eMarketer, the research service arm of Insider, is projecting that podcast listenership on Spotify is set to surpass Apple Podcasts this year. Specifically, it’s forecasting that Spotify podcast listening will grow 41.3% while the latter will more or less remain fairly flat. Keep in mind, though, that this is just one projection, though it does run with the conventional thinking.
A group of Clubhouse-centric creators have formed a company, called Audio Collective, described as a “dedicated studio and creator initiatives in the live, interactive audio space.” As the New York Times reports, part of its work includes “event planning, brand consulting, and support and community for creators working in the field,” but it will involve organizing work around pushing Clubhouse for “stronger moderation policies, better insights and performance metrics, and monetization tools.” Really interesting model to watch here.
On a related note… Here’s the BBC: “Why popular YouTubers are building their own sites.”
The Verge’s Ashley Carman has been on the Podcasting Mark Cuban beat, a.k.a. “What the heck is this Fireside thing?” Last week, she got her hands on some screenshots of what the “next-gen podcast platform” is supposed to look like, and apparently it looks like a cross between Anchor and Clubhouse? In any case, The AirSpace prevails.
Crooked Media has announced its first projects with Jason Concepcion since he joined from The Ringer: Takeline, a weekly sports podcast co-hosted by former WNBA player and activist Renee Montgomery, and ALL CAPS NBA, a weekly NBA-centric video series that’ll likely inherit DNA from Concepcion’s Emmy-winning NBA Desktop video series. Takeline will debut on March 16, while the video series will follow shortly after.
Apple Podcasts is collaborating with Common Sense Media, the advocacy organization built around promoting “safe media and technology for children,” on a new Kids & Family experience that will curate kid-friendly podcast offerings. The experience is only available in the U.S. and will be updated on a monthly basis. You can find it here.
On a related note… Kids Listen, the advocacy organization for high-quality kids audio content, has new survey research that dives into “questions of listening habits, technology usage, advertising preferences, and discovery methods, among others” within the genre.
In tomorrow’s Servant of Pod… On the show this week is Mariah Smith, reality TV expert and the host of Spectacle, Neon Hum Media’s new podcast series on the history of reality television.
Listen: I friggin’ love reality television. Yes, I know it’s exploitative. Yes, I know it’s trash. Yes, of course I know the word “reality” in the name is a misnomer, but also, in many ways, it’s not. Yes, I’m a gigantic hypocrite who clutches my pearls with the prospect of true crime yet am absolutely okay with all kinds of chicanery and exploitation that happens with the notoriously brutal reality television industry. (Presumably, the internal differentiator is death.)
Anyway, given my deep affinity for the television genre, it was my great pleasure to speak with Smith about Spectacle, her thoughts on the history and significance of reality television, and the growing relationship between reality television and podcasting.
You can find Servant of Pod on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or the great assortment of third-party podcast apps that are hooked up to the open publishing ecosystem. Desktop listening is also recommended. Share, leave a review, so on.