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Sigh. I'm already conflicted about Audible, now podcasts will be locked down too? It's curious this article doesn't even mention iTunes; as far as I know, that

Sigh. I'm already conflicted about Audible, now podcasts will be locked down too? It's curious this article doesn't even mention iTunes; as far as I know, that's the undisputed champion of podcast discovery and distribution, isn't it? Can podcasts afford to leave it to become Spotify exclusives?

exotree 8y ago
Yes. At least one major podcast I listen to regularly makes jokes they don’t know why they talk about subscribing through iTunes anymore.
ihuman 8y ago
It doesn't mention iTunes because people use the iOS Podcast app instead. The author talks about this app > Meanwhile Apple, which does have the users thanks to the dominance of the iOS Podcast app, [0] has shown little inclination of being that centralized player. I wrote about the company’s opportunities in the space two years ago [1], but despite the shift in strategy to services [2] nothing has changed. [0] > iTunes is very important to podcasting, but it is only a directory of podcasts that are hosted elsewhere; that means it is not a means to collect user data [1] https://stratechery.com/2017/podcasts-analytics-and-centralization/ https://stratechery.com/2017/podcasts-analytics-and-centrali... [2] https://stratechery.com/2019/apple-earnings-apple-the-services-company-for-real/ https://stratechery.com/2019/apple-earnings-apple-the-servic...
criley2 8y ago
How can it be the undisputed champion of podcast delivery and only available on about ~5% of computers and ~40% of smartphones? The average smartphone user and desktop user can't even access Apple discovery features! I think you might be an Apple user who doesn't realize that the majority of all device users don't own Apple devices, so for Apple to be the champion of anything (except profit per user) is a bit of a mathematical impossibility.
- icebraining 8y ago
  You think incorrectly :) I've never owned an Apple device in my life. It's not a mathematical impossibility because, as far as I know, podcast listeners are still quite a small number. Plus, you forgot iPod owners (I know a few Android users who carry an iPod when exercising).
- theresistor 8y ago
  If podcasts are substantially more popular with Apple device users than they are in the broader population, it is entirely possible.
- matt4077 8y ago
  iTunes is probably central to the ecosystem in the same way that the NEw York Times drives the national political conversation although only about two in 100 Americans actually read it: it’s an authoritative source and the people who do read/use it tend to be more influential. I also wouldn’t underestimate the possibility that there is some correlation between enjoying the podcast format and Appple products. This American Life, as the prototypical podcast, is really what happens if you leave Jony Ive in a locked room with only a microphone and a dwindling supply of coffee.
- badmelee 8y ago
  I would imagine the parent comment is in regards to how people listen to podcasts. According to Anchor, Apple Podcasts boasts a 52% market share of how people listen to podcasts - https://medium.com/anchor/how-people-listen-to-podcasts-ba0c57a5f952 https://medium.com/anchor/how-people-listen-to-podcasts-ba0c.... The power and reach of the default install of Apple Podcasts is hard to ignore. (which I don't believe most Android phones have).
- hibikir 8y ago
  ITunes and Apple Music are also available in Windows and in Android. You could argue about whether those versions are good or bad, but if you want to use them, you can. The discovery features works just fine, as long as you install the apps.
- jtbayly 8y ago
rocqua 8y ago
If spotify gets a few exclusives from e.g. gimlet, that might drive listeners there, which might make such exclusives cheaper to get. I really hope this fails though. One of the great things about podcasts is the open RSS based ecosystem. I think current listeners might be reluctant to move away from that. What scares me is that new listeners could come to spotify and not realize it is weird for podcasts. The only real issue RSS has is that ads have to be baked in. Sadly I don't know if we could have an open system with personalized ads.
- cjmoran 8y ago
  Some podcasts I've listened to recently have had local ads injected into them at the start/end. I can tell it's happening because it takes a few seconds for a download to progress after I start it.
  - icebraining 8y ago
    Ad networks already have mechanisms for podcasts to choose timestamps, so they can be injected in the middle as well.
  - kemayo 8y ago
    Based on complaints I've heard (mostly from Marco Arment, on podcasts he guests on), the ad-injection platforms are often responsible for horribly mangling the mp3 format. They tend to not update the mp3 file's stated length, resulting in time-remaining being off if you trust it. Plus, of course, dynamic ad lengths completely break the ability to share timestamps for podcasts -- no "you should really listen to the bit starting at 17:52"...
    - seniorsassycat 8y ago
      Npr and old media solved this a while ago. national news shows follow strict schedules, with fixed length breaks at fixed times. Local stations inject their own content into the stream. And a lot of that is produced live.
- criddell 8y ago
deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
Barrin92 8y ago
>Sigh. I'm already conflicted about Audible, now podcasts will be locked down too? the good thing about podcasts is that they seem significantly more diversified. On my podcast app I listen to many podcasts that have only a thousand subscribers or so and don't really rely on a lot of funding. I have a hard time imagining that any of those is going to be sucked into some exclusive deal with spotify. There's a lot more space for quality content that isn't commercialised in the podcast space, because lots of podcasting isn't a main source of income for the producer.

exotree 8y ago

Yes. At least one major podcast I listen to regularly makes jokes they don’t know why they talk about subscribing through iTunes anymore.

ihuman 8y ago

It doesn't mention iTunes because people use the iOS Podcast app instead. The author talks about this app > Meanwhile Apple, which does have the users thanks to the dominance of the iOS Podcast app, [0] has shown little inclination of being that centralized player. I wrote about the company’s opportunities in the space two years ago [1], but despite the shift in strategy to services [2] nothing has changed. [0] > iTunes is very important to podcasting, but it is only a directory of podcasts that are hosted elsewhere; that means it is not a means to collect user data [1] https://stratechery.com/2017/podcasts-analytics-and-centralization/ https://stratechery.com/2017/podcasts-analytics-and-centrali... [2] https://stratechery.com/2019/apple-earnings-apple-the-services-company-for-real/ https://stratechery.com/2019/apple-earnings-apple-the-servic...

criley2 8y ago

How can it be the undisputed champion of podcast delivery and only available on about ~5% of computers and ~40% of smartphones? The average smartphone user and desktop user can't even access Apple discovery features! I think you might be an Apple user who doesn't realize that the majority of all device users don't own Apple devices, so for Apple to be the champion of anything (except profit per user) is a bit of a mathematical impossibility.

icebraining 8y ago
You think incorrectly :) I've never owned an Apple device in my life. It's not a mathematical impossibility because, as far as I know, podcast listeners are still quite a small number. Plus, you forgot iPod owners (I know a few Android users who carry an iPod when exercising).
theresistor 8y ago
If podcasts are substantially more popular with Apple device users than they are in the broader population, it is entirely possible.
matt4077 8y ago
iTunes is probably central to the ecosystem in the same way that the NEw York Times drives the national political conversation although only about two in 100 Americans actually read it: it’s an authoritative source and the people who do read/use it tend to be more influential. I also wouldn’t underestimate the possibility that there is some correlation between enjoying the podcast format and Appple products. This American Life, as the prototypical podcast, is really what happens if you leave Jony Ive in a locked room with only a microphone and a dwindling supply of coffee.
badmelee 8y ago
I would imagine the parent comment is in regards to how people listen to podcasts. According to Anchor, Apple Podcasts boasts a 52% market share of how people listen to podcasts - https://medium.com/anchor/how-people-listen-to-podcasts-ba0c57a5f952 https://medium.com/anchor/how-people-listen-to-podcasts-ba0c.... The power and reach of the default install of Apple Podcasts is hard to ignore. (which I don't believe most Android phones have).
hibikir 8y ago
ITunes and Apple Music are also available in Windows and in Android. You could argue about whether those versions are good or bad, but if you want to use them, you can. The discovery features works just fine, as long as you install the apps.
jtbayly 8y ago

rocqua 8y ago

If spotify gets a few exclusives from e.g. gimlet, that might drive listeners there, which might make such exclusives cheaper to get. I really hope this fails though. One of the great things about podcasts is the open RSS based ecosystem. I think current listeners might be reluctant to move away from that. What scares me is that new listeners could come to spotify and not realize it is weird for podcasts. The only real issue RSS has is that ads have to be baked in. Sadly I don't know if we could have an open system with personalized ads.

cjmoran 8y ago
Some podcasts I've listened to recently have had local ads injected into them at the start/end. I can tell it's happening because it takes a few seconds for a download to progress after I start it.
- icebraining 8y ago
  Ad networks already have mechanisms for podcasts to choose timestamps, so they can be injected in the middle as well.
- kemayo 8y ago
  Based on complaints I've heard (mostly from Marco Arment, on podcasts he guests on), the ad-injection platforms are often responsible for horribly mangling the mp3 format. They tend to not update the mp3 file's stated length, resulting in time-remaining being off if you trust it. Plus, of course, dynamic ad lengths completely break the ability to share timestamps for podcasts -- no "you should really listen to the bit starting at 17:52"...
  - seniorsassycat 8y ago
    Npr and old media solved this a while ago. national news shows follow strict schedules, with fixed length breaks at fixed times. Local stations inject their own content into the stream. And a lot of that is produced live.
criddell 8y ago

deleted 8y ago

[deleted]

Barrin92 8y ago

>Sigh. I'm already conflicted about Audible, now podcasts will be locked down too? the good thing about podcasts is that they seem significantly more diversified. On my podcast app I listen to many podcasts that have only a thousand subscribers or so and don't really rely on a lot of funding. I have a hard time imagining that any of those is going to be sucked into some exclusive deal with spotify. There's a lot more space for quality content that isn't commercialised in the podcast space, because lots of podcasting isn't a main source of income for the producer.