👋🏽 Hello there!
Shreya, your new Inside Podcasting writer here.
As you know, Skye said goodbye to Inside Podcasting last week. When I told her I was both excited & nervous about this, she wrote a little note 💛 to introduce me to you -
Hey Insiders! I’m jumping into your inbox to officially hand the baton to our new Inside Podcasting writer Shreya Sharma! A self-described "podcast geek,” digital marketing strategist, and data junkie, I’m confident Shreya will deliver the level of content you’ve come to expect from this newsletter. I’m thrilled to introduce her, as I know I’m leaving our readers in excellent hands!
If you don't already, give Skye a follow on Twitter to keep up with her! I hope to live up to the value of her work while adding my own voice to the mix :)
I'll be publishing on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Looking forward to getting to know you all better!
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Joe Budden, host of The Joe Budden Podcast with Rory and Mal, says he won’t renew his exclusive Spotify deal past this month. The show has consistently ranked in the Top 20 on Spotify's podcast charts, coming in at No. 9 just last Wednesday.
More:
- Budden outlines his reasons for departure on his most recent episode, ironically available on Spotify.
- He claims that Spotify is exploiting him financially by "pillaging" his audience; this has led to him feeling "undermined and undervalued".
- Billboard: Spotify increased the value of the deal offered to him, which he declined.
- A Spotify spokesperson said: "we could not come to terms...we respect his wishes to find a new home for the podcast." At the moment, it’s unclear where his podcast will live.
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Listeners view podcasts as a more trustworthy news source than traditional media, per Media Monitors. Tuesday’s update reported that 60% of 985 listeners polled said that podcasts were "more" or "much more" trustworthy than "traditional media coverage of the pandemic."
Stats for nerds:
- The original survey, fielded between June 15-26, 2020, reported Comedy to be the most popular category in podcasts. News and Society & Culture are tied as runner-ups.
- 45% of survey participants reported podcasts as their “primary source” for pandemic-related news.
- To further cement the rise of podcasts as a news source: Listeners that listed podcasts as their primary or supplemental information source were asked if they turned to podcasts for need-to-know information pre-pandemic; 23% said no.
- IAB’s study states that 2020 is expected to see an increase of 14.7% in America’s podcasting revenue.
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Audible launched Audible Plus, its cheapest subscription plan at $7.95/month. Sign-ups start Thursday, Aug. 27.
More:
- Audible Plus will offer 68,000+ hours of content and 11,000+ productions, exclusive to subscribers.
- The Amazon company plans to launch more exclusive content, including from Alicia Silverstone, Josh Gad, and Malcolm Gladwell’s Pushkin Industries
- Audible Gold and Platinum Subscribers: Your plans have now been merged into Audible Premium Plus. You’ll receive all Plus benefits with one (Gold) and two (Platinum) additional credits.
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Sportscaster Dan Patrick partnered with iHeartMedia to launch The Dan Patrick Podcast Network.
The network has already lined up three podcasts for release:
- If you’re a sports fan: "The Battle for L.A." dives deep into the birth of pro basketball in L.A. while examining the stories of players, coaches, and other stakeholders of the rival Lakers and Clippers.
- If you’re a Hollywood fan: Literary agent Alan Nevins and celebrity columnist Joey Santos are the "Two Guys from Hollywood" who share stories of parties, people, and pop culture.
- If you’re a Tom Cruise fan: you’re probably not as big a fan as Jeff Meacham and Joel Johnstone. They will host "Meeting Tom Cruise," a podcast covering his movies, debates, and stories of other celebrities’ encounters with him.
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Vulture’s Nick Quah released the first issue of 1.5x Speed, his weekly podcast recommendations newsletter.
More:
- Nick will be recommending two podcasts a week, plus calling out a few smaller shows you might not know about. (Here’s where you subscribe).
- In the first issue, Nick recommended "School of Colors" (you'll like this if you like "Nice White Parents") and "30 for 30 Podcasts: Heavy Metals," an audio documentary on a scandal that could further deteriorate USA Gymnastics' reputation.
- This move is one of many on Vulture’s part to boost podcast coverage, including having a dedicated podcasts’ section.
- Worry not: HotPod, which has now been syndicated to Vulture, will continue to appear every Tuesday in our inboxes.
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Supporting Cast, Slate’s Podcasting Membership Platform, announced Dynamic Subscriber Messaging, a tool that enables hosts to send customized audio messages to premium listeners. The personalized message is set to appear as a mini-episode at the top of the feed.
According to Supporting Cast, this Beta feature has uses including but not limited to:
- Saying hello to new members
- Reminding a member to update their credit card information
- Saying thank you to long-time members
An entertaining example: The hosts of Supporting Cast’s podcast, Scriptnotes Premium, have recorded a message to remind users to update their credit card.
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NPR’s Spanish podcast Radio Ambulante shows there is a growing audience for Latinx podcasts in America.
More:
- Started by husband-wife duo Carolina Guerrero and Daniel Alarcón, Radio Ambulante is a storytelling podcast that delves into stories of Latinos in America.
- Since its launch in May 2012, the podcast’s listeners have grown from 7,000 annually to 760,000 monthly, with 70% of them in the U.S.
- The potential of this market is further backed by Edison’s Latino Podcast Listener Report, released on June 30. The study shows that 45% of Latinos 18+ in the U.S. have ever listened to podcasts with 80% saying they are listening to podcasts now more than last year.
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Creative Agency’s Work x Work presents the XFronts – a free full-day virtual event for indie networks & podcasters.
Details:
- When: Thursday, Sept. 24, 2020
- Where: Online, register here
- What: 15 Network and New Podcast Presentations from 60 Presenters
- Who: Presenting networks include Advertisecast, Lipstick & Vinyl, Crooked Media and Wonder Media Network
For advertisers - want to sponsor? Send them an e-mail.
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Shreya identifies as a podcast geek, digital marketing strategist and 'that start-up girl'. A data junkie, she's been known to tear up at the sight of beautiful charts. Someday, Shreya plans to create her own podcast on classic rock.
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Editor
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Jonathan Harris is a writer for Inside.com. Previously, he wrote for The Huffington Post, TakePart.com, and the YouTube channel What’s Trending.
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