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I'm surprised Spotify hasn't broken into podcasts yet (or have they?). The platform works for it, and it feels like a natural transition to go from listening to

I'm surprised Spotify hasn't broken into podcasts yet (or have they?). The platform works for it, and it feels like a natural transition to go from listening to music to listening to a podcast without leaving the platform. The article even notes it's a higher margin business.

gakos 8y ago
Spotify does have podcasts, including tech ones like a16z and Recode Decode. They even added speed adjustment if you like to listen on hyperspeed like me. https://open.spotify.com/genre/podcasts-page https://open.spotify.com/genre/podcasts-page
- wgerard 8y ago
  Sorry, I meant original podcasts. It looks like they do have some (I see Amy Schumer's is tagged as such), but curious to see if they get into it more heavily.
  - gakos 8y ago
    Oh yeah - totally. If they followed the Netflix model of generating great content, they could make a killing (and justify their market cap). Original podcasts would be cool, but even better would be backing artists, especially long tail or emerging bands. Spotify Records?
hqtitan 8y ago
I'm not sure how long they've had them, but I discovered the podcast section sometime in the last six months or so. It's pretty great to go from listening music all day to picking back up on whatever podcast I've been listening to with just a couple of clicks all in the same platform.
abhishekjha 8y ago
They do have podcasts. Listened to this[0] recently. 0 : https://open.spotify.com/show/1QLjI1ptUhPEIYaaiJgZlh https://open.spotify.com/show/1QLjI1ptUhPEIYaaiJgZlh NYT Article : https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/podcasts/caliphate-isis-rukmini-callimachi.html https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/podcasts/caliphate-...
jpalomaki 8y ago
When shall we see ”Netflix for audio”, meaning original content, either fact or fiction? I think this would make sense, people are busy and have less time to spend watching stuff. Listening is easier to do on the move. Original programming could be for example radio theatre or programs like Serial. This can be quite entertaining when it is done well. Production costs are much smaller than for video.
- bruthafez 8y ago
  Serial was basically a Black Swan event dude, no one I know listens to narrative audio content when they could watch narrative video content instead. It's true that listening is easier to do on the move, but people just prefer to listen to music. I've never met anyone who is more into podcasts than music. TL;DR the market just isn't very big and what market there is has already been captured by podcast services.
  - drb91 8y ago
    It sounds like you need to meet more people or you need to provide evidence. Otherwise it’s just a lazy assertion providing no value to the conversation.
  - ggg9990 8y ago
    Podcasts are a huge market because Americans drive a shitload and an increasing percentage of cars on the road have Bluetooth audio.
CharlesW 8y ago
> I'm surprised Spotify hasn't broken into podcasts yet (or have they?). Shoot, I hate to see technical folks genericize "podcasts" this way. Podcasts are a great and popular standards-based medium for distributing audio and video on the open web. Proprietary platforms like Spotify ingest a small percentage of the best podcasts and make that content available to their customers via their proprietary platform in order to increase the value of that platform. The important bit is that the Spotify show isn't a podcast — no podcast app can play it. Spotify owns the listener relationship. They share stats with creators at their pleasure, if at all. It's a closed thing. Apologies for what will seems like pedantry to some, but podcasting is the only open audio/video medium we've got.
- thedarkginger 8y ago
  Do you consider, say, Stitcher Premium's original audio shows like Wolverine "podcasts?" I'm assuming the answer is now, but that service is certainly pitching that they are the same medium/art form as those in the open space.
  - CharlesW 8y ago
    > Do you consider, say, Stitcher Premium's original audio shows like Wolverine "podcasts?" Stitcher does make at least some of their original content available as podcasts, which I think is great. Wolverine: The Long Night appears to be paid-only, but (for example) LeVar Burton Reads has a podcast.[1] > …that service is certainly pitching that they are the same medium/art form as those in the open space. It really looks that way. The domain for Wolverine: The Long Night is "wolverinepodcast.com", which to me says that Stitcher is intentionally leveraging podcasting's popularity to try and sell shows that aren't available as podcasts. Considering that Stitcher was built on podcasting, I find this pretty distasteful. [1] https://rss.art19.com/levar-burton-reads https://rss.art19.com/levar-burton-reads
- 3pt14159 8y ago
  If Spotify wants to win on podcast there is an easier way to do it: License podcast episodes with a two-week exclusive window. The ultra loyal fans and Twitterati will care but the podcast wont lose mass appeal.

gakos 8y ago

Spotify does have podcasts, including tech ones like a16z and Recode Decode. They even added speed adjustment if you like to listen on hyperspeed like me. https://open.spotify.com/genre/podcasts-page https://open.spotify.com/genre/podcasts-page

wgerard 8y ago
Sorry, I meant original podcasts. It looks like they do have some (I see Amy Schumer's is tagged as such), but curious to see if they get into it more heavily.
- gakos 8y ago
  Oh yeah - totally. If they followed the Netflix model of generating great content, they could make a killing (and justify their market cap). Original podcasts would be cool, but even better would be backing artists, especially long tail or emerging bands. Spotify Records?

hqtitan 8y ago

I'm not sure how long they've had them, but I discovered the podcast section sometime in the last six months or so. It's pretty great to go from listening music all day to picking back up on whatever podcast I've been listening to with just a couple of clicks all in the same platform.

abhishekjha 8y ago

They do have podcasts. Listened to this[0] recently. 0 : https://open.spotify.com/show/1QLjI1ptUhPEIYaaiJgZlh https://open.spotify.com/show/1QLjI1ptUhPEIYaaiJgZlh NYT Article : https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/podcasts/caliphate-isis-rukmini-callimachi.html https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/podcasts/caliphate-...

jpalomaki 8y ago

When shall we see ”Netflix for audio”, meaning original content, either fact or fiction? I think this would make sense, people are busy and have less time to spend watching stuff. Listening is easier to do on the move. Original programming could be for example radio theatre or programs like Serial. This can be quite entertaining when it is done well. Production costs are much smaller than for video.

bruthafez 8y ago
Serial was basically a Black Swan event dude, no one I know listens to narrative audio content when they could watch narrative video content instead. It's true that listening is easier to do on the move, but people just prefer to listen to music. I've never met anyone who is more into podcasts than music. TL;DR the market just isn't very big and what market there is has already been captured by podcast services.
- drb91 8y ago
  It sounds like you need to meet more people or you need to provide evidence. Otherwise it’s just a lazy assertion providing no value to the conversation.
- ggg9990 8y ago
  Podcasts are a huge market because Americans drive a shitload and an increasing percentage of cars on the road have Bluetooth audio.

CharlesW 8y ago

> I'm surprised Spotify hasn't broken into podcasts yet (or have they?). Shoot, I hate to see technical folks genericize "podcasts" this way. Podcasts are a great and popular standards-based medium for distributing audio and video on the open web. Proprietary platforms like Spotify ingest a small percentage of the best podcasts and make that content available to their customers via their proprietary platform in order to increase the value of that platform. The important bit is that the Spotify show isn't a podcast — no podcast app can play it. Spotify owns the listener relationship. They share stats with creators at their pleasure, if at all. It's a closed thing. Apologies for what will seems like pedantry to some, but podcasting is the only open audio/video medium we've got.

thedarkginger 8y ago
Do you consider, say, Stitcher Premium's original audio shows like Wolverine "podcasts?" I'm assuming the answer is now, but that service is certainly pitching that they are the same medium/art form as those in the open space.
- CharlesW 8y ago
  > Do you consider, say, Stitcher Premium's original audio shows like Wolverine "podcasts?" Stitcher does make at least some of their original content available as podcasts, which I think is great. Wolverine: The Long Night appears to be paid-only, but (for example) LeVar Burton Reads has a podcast.[1] > …that service is certainly pitching that they are the same medium/art form as those in the open space. It really looks that way. The domain for Wolverine: The Long Night is "wolverinepodcast.com", which to me says that Stitcher is intentionally leveraging podcasting's popularity to try and sell shows that aren't available as podcasts. Considering that Stitcher was built on podcasting, I find this pretty distasteful. [1] https://rss.art19.com/levar-burton-reads https://rss.art19.com/levar-burton-reads
3pt14159 8y ago
If Spotify wants to win on podcast there is an easier way to do it: License podcast episodes with a two-week exclusive window. The ultra loyal fans and Twitterati will care but the podcast wont lose mass appeal.