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Podcasters: Don’t Panic over Apple’s Changes

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This week, at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference 2019, Apple announced several changes to iTunes and Apple Podcasts.  They are worth noting, but they are not worth panicking over.

iTunes For Mac is Being Split Up.

If you are a Macintosh computer user (as opposed to Windows), you will no longer use iTunes as your app for all things audio.  Later this year, iTunes will be split into three separate applications – Apple Music, Apple TV, and Apple Podcasts.  If you have an Apple device, such as an iPad or iPhone, you’ve already seen this change.

If you are a Windows PC user, your iTunes application will remain unchanged, at least for now. Nothing to see here.

Apple Podcasts Categories Are Changing.

This is the only item that may require action on the part of podcasters.  Apple is changing some of their podcast categories later this summer.  You can see a full list of what to expect here.  I don’t recommend changing your categories in Apple’s Podcasts Connect portal just yet; we don’t have a release date on these changes.  Also, you may remember, several months ago Apple threatened to kick out podcasts that had episode numbers in their titles. They backed off this threat within 48 hours; the backlash from the podcasting community was both swift and fierce.

Apple is already taking some heat for this latest move.  James Cridland, editor of the industry trade Podnews, wrote a piece for Medium.  In it, Cridland takes Apple to task for thinking they control the industry. While they are still the dominant listening platform (at about 62%), that share is shrinking.  So, we will wait to see what kind of rollout, if any, these new categories get.

New Search Enhancements For Podcasts Are Coming.

There’s also some good podcast news coming out of Apple’s WWDC.  In their Tuesday email to podcasters, the company announced the ability to search for shows by “transcripts, topics, and people.” They mentioned availability for top English podcasts soon, with more to follow.  Again, however, the announcement is short on both details and timeline.  If Apple can create automated transcripts of your show, and have your content be searchable, that would be a game changer.  But for now, we are left wondering if, how, and when.

Bottom Line:

We will see if Apple actually follows through with these new features, and if so, when.  For now, keep an eye out for an announcement regarding actual category changes.  When they roll out, you may need to make a couple of minor tweaks within Apple (I will help my clients with this).  But for now, exhale.

Email from Apple:

Below is the email sent to all podcasters from Apple on Tuesday night:

Dear Podcast Provider, 

To improve your experience with Apple Podcasts, we want to share the following information and updates announced at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference 2019. 

Apple Podcasts for Mac
Apple Podcasts for Mac will launch this fall. Members of the Apple Developer Programcan preview the new Apple Podcasts for Mac now. Apple Beta Software Programmembers will have access this summer. 

Search Enhancements
Apple Podcasts will allow listeners to discover shows based on audio transcripts, topics, and people. Moreover, show and episode pages will display images of hosts and guests. 

These features will first be available for selected top shows in English; more shows will be added later this year. Sign in to Podcasts Connect, if needed, to review the latest Terms of Service in order for your show to be eligible. 

Apple Podcasts Categories
Later this summer we’re adding top-level categories such as Fiction, History, and True Crime — as well as dozens of new subcategories. See the updated list of supported categories in Podcasts Connect Help. 

Here are some scenarios to help you understand if you should consider updating your show’s category:

  • New categories. We’ll be introducing new top-level categories such as Fiction, History, and True Crime. Additionally, dozens of new subcategories will be available. For example, Fiction > Drama.
  • Renamed categories. For clarity, some categories will be renamed. When possible, shows will be mapped to the updated category or subcategory value upon launch. For example, Sports & Recreation > Outdoor will become Sports > Wilderness.
  • Discontinued subcategories. Some subcategories will be discontinued. Shows with a subcategory that will no longer be available will still retain its top-level category. For example, Sports & Recreation > Professional will be displayed as Sports until a new subcategory value is added to the RSS feed.
You can make changes to your show’s category now, and they’ll go live on Apple Podcasts later this summer. Contact your hosting provider for further support in implementing the updated Apple Podcast categories within your RSS feed. 

Explore Resources and Help to stay up to date on the above developments. 

Regards, 
The Apple Podcasts team

How To Make A Podcast Ad – and How NOT To

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Ways To Make A Podcast Ad?

Truthfully, there are a number of ways to make a podcast ad.  You can insert a prerecorded, already-produced commercial in your show. And if you can make money doing it, great!

You can read a script verbatim from a commercial sponsor. Again, if you can make money at it, well, vaya con dios.

The the truth is, however, the most effective podcast ads are the same as the most effective radio ads – the live read, or endorsement. This is when the host tells you, in his or her own words, about a particular product, service, or establishment. Audio is an intimate medium; think about how connected you felt to your favorite morning show personality when you heard them on the school bus or in the car.  If that trusted voice tells you about a company, it will carry much more weight than the guy from production reading a script. (I should know, I read many scripts in my various off-air roles in radio.)

Why Advertise on Podcasts?

Edison Research’s annual Infinite Dial for 2019 shows that more than half of podcast listeners are at least somewhat more likely to consider a brand advertised on a show.

podcast ads
Data via Infinite Dial – Edison Research and Triton Digital

The Good: Pod Save America

One of the podcasts I listen to regularly is Pod Save America, narrated by former Obama staffers. They comment on our current politics and what’s going on in DC.  I enjoy their perspective because they’ve all worked in the White House. As a podcast producer though, I was very impressed by the commercials.  This is a long show, usually about 90 minutes.  There is a presenting sponsor at the beginning, Ziprecruiter.  And there are two commercial breaks within the show – with 2-3 ads each.  These are for national companies like Stamps.com, the Cash App, and Quip.

These ads are all recorded ahead of time, but they are done so by the show’s hosts.  At first, I was picturing mortified PR people at these companies.  The guys were joking about President Trump needing Ziprecruiter to fill all the vacancies in his administration.   They were yelling at each other over who needed to be reimbursed for pizza with the Cash App.  Anything goes in these ad-libs except, apparently, Game of Thrones spoilers. That’s what got them the most backlash.

Why would these companies allow the hosts to clown on their products, sometimes even making fun of the copy in front of them?  Two reasons.  1) With custom URL’s and tracking, they can clearly see the ROI from the ads.  People are buying the products.  2) The content is compelling.  Like a DVR, you can very easily skip over ads in a podcast.  Click +30 a few times, and you’re good.  But when the content is new, and entertaining, sure, I’ll listen to an ad.   And with their Cash App ads, every listener download of the app turns into a $5 donation to Pod Save America’s current charity.

You’ll notice the picture of Quip in this post.  Yes, I bought the toothbrush.  In a recent ad, they laughingly said that using Quip will make you a better lover.  Of course, I know that’s a joke. But I’ve heard the ad enough times with fresh content.   And yes, I got sick of my old electric toothbrush.  So I spent $25.  I’ll let you know how I like it.

The Bad – The Podcast I Won’t Name

I’m not in the business of trashing people, so I’ll avoid specific names here.  But I grew up in Boston and I listen to a Boston sports podcast every weekday morning.  It’s just a repackaging of the best 15 minutes of content from last night’s 3 hours of TV coverage.  Usually it’s about 5 minutes on each topic. Well, they finally have a sponsor – Manscaped.com. Click the link at your own risk – it’s exactly what you think it is.  It’s a well-targeted ad, directed at a mostly male audience. And it’s a clever ad-lib by one of their wackier personalities.  So I listened to the full 90 second ad at the beginning of the podcast.  Then I heard the same ad, verbatim, at the end of the show.   And it’s been the same exact content for a few weeks, twice in each show – a span of 15 minutes.  I haven’t listened all the way through since I first heard it.

A cable network produces this podcast, and good for them to be monetizing it.  But this isn’t live television where you can run the same ad over and over.  Times are changing.  If your content isn’t compelling, and dynamically changing, I’ll skip it.  And I’m not the only one.

Peloton Lawsuit Illustrates Podcast Music Pitfalls

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Peloton is facing a large lawsuit regarding the music used in its workouts. In fact, the fitness company is being sued for a whopping $150 million.  And here’s the kicker: The music in question is only part of their library.

Peloton is a hugely popular fitness brand.  It essentially brings a spin class to your home – if you can afford it.  The bikes start at $2,000 – but you can attend a class – complete with music – from your own home when it works for you.

Music Rights

Rights to copyrighted music have always been a legally contentious subject. Radio stations must pay licensing fees to companies like ASCAP and BMI to play music. There was even a time where stations were hesitant to stream because playing the music online required additional fees in addition to their over-the-air ones. Technically, bars and restaurants with live music or jukeboxes should be paying these fees too.  I’m told these large publishing companies actually send low-level employees around to try and “shake down” establishments.

Obviously, there have been monumental changes to the music industry this century. Artists revenue from CD’s (or cassettes, or 8-tracks) have disappeared. Instead, they get small royalties from downloads and streams. Much of their revenue now comes from touring. So you’d better believe they want to cash in on anyone using their music.

Peloton Lawsuit

You may be asking yourself: “Why wouldn’t Peloton pay these fees upfront?” Well, here’s the kicker. They did pay – for some of the music.  The issue is that many musical selections were not covered by what they paid. Under the headline Peloton Sued for Allegedly Stealing Artists’ Music, CBS News reports that music not covered by the fees includes work by Justin Timberlake, Ed Sheeran, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Bruno Mars, and more.  As the Peloton lawsuit plays out, the company is no longer using the songs in question.

What Does This Have to Do With Podcasts?

Music licensing laws have simply not kept up with emerging technology. You may think you are covered, but even in the case of a large company like Peloton, you may not be.  This is why I rarely allow licensed music in podcasts. An artist may think they have all the rights to their music. If they have signed with a label, however, that label may own rights as well. And that label won’t like you using their music without getting paid.   I’ve allowed artists to play music exactly twice in podcasts I’ve been involved with.  Both artists were unsigned, had written the songs themselves, and retained all the rights.

So How Do I Include Music in My Podcast?

Unless you have the financial resources (and 8 million monthly listeners) of The Daily from The New York Times, you probably can’t afford to license that Justin Timberlake song for your show. However, there are services that offer royalty-free music for your show – categorized by genre, and they can be used for intro and outtro purposes.  I subscribe to several that allows me to offer many choices to my clients. Or, you can enlist an independent artist to create music for your show. I recently met a musician who has started doing that himself as part of his business model.   Here’s the bottom line: music copyright laws have not kept pace with new technology. And until they do, and there’s a reasonably priced way for independent podcasters to get their hands on those works, you’re better safe than sorry.  Peloton can give you 150 million reasons why.

My Podcast Isn’t Ready

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I’ve decided to start season 2 of The Jag Show Podcast.  It’s going to be a podcast….about podcasting (apologies to Seinfeld).  Like most podcasters, I see this as an opportunity to brand my business in my field. I can create another touch point with friends, colleagues, and potential clients.

In my first episode, I did a “Podcasting 101,” covering the basics of podcasts.

This was a quick 12 minute tutorial on podcasting, and I published it over a month ago.  Many podcasting topics have cropped up in recent weeks, but none of them got me fired up enough to turn on my microphone.

I decided episode 2 was going to be about something I’m always discussing at networking events. Radio opened the door to podcasting.  This happened through many events, dating back two decades.

  • The Telecommunications Act of 1996 lifted ownership bans and allowed for massive corporate consolidation.
  • The advent of “People Meters” as a new ratings technology prompted radio execs to tell DJ’s to “Shut Up and Play The Music.”
  • Pandora, Spotify, and more quickly arose, hastening the obsolescence of stations that did just that.
  • Many corporate radio owners became so obsessed with revenue for large markets, they lost individuality in smaller markets.

I started my day today by having a conversation with a former radio co-worker I’m pursuing a podcasting venture with. As we wrapped up, we (once again) began to reminisce about our time in radio and our new perspective. When I hung up, I was fired up to finally record this podcast.

I turned my microphone on, grabbed a glass of water and starting talking. I was pausing a lot as I organized my thoughts. But I kept pressing through, knowing I could fix those pauses in post-production.  I looked at my timer, and I was at 18:38, which was longer than I wanted the episode to be.  I hadn’t covered every topic, and I was starting to bounce between them.

So I pulled the plug.

This episode wasn’t ready yet.  I needed to prioritize my ideas, and I needed to organize them better. I’d hit the point where I was forcing it.

For podcasters on a consistent schedule with a large enough audience, there is pressure to crank out new episodes. For those folks, you need to have a workflow so that you’re consistently ready to go.  But for other podcasters who are still honing their craft, don’t push out an episode for the sake of publishing.  Wait until you’re ready.

A delayed episode won’t cost you downloads or subscribers. Poor content (or worse, poor audio) will.

Podcasts Now Do Los Angeles “Upfronts”

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Podcasts Now Do Los Angeles Upfronts

Television industry folks are familiar with “upfronts,” where networks present their new slate of shows to clients and advertisers. They are a big deal. Yesterday, podcasts did their own Winter Podcast Upfronts, at the Los Angeles talent agency UTA.

This is significant because large advertisers are spending more and more money on podcasts.  According to Edison Research’s Tom Webster, podcasts’ share of total audio consumption has doubled since 2014. This equates to tens of millions of hours of listening time, according to this nice recap from Digiday.

The Winter Podcast Upfronts included presentations from major players like ESPN and NPR.  Capitalizing on the rampant success of their 30 for 30 documentary series turned podcast, the sports network will unveil a podcast later this year about Donald Sterling. You may remember his wife made him sell the Los Angeles Clippers amid mountains of controversy.  NPR’s Serial, a longtime podcasting leader, will look at the public education system this fall.  The key takeaway here: Major media companies are investing time and money in podcasting, and it’s here to stay.

The Digiday story also mentioned dynamic ad placement, and its importance with time sensitive content, such as new movie releases.  Podcasts are often time-shifted. Listeners consume shows days or weeks after publication, so large companies rely on technology to place targeted ads in podcasts.   I still believe the best ads for podcasts are live reads and “evergreen.”  Ads gain credibility when read by hosts.  That’s because it’s in the voice and style of the rest of the show.  Don’t believe me? Look no further than the clowning around the guys from Pod Save America do in their ads for Stamps.com, the Cash App, Sleep Number, and more.  These companies may not love the hosts’ foul language, but the ads gain a level of authenticity.

Bottom line: Podcasts are becoming more relevant and mainstream by the day.  If you or your company would like to start a podcast, I can create it for you.

Spotify Buys Gimlet Plus Anchor

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Spotify Buys Gimlet Plus Anchor

Spotify has taken its biggest dive into podcasting yet. The purchase of Gimlet was long suspected, but the acquisition of Anchor caught many industry insiders by surprise.

Here’s some background. For some time, Spotify has been the #2 player in the podcast space behind Apple.  We thought Google would leapfrog them, but despite promises made at Podcast Movement 2018, the internet titan has not prioritized the space.  Google’s lag, however, could be Spotify’s gain.

Gimlet Media is a content creation company. It began 5 years ago in New York and creates a number of successful podcasts, including Reply All and Homecoming, the latter of which has become an Amazon Prime TV series.  Spotify has long been in the business of audio distribution of other people’s content. Now they will own a piece of the content creation process. How important was this purchase to Spotify?  The Swedish media streaming platform spent $230 million to buy Gimlet.  This surprised one writer, especially when you consider that iHeartMedia only spent $55 million on Stuff Media, creator of How Stuff Works.

The Gimlet deal was long rumored, but Spotify’s acquisition of Anchor raised eyebrows this morning. Anchor prides themselves on being a one-stop-shop, DIY podcast creation platform.  Novices can record audio directly into their phone, tablet, or PC, syndicate it to all the various podcast apps (including Apple, Google, and Spotify), and even accept donations from avid fans.  The platform is free for users right now; I wonder if that will continue when they are under the Spotify umbrella.

Spotify has now vertically integrated their podcasting strategy. They have a media company (Gimlet), a hosting platform (Anchor), and a distribution network (Spotify). One of the biggest players in the audio work is all in on podcasts.

Are you?