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> that feed can be put in your favorite podcast app Not necessarily. Not all podcasts apps support "manually" adding feeds. https://transistor.fm/add-podcast

> that feed can be put in your favorite podcast app Not necessarily. Not all podcasts apps support "manually" adding feeds. https://transistor.fm/add-podcast https://transistor.fm/add-podcast > You can't currently manually add podcast RSS feeds to these apps: Spotify, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Play, Google Podcasts, iHeartRadio App

felipemesquita 7y ago
A good requirement to what’s considered a podcast would be that it’s published as an RSS feed. Shows that are exclusive to an app aren’t really podcasts and the apps that don’t let you add a podcast’s feed aren’t podcast players.
- tantalor 7y ago
  Podcast apps don't need to let you add a feed because users expect podcast apps to have a comprehensive built-in index of podcasts. If you open the app and nothing is there, you install a better app. That index could come from search/crawl or publishers. The big apps require publishers to manually register their podcast: Apple: https://podcastsconnect.apple.com/my-podcasts/new-feed https://podcastsconnect.apple.com/my-podcasts/new-feed Google: https://play.google.com/music/podcasts/portal https://play.google.com/music/podcasts/portal Sticher: https://partners.stitcher.com/join#signup https://partners.stitcher.com/join#signup Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/submit https://podcasters.spotify.com/submit I think the main reason for this requirement is licensing. By default apps cannot safely redistribute copyrighted podcast content. You have to specifically approve Stitcher etc. to handle your material. https://www.lifewire.com/legal-side-of-rss-feeds-3469296 https://www.lifewire.com/legal-side-of-rss-feeds-3469296
  - jtbayly 7y ago
    Google Podcast does not require you to register your podcast. They are not distributing anything copyrighted. They find an RSS feed for a podcast on the web, and they make it available for you to find via search. Also, private podcasts exist, where you need to put in an RSS feed that isn't in any public listing. If you didn't read the article, you really should, along with this one[0]. Spotify and Stitcher really are special (bad) cases. [0]: https://stratechery.com/2019/shopify-and-the-power-of-platforms/ https://stratechery.com/2019/shopify-and-the-power-of-platfo...
  - cxr 7y ago
    This comment has the kind of authoritative posturing that we should really have an intolerance for in conversation. It's certainly not informed. In addition to jtbayly's comment about Google not hosting anything, there's the small point of iTunes not distributing podcasts, either. It's a glorified index of RSS feeds, described in detail here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16724635 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16724635 Apple, Google, and other traditional aggregators no more need permission to operate their services than TV Guide needed permission to list broadcast schedules. (Or to run a search engine, for that matter...) On the topic of URLs, see this discussion from several months ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22038065 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22038065
sanderjd 7y ago
Which is a big reason none of those are among my favorite podcast apps. But yeah, it's a problem for sure.
jtbayly 7y ago
Spotify has already been addressed in the post. Stitcher was an earlier attempt by a different company to do exactly the same thing. iHeartRadio and Google Play are similar to each other in that neither is designed or marketed to be a podcast app. How Castbox can claim to be a podcast app but not let you put in RSS feeds is beyond me. Google Podcasts deserves its own special writeup. It's infuriating.

felipemesquita 7y ago

A good requirement to what’s considered a podcast would be that it’s published as an RSS feed. Shows that are exclusive to an app aren’t really podcasts and the apps that don’t let you add a podcast’s feed aren’t podcast players.

tantalor 7y ago
Podcast apps don't need to let you add a feed because users expect podcast apps to have a comprehensive built-in index of podcasts. If you open the app and nothing is there, you install a better app. That index could come from search/crawl or publishers. The big apps require publishers to manually register their podcast: Apple: https://podcastsconnect.apple.com/my-podcasts/new-feed https://podcastsconnect.apple.com/my-podcasts/new-feed Google: https://play.google.com/music/podcasts/portal https://play.google.com/music/podcasts/portal Sticher: https://partners.stitcher.com/join#signup https://partners.stitcher.com/join#signup Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/submit https://podcasters.spotify.com/submit I think the main reason for this requirement is licensing. By default apps cannot safely redistribute copyrighted podcast content. You have to specifically approve Stitcher etc. to handle your material. https://www.lifewire.com/legal-side-of-rss-feeds-3469296 https://www.lifewire.com/legal-side-of-rss-feeds-3469296
- jtbayly 7y ago
  Google Podcast does not require you to register your podcast. They are not distributing anything copyrighted. They find an RSS feed for a podcast on the web, and they make it available for you to find via search. Also, private podcasts exist, where you need to put in an RSS feed that isn't in any public listing. If you didn't read the article, you really should, along with this one[0]. Spotify and Stitcher really are special (bad) cases. [0]: https://stratechery.com/2019/shopify-and-the-power-of-platforms/ https://stratechery.com/2019/shopify-and-the-power-of-platfo...
- cxr 7y ago
  This comment has the kind of authoritative posturing that we should really have an intolerance for in conversation. It's certainly not informed. In addition to jtbayly's comment about Google not hosting anything, there's the small point of iTunes not distributing podcasts, either. It's a glorified index of RSS feeds, described in detail here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16724635 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16724635 Apple, Google, and other traditional aggregators no more need permission to operate their services than TV Guide needed permission to list broadcast schedules. (Or to run a search engine, for that matter...) On the topic of URLs, see this discussion from several months ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22038065 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22038065

sanderjd 7y ago

Which is a big reason none of those are among my favorite podcast apps. But yeah, it's a problem for sure.

jtbayly 7y ago

Spotify has already been addressed in the post. Stitcher was an earlier attempt by a different company to do exactly the same thing. iHeartRadio and Google Play are similar to each other in that neither is designed or marketed to be a podcast app. How Castbox can claim to be a podcast app but not let you put in RSS feeds is beyond me. Google Podcasts deserves its own special writeup. It's infuriating.