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> Starting in May, listeners [...] can sign up for premium subscriptions that include a variety of benefits curated by creators, such as ad-free listening, acce

> Starting in May, listeners [...] can sign up for premium subscriptions that include a variety of benefits curated by creators, such as ad-free listening, access to additional content, and early or exclusive access to new series. Some podcasts I listen to already do this via Patreon. The additional content is great for me as a listener and it has allowed a number of the creators to turn their hobby into part- or even full-time jobs. If Apple can make this easier than Patreon (where you have to figure out how to import a private feed into your podcast app), while still allowing the podcasts to exist outside their ecosystem, it's a win for everyone.

throwawaysea 5y ago
It’s not a win for everyone. If Apple ends up controlling most of the subscriptions and revenue, then they will also gain control of the ecosystem. All of the things they do in the App Store, for example censoring content they don’t like, will come to podcasts. They will simply suck the air out of the room.
- pfranz 5y ago
  That's very true. Apple has been best positioned (since they've hosted the main podcast database for at least a decade), but many other companies have tried and failed. Apple has failed at similar initiatives. Spotify is the most recent company to try and own Podcasting and I'm not sure how great it's doing right now. I hope they implement it in a way that third-party podcast clients can support it.
pfranz 5y ago
A lot of podcasts mentioned that ad revenue dried up during Covid and they switched to a subscription model because of it. I feel like I can hear the quality drop in the podcasts that continue to have ads.
shanecleveland 5y ago
Agreed. I think this can be a good model (freemium), and is certainly fair. As a consumer of podcasts and as someone who pays for many services, I am not only unlikely to pay much for access to a podcast, but to attempt to juggle multiple listening platforms for podcast discovery and listening. If I can't get a podcast on the podcast app I use, I likely won't listen to it beyond a one-off episode that really interested me. I used to listen to an occasional Joe Rogan episode before he switched to Spotify. I rarely catch it at all now, though I subscribe to Spotify. I just don't take the time to stay caught up on his guest list outside of my podcast app of choice. I'm certainly fine with ads in podcasts. But I don't begrudge podcasters that want to produce exclusive content to support their efforts and perhaps offer add-free podcasts.

throwawaysea 5y ago

It’s not a win for everyone. If Apple ends up controlling most of the subscriptions and revenue, then they will also gain control of the ecosystem. All of the things they do in the App Store, for example censoring content they don’t like, will come to podcasts. They will simply suck the air out of the room.

pfranz 5y ago
That's very true. Apple has been best positioned (since they've hosted the main podcast database for at least a decade), but many other companies have tried and failed. Apple has failed at similar initiatives. Spotify is the most recent company to try and own Podcasting and I'm not sure how great it's doing right now. I hope they implement it in a way that third-party podcast clients can support it.

pfranz 5y ago

A lot of podcasts mentioned that ad revenue dried up during Covid and they switched to a subscription model because of it. I feel like I can hear the quality drop in the podcasts that continue to have ads.

shanecleveland 5y ago

Agreed. I think this can be a good model (freemium), and is certainly fair. As a consumer of podcasts and as someone who pays for many services, I am not only unlikely to pay much for access to a podcast, but to attempt to juggle multiple listening platforms for podcast discovery and listening. If I can't get a podcast on the podcast app I use, I likely won't listen to it beyond a one-off episode that really interested me. I used to listen to an occasional Joe Rogan episode before he switched to Spotify. I rarely catch it at all now, though I subscribe to Spotify. I just don't take the time to stay caught up on his guest list outside of my podcast app of choice. I'm certainly fine with ads in podcasts. But I don't begrudge podcasters that want to produce exclusive content to support their efforts and perhaps offer add-free podcasts.