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It's no secret that where you record your podcast is almost as important as how you record it. Generally speaking, you want to avoid rooms with high ceilings and hard, flat, "echo-ey" surfaces. It's why a living room, bedroom, closet, or even your car are much better places than say, a kitchen or a bathroom.
But mindset is also important too. I recorded last week's pod in my office, because I was also doing video and the lighting was better. But when I went back and watched the video, my energy was down. I was in an "office" type of mindset - the same room I take conference calls in. And oh by the way, my wife is on a lot of conference calls for her job a few rooms away. So this week, I'm back in my studio, with sound padding on the walls, where I can project and have a little more energy. And hopefully the lighting is better thanks to this Logitech Brio webcam and ring light.
OK on to this week's podcasting news:
Remote recording apps are adding versatility. Squadcast now has a video option (I haven't tried it yet). Riverside (which I use when I have more than 4 participants or clients want video) now has an option to only record audio. And Zencastr now has a video option which you can turn video on or off for. Also, tip of the cap to my fellow podcast producer Johnny Peterson of Straight Up Podcasts - who points out that Zencastr announced they'd be free during the pandemic. Problem is, there's no end in sight to the pandemic. What's the cutoff. Great marketing for Zencastr, but better for the consumer. If you want to try something for free - try Zencastr. Also popular, StreamYard, which I know Steve Steward and the Podcast Editors Academy use - and I may jump onto a live stream with fellow podcast producer Matt Cundil of the Sound Off Media company in the coming weeks.
The new version of Apple's iOS, version 14.5, will have some tweaks to the Apple Podcasts app. There will be a big "latest episode" button so folks can sample podcasts they aren't subscribed to. Also, beware starting your show with an ad. You've only got one chance at a first impression. It works for some (Joe Rogan), but it may not be the best idea. Source: The Feed Podcast https://thefeed.libsyn.com/186-follow-us
Some news on big podcasting convetions. The in-person of PodFest Expo, originally scheduled for Orlando, has been postponed, with the rescheduled dates TBA. As of right now, Podcast Movement 2021 is still scheduled for Nashville the first week of August - which I'm planning on attending at least as of this recording. Podcast Movement has also released their 2022 schedule - with Podcast Evolutions happening in Los Angeles March 22-26, and Podcast Movement returning to Dallas (after 2020's postponement) August 23-26th.
Told you last week about the release of biggest annual study in podcasting- the 2021 Infinite Dial from Edison Research. http://www.edisonresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/The-Infinite-Dial-2021.pdf
Here are some additional takeaways.
First from Podcast Business Journal: https://podcastbusinessjournal.com/podcast-listening-booming/
The amount of monthly podcast listeners jumped 10% in the last year alone - 116 million American adults (41%) now listen to podcasts every month.
The amount of weekly podcast listeners jumped 17% since 2020 - to 80 million weekly listeners.
The percentage of audio listening dedicated to podcasts has tripled since 2014.
As James Cridland of Podnews points out: 12-34 year olds now make up half of US podcast listeners, with 56% listening to podcasts every month. This is a GREAT way to reach an otherwise tough-to-pin-down demographic. https://podnews.net/update/infinite-dial-21
And finally, for those of us Xennials - those are borderline Gen X and Millennials...actually maybe Millennials too - everything old is new again. There's a DUCKTALES podcast coming from Disney. It's called "This Duckburg Life." Here's a preview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByqmF4c9C9c
As always, if you need help creating or improving a podcast, find me at http://jagindetroit.com/