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We're Entering a Golden Age of Podcasts

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Re: We're Entering a Golden Age of Podcasts

#181

Post by dangoor »

iagooar wrote: post #50

I work for a German podcast hosting company and what's been happening in podcasting in 2018 here in Germany is pure madness. There's been an explosion of different companies and producers that have gotten into the space, bringing really high-quality content. Also, Spotify grew into the second largest platform bringing in a lot of fresh air and slowly but steadily eating into and breaking up Apple's monopoly. Now we'r…

> Spotify grew into the second largest platform bringing in a lot of fresh air and slowly but steadily eating into and breaking up Apple's monopoly.

Apple's "monopoly" isn't much of a monopoly at all, though. Apple has been a good citizen of the podcast world, because it's purely a directory that points to normal RSS files. Apple has made no move to provide user-specific analytics or walled-in podcasts. Spotify likely has very different motives.

Re: We're Entering a Golden Age of Podcasts

#182

Post by dublinben »

blotter_paper wrote: post #144
icebraining wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Eh, I don't see it as a limitation of RSS, it's still up to the aggregator to display the episodes however they want after they've fetched the raw data.

This. An RSS feed of .mp3 or .ogg files is all I need for all of the formats mentioned by OP. It is annoying that some podcasts don't have RSS feeds -- this is what feels like a step back to me, but it's fundamentally a choice of the author/publisher. I'm much less likely to consume a podcast's backlog if it's not available as an RSS feed, and if the only obvious way to play content is through an embedded player or a…

If there isn't an RSS feed linking to audio files can you really call it a podcast?

Re: We're Entering a Golden Age of Podcasts

#183

Post by heurist »

Mister_Snuggles wrote: post #24

Personally, I'm not a fan of podcasts at all. I've tried, and listened to some interesting ones, but in the end I'd much rather consume the same content by reading instead of listening. It's faster, it's easier to skim and skip around, you can have hyperlinks to other references, etc. Overall, text just works better for the kinds of content I'm interested in. There's a podcast related to a product I work with that I'…

I prefer nonfiction audiobooks to podcasts. Good books have years of effort put into them to present a cohesive narrative with deep research and subtle detail. Podcasts feel rushed in comparison. I can also listen to classic books that will continue to be relevant for hundreds or thousands of years, where most podcasts will be stale in months or years.

Re: We're Entering a Golden Age of Podcasts

#184

Post by rchaud »

The golden age has arrived, but for content aggregators and shovel-peddlers.

Aggregators like Spotify will buy up popular podcasts and start setting their revenue percentages on the basis of "attention" or some other engagement metric, that will eventually lead to podcasts diluting their content to appeal to the largest possible base. It's already happened to their playlists.

The shovel-peddlers will be the usual ebook/video course sellers pitching the 2010s version of "How to blog your way to millions", but for podcasts.

Re: We're Entering a Golden Age of Podcasts

#185

Post by kmmlng »

dewey wrote: post #107
chooseaname wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know why anyone would subject themselves to the awfulness of Apple Podcasts. What were they thinking?! It's just bad.

I’m always surprised when people complain about it. It does everything it should for me, syncs with my other devices and automatically downloads the new episode over night and tells me about it in the morning. What are you missing?

I live in Germany. I can only see German-language podcasts in the app. If I want to see podcasts in English, I need to switch my whole iTunes account to a different country. Of course, that creates problems elsewhere.

I mean, come on. Most of the interesting content is in English. This is a simple feature.

Re: We're Entering a Golden Age of Podcasts

#187

Post by WhompingWindows »

hanklazard wrote: post #103
otikik wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I'd much rather consume the same content by reading instead of listening. It's faster, it's easier to skim and skip around, you can have hyperlinks to other references, etc My counterargument to that is that in order to do any of those things you need to have your eyes engaged with the content. I can listen to podcasts (or audiobooks) while at the gym, cooking, doing laundry, cleaning dishes, or going to pick my ki…

A slightly different take on your “eye engagement” point is that podcasts allow us to utilize time that would otherwise be spent listening to music, talking to others, thinking, or just zoning out. Combined with Apples air pods (a horribly great piece of technology), I find myself using lots of time for podcasts that I wouldn’t otherwise (like when I’m doing the dishes). I find all of this enjoyable overall but I do…

Try meditation, it's the best way I've found to be truly present in the current moment. Without focusing on any external stimuli or content, you're left with the sensations of being, as well as the thoughts/feelings of your mind. You then establish this "baseline" signal upon which all the other noise of modern life is added.

Re: We're Entering a Golden Age of Podcasts

#188

Post by Dowwie »

jotjotzzz wrote: post #186

Really? It felt like the golden age of podcast was a decade ago. I haven't listened to podcasts in a while. With YouTube premium, you can just listen or watch YT videos instead, so maybe it's golden age for videocasts?

Joe Rogan said that roughly half of his audience is watching his videocasts rather than listening to his podcasts

Re: We're Entering a Golden Age of Podcasts

#189

Post by rchaud »

Mister_Snuggles wrote: post #129
bitlax wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You listen to podcasts like you listen to the radio: when you're driving, doing chores, working out, etc.

I think this is part of my problem. Radio was never really a thing in my childhood, so it's not a big part of my adulthood either. Other than driving in the car, or as an alternative to the TV announcers when hockey was on, my family never had the radio on or music playing. I do listen to music on the bus, but podcasts are too much of a challenge since they're competing with all the other noise around me.

I'm 33 and didn't grow up in a radio culture either. I first heard of podcasts around 2006 in college when Apple came out with a mic dongle for the iPod. Never bothered checking any out. It was only when I came across a lengthy interview with an athlete I like that I started listening. Podcasts can be good for that, since TV usually focuses on short segments to fit in all the commercials.

For me, podcasts aren't like TV shows where I feel connected to the cast members. I'll listen only if the guest is interesting. In rare cases, I'll subscribe if the format is interesting, e.g. bad movies reviewed by comedic actors.

Re: We're Entering a Golden Age of Podcasts

#190

Post by teekert »

api wrote: post #67

Podcasting is probably the closest thing right now to the authenticity, diversity, and creativity of the early web. There's a massive diversity of podcasts out there on every subject and even many of the purely amateur ones are of very high quality.

I agree wholeheartedly! With my podcasts I feel I know the hosts, I look forward to the content, they may have ads but they pick them to match the content and they are still honest about the products they present in those ads. I don't know what it is, but it feels much more personal (I mainly listen to Jupiter Broadcasting podcasts (no more ads since recently) and some related ones but also Twit and NoAgenda (no ads at all) from time to time. Looking very much forward to the continuation of Stephen Fry's Great Leap Years...

I even feel personal interest in the lives of the hosts. Some I've been listening to for over a decade.

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