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

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

#231

Post by wingworks » Tue, Apr 20, 2021, 10:31 PM UTC

tshaddox wrote: post #112

Lendal wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 recently gave Spotify a try for about 8 months but just switched back to Apple Music. My reason for switching back had nothing to do with podcasts, it was simply Spotify's terrible interface that makes it impossible to just browse all the music in your library . But I had also started to notice podcasts infiltrating UI that used to be only music playlists. A few times I even mistakenly clicked on a podcast thinking…

Yep I can't stand spotify's UI either, so cumbersome.

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

#232

Post by fargo » Tue, Apr 20, 2021, 10:34 PM UTC

kbenson wrote: post #205

rchaud wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 enoug…

I have a few I've considered indispensable that have shifted over time. Reply All is consistently good (but I'm a couple months behind at this point, less podcast time). Dan Carlin's Hardcore History is a treat when it comes out, but that's like every 4-6 months usually. This is only a test from tested.com is good, and even though it's weekly it's topical enough I can skip a week or two and not feel like I need to go…

spoiler alert: reply all is unfortunately dead

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

#233

Post by pnutjam » Tue, Apr 20, 2021, 10:57 PM UTC

Cd00d wrote: post #201

Lendal wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

Can you tell me how Spotify is with playlists of comedy albums? I started falling asleep to comedy a couple months ago to manage poor sleep based on a generally negative attitude. It was fine on YT Music for a while, but now a lot of the community playlists are garbage, or most of the clips have been pulled (I assume some copyright issues). I'd move to Spotify for that, and pay, if they had a catalog of decent standu…

I really liked Pandora for comedy. Spotify has lots of comedy albums, but the interface is not as easy to navigate.

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

#234

Post by smegger001 » Tue, Apr 20, 2021, 11:11 PM UTC

loosetypes wrote: post #125

Lendal wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

Audible has been doing similarly recently and it’s quite frustrating. I understand everyone’s doing it and you as a company feel entitled to a slice of whatever podcast pie. What I don’t understand is how that can take focus when your audio player has been getting steadily worse - corrupted offline download, buggy buffering, choppy audio after jumping back 30s. If your bread and butter - what I’m actually paying for…

lets not forget the awful UI for podcasts on audible. Only showing the last three episodes in the app having to go through multiple screens just to download back episodes, having to manually start the next episode instead of playing them automatically. having to subscribe to each season of the same podcast separately so if you don't already know they next is out you don't get it, the whole experience is painful enough I have pretty much given up on listening to any amazon produced podcast as it s just to much of a pain in the ass to listen to them.

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

#235

Post by hahajk » Tue, Apr 20, 2021, 11:12 PM UTC

mertd wrote: post #19

vlunkr wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Plus you can always skip them with a couple of button presses.

I can see a future where podcasts move to a walled garden (Spotify) and the fast forward button gets disabled during ads.

haha, yeah like dvds. i then imagine a world with pirate directories you subscribe to with the current podcast players

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

#236

Post by andrepd » Tue, Apr 20, 2021, 11:14 PM UTC

kevincox wrote: post #196

andrepd wrote: post #194

Earlier quoted context omitted.

OT but AntennaPod is amazing, and open source. I switched from Pocket Casts and it's amazing.

AntennaPod is unfortunately quite lacking if you like to listen to "story" podcasts where you want to listen old -> new.

I binge old podcasts regularly. You can sort episodes old->new.

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

#237

Post by varispeed » Tue, Apr 20, 2021, 11:15 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…

What do they talk about on those podcasts? I have never tried because of the feeling that it will be a fake politically correct filtered content written to not offend anyone.

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

#238

Post by bedhead » Tue, Apr 20, 2021, 11:18 PM UTC

marc__1 wrote: post #219

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…

Will offer some data points from Spotify's Investor Relations [1] that add some additional color to the anecdotes from previous comments: - Total MAUs grew 27% Y/Y to 345 million in the quarter (...) Based on the behavior we see when users first join Spotify, we are confident that podcast usage has been a factor in the accelerated net additions. - The strength in Ad-Supported revenue was led by our Podcast , Direct,…

These bullets are conspicuously free of important details.

"Podcast usage has been a factor" - okay, how much? Answer: no idea.

"The strength in Ad-Supported revenue was led by our Podcast, Direct, and Ad Studio channels, with Podcast and Ad Studio both growing over 100% on a Y/Y basis" - okay, but from what starting point and how much did it contribute? Answer: not saying.

"25% of our Total MAUs engaged with podcast content" - okay, how much? Answer: not saying.

Obviously podcasts help increase metrics, but even Spotify either doesn't know or won't say, meanwhile all this discussion ignores the flip side of the coin which is how much this is all costing the company.

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

#239

Post by Mandatum » Tue, Apr 20, 2021, 11:20 PM UTC

tshaddox wrote: post #112

Lendal wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 recently gave Spotify a try for about 8 months but just switched back to Apple Music. My reason for switching back had nothing to do with podcasts, it was simply Spotify's terrible interface that makes it impossible to just browse all the music in your library . But I had also started to notice podcasts infiltrating UI that used to be only music playlists. A few times I even mistakenly clicked on a podcast thinking…

Yeah but on the flip side -- nothing beats Spotify recommendations. I've found so much new music - if you're a new artist no other platform would provide more value than Spotify for discovery. Now, if we're talking pay-the-rent value..

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

#240

Post by xdennis » Tue, Apr 20, 2021, 11:27 PM UTC

TameAntelope wrote: post #144

Mountain_Skies wrote: post #129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sounds more like you want to raise the subject but don't want anyone to challenge you on it so you'll "leave it at that."

I'm sorry, hit me up on my email in my profile if you want to discuss more! A "Is Joe Rogan a racist?" conversation is not interesting, and this place is about hosting interesting discussions.

I think tree-style conversations were invented so that you _can_ go off topic.