Spotify is killing the open podcast ecosystem (2020) • Hacker News Board

Re: Spotify is killing the open podcast ecosystem (2020)

#81

Post by johannes1234321 » Tue, Apr 20, 2021, 4:54 PM UTC

mrweasel wrote: post #35

Do Spotify actually manage to sell any significant number of subscriptions due to podcasts? Personally when ever I hear about an interesting podcast, and it's followed by "available on Spotify/Podimo, whatever", my reaction is always: Okay, never mind then. There are so many great podcasts on the open web. Those available on platforms like Spotify always seems to be people with existing celebrity status trying to "ca…

It probably depends on the market. In Germany a very famous podcast by TV host Jan Böhmermann https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_B%C3%B6hmermann is only available via spotify. That certainly impacts people. Maybe not for being the sole reason for being Spotify users, but relevant attention.

Other communities certainly have their relevant content.

Re: Spotify is killing the open podcast ecosystem (2020)

#82

Post by ahelwer » Tue, Apr 20, 2021, 4:54 PM UTC

tmh88j wrote: post #48

StavrosK wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I use Pocket Casts. I just like it a lot, and I don't want to switch because it does everything I need. Spotify seems like it wouldn't be as configurable, but I haven't even felt the need to check. Plus, I don't like a monoculture.

>I just like it a lot, and I don't want to switch because it does everything I need. Spotify seems like it wouldn't be as configurable Maybe I'm missing out on part of the experience. What else is there to do with a podcast other than download/stream and listen? - Thanks for all the tips. I don't listen to a ton of podcasts but I'll give it a shot.

You're not missing out on anything. The Pocket Casts UI is impenetrable and I can never remember how to tell which podcasts are downloaded, which I've listened to, etc. There's some overlap with the "archive" feature that is unintuitive.

Re: Spotify is killing the open podcast ecosystem (2020)

#83

Post by tootie » Tue, Apr 20, 2021, 4:55 PM UTC

klelatti wrote: post #33

Joe who? Seriously, I think that there are a number of reasons why this won't pan out as predicted: - There aren't really any tent-pole, must listen podcasts. They thought Joe Rogan was one but I'm hearing a lot of people have stopped listening to him on Spotify (I have). - Spotify (and others) don't have the money to buy out the whole podcast ecosystem and many podcast makers I think would resist going Spotify exclu…

I don't follow Joe Rogan or really very many podcasts, and the ones I do are fairly topical. I'm not going to go relisten to old episodes the same way I would rewatch The Office. It really shifts the focus to creators and away from the IP. I don't think that's really a set in stone thing though, it's just the nature of the type of audio content that's popular right now.

Re: Spotify is killing the open podcast ecosystem (2020)

#84

Post by romanhn » Tue, Apr 20, 2021, 4:55 PM UTC

dna_polymerase wrote: post #52

romanhn wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not sure what you mean by "cluttered with podcast stuff". I'm a happy Spotify user and I'm barely aware that the podcast stuff exists.

Maybe we are in different A/B groups but for me the podcasts are now in row 3 minimum, sometimes in the second row on home screen. So at times I see them.

Fair enough. I never linger on the home screen and head straight to playlist/liked music, so I suppose it's not something that's ever jumped out at me.

Re: Spotify is killing the open podcast ecosystem (2020)

#85

Post by jrochkind1 » Tue, Apr 20, 2021, 4:55 PM UTC

Podcasts may literally be the last major content category on the internet that is still open/inter-operable/syndicated. (remember when we thought RSS and Atom were really going to go far?).

Maybe not for long.

Re: Spotify is killing the open podcast ecosystem (2020)

#86

Post by input_sh » Tue, Apr 20, 2021, 4:56 PM UTC

m000 wrote: post #47

prepend wrote: post #21

I don’t like Spotify’s player or their process for restricted access podcasts. “Free” isn’t free when it requires a special app. Podcasts using RSS was genius and a great “protocol” for distributing content that fit into the original web idea of information available anywhere. I hope Spotify loses and regular podcasts stick and thrive. I’m more worried about people like NPR requiring their own app x 1000.

I'm pretty sure that Spotify's API allows access to podcasts outside the official app. I'm already using software that can stream Spotify content to local devices that don't support Spotify. Creating an RSS feed is only an implementation detail. And I wouldn't discount the publishing and distribution part of making a podcast content available. Without Spotify or a similar platform, the burden of putting content onlin…

> I'm pretty sure that Spotify's API allows access to podcasts outside the official app.

I wouldn't be too sure about this. I know its API (or at least some parts of it) are only available to premium users, because they can't serve ads via third-party integrations.

I don't know if there's an exception for podcasts, but I wouldn't be surprised if your option is either the app or paying to not use the official app.

Re: Spotify is killing the open podcast ecosystem (2020)

#87

Post by jonnycomputer » Tue, Apr 20, 2021, 4:57 PM UTC

Lendal wrote: post #76

mrweasel wrote: post #35

Do Spotify actually manage to sell any significant number of subscriptions due to podcasts? Personally when ever I hear about an interesting podcast, and it's followed by "available on Spotify/Podimo, whatever", my reaction is always: Okay, never mind then. There are so many great podcasts on the open web. Those available on platforms like Spotify always seems to be people with existing celebrity status trying to "ca…

No, but they could lose subscribers due to Podcasts. See, I pay for Spotify because of their playlists. Playlists have nothing to do with podcasts. I listen to my podcasts using a different app. Yet Spotify keeps throwing its podcasts in my face. Spotify is not good at podcasts. That's why I use a different app for that. I'm getting tired of scrolling past all the podcast spam in my Spotify UI, and yet Spotify provid…

I feel same way! Also paying, also using other app, because spotify podcasting misses the features I want.

Re: Spotify is killing the open podcast ecosystem (2020)

#88

Post by redisman » Tue, Apr 20, 2021, 4:57 PM UTC

klelatti wrote: post #33

Joe who? Seriously, I think that there are a number of reasons why this won't pan out as predicted: - There aren't really any tent-pole, must listen podcasts. They thought Joe Rogan was one but I'm hearing a lot of people have stopped listening to him on Spotify (I have). - Spotify (and others) don't have the money to buy out the whole podcast ecosystem and many podcast makers I think would resist going Spotify exclu…

Rogan is fine (if dumb) light entertainment to have in the background. I haven’t listened to a single episode since the move now that it’s not on YouTube anymore. Spotify is also totally awful for podcasts as the UX is for a music player. Besides Lex now fills that hole with a lot more intelligence

Re: Spotify is killing the open podcast ecosystem (2020)

#89

Post by klelatti » Tue, Apr 20, 2021, 4:58 PM UTC

mrweasel wrote: post #35

Do Spotify actually manage to sell any significant number of subscriptions due to podcasts? Personally when ever I hear about an interesting podcast, and it's followed by "available on Spotify/Podimo, whatever", my reaction is always: Okay, never mind then. There are so many great podcasts on the open web. Those available on platforms like Spotify always seems to be people with existing celebrity status trying to "ca…

Happy to be corrected on this but does a minute spent on Spotify listening to a podcast (that they haven't paid for) vs listening to music reduce their costs?

If so then it would make sense to establish themselves as a podcast player - with their users listening to podcasts through their app - even if they don't sell any extra subs and that alone might justify the up-front investment.

Re: Spotify is killing the open podcast ecosystem (2020)

#90

Post by rchaud » Tue, Apr 20, 2021, 4:58 PM UTC

klelatti wrote: post #33

Joe who? Seriously, I think that there are a number of reasons why this won't pan out as predicted: - There aren't really any tent-pole, must listen podcasts. They thought Joe Rogan was one but I'm hearing a lot of people have stopped listening to him on Spotify (I have). - Spotify (and others) don't have the money to buy out the whole podcast ecosystem and many podcast makers I think would resist going Spotify exclu…

Joe Rogan will occasionally have guests that attract people who wouldn't otherwise be interested in common JRE topics. In my case, it was podcasts with Billy Corgan and Shirley Manson (of Smashing Pumpkins and Garbage, respectively).

I enjoyed those episodes a lot, plus a few he has with comedians I find funny. But it wasn't enough to make me subscribe. I doubt there is any podcast that I consider indispensable enough to subscribe.