Will Celebrities Ruin Podcasting?

Are celebrities ruining podcasting? The great Tom Webster says no. In fact, celebrities (and their social media followings) will help get eyes and ears on the industry. But the proverbial cream will rise to the top, and only well executed podcasts will stick around. Celebrities have long failed at hosting TV shows (and radio shows I might add). It's nice to get people's attention, but in the end - good content will win out. Here's the link to Tom's piece: https://tomwebster.media/archive/the-celebrity-podcast-neither-fish-nor-fowl/

There's a long standing tradition in the news, politics, and business worlds known as a "Friday News Dump." When there's negative information to release about yourself, conventional wisdom is to do it on a Friday afternoon or evening, when nobody is paying attention.

Well Apple must have some news types in their PR department, because they FINALLY acknowledged the issues around Apple Podcasts. And when did they blast an email out to all podcast creators? 5:31 Eastern time last Friday afternoon, at the start of a long weekend.

Naturally, it starts off all positive - regarding the announcement of subscriptions and channels: "We've been delighted by the response and its exciting to see the hundreds of new submissions every day."

Then, they admit they are pushing the launch of these products to June...when exactly? Well, dunno. Apple kept it nice and vague by sending this note out on May 28th. And of course they soft pedaled the myriad issues that users have been having.

• Over the last few weeks, some creators have experienced delays in the availability of their content and access to Apple Podcasts Connect. We’ve addressed these disruptions and encourage creators experiencing any issues tocontact us.
  
  We’ve also heard from listeners and made adjustments based on their feedback with iOS 14.6, which was released on Monday. We will introduce additional enhancements to Library in the coming weeks.
  
  Thank you for your understanding. We can’t wait to see your new subscriptions and channels and we are looking forward to launching them to listeners around the world soon.
  
  Best regards,
  The Apple Podcasts team

It's an archaic, stock response like this that makes me wonder about Apple's long-term future in podcasting. Apple used to be regarded as one of the most forward-thinking, dynamic companies on the planet. Now it seems they are trying to tread water as the podcast leader, while Spotify and others invest heavily in the space and in the user experience. Maybe podcasts just aren't a priority. Podnews reported last week that Apple now makes more revenue from their App store than the entire music industry earns from music. Think about that for a second.

We're getting closer to Podcast Movement, the world's biggest (and best, if you ask me) Podcast Convention. It's August 3-6 in Nashville, and organizers have revealed more details. Those attending in person will have access to 20 bars and restaurants on site, a waterpark, and more. Those attending virtually can do via the SwapCard app, which Podcast Movement 2020 Virtual used last year. https://podcastmovement.com/featured/details-on-the-pm21-venue-and-virtual-platform/

Podchaser has upgraded its interface as it looks to become the IMDB of podcasting. I actually created a profile that lists every show I've hosted, produced, edited, and even guested on. You can see how it looks here: https://jagindetroit.com/podcastcredits

If you're looking to get donations from your podcast listeners, and don't want to go the Patreon route, you can now use the Stripe platform without a website.

Want help with your new, or existing podcast? Find me online at www.jagindetroit.com

Find jag on social media @JAGPodcastProductions or online at JAGPodcastProductions.com

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