrote: post #12

Cool idea? Yes. Good idea? No. If we do stuff like this, the podcast industry will switch to a closed system which would require you to install proprietary apps to listen to stuff. Likely several different apps for different shows and companies. As it exists today, it's a very open system, with publicly accessible feeds and the ability to use any app. Don't ruin it. It's not hard to press the "skip forward 30 seconds…

I really hate ads. I skip or block all of them as much as possible. If i can automate that, i will. It is the main reason i do not use regular magazines, tv and radio.