Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Apple May Announce Podcasts Subscription Service at 'Spring Loaded' Event [Updated]

It will be interesting to see whether, like Apple News, this is something that individual content creators can opt-in to themselves in order to get a slice of revenue from Apple Podcast+ subscription revenue.

Like, if I ran "Alberta Unbound" podcast and I have 1000 regular downloads, can I join Apple Podcasts+ program and have my podcast on there for 10 cents per 1000 downloads?
 
✅ I’d like Hi-Res music as well. iTunes Match user.
✅ I don’t mind the podcasts to have expletives here & there, ‘+’ would ruin that I’d think.
✅ news+ I love...would not pay for podcasts...

I blame Spotify! 1/2 joking
 
I would not pay for a Podcast subscription service when so many are available for free.
 
Perhaps because I grew up with TV and radio programs supported by ads, but I listen to plenty of good podcasts that are ad-supported and in no rush to pay for content to just to avoid ads. I fear that podcasts / podcast producers will be gobbled up and really only way to have access to better-produced stuff will be paying subscription akin to cable, so I can enjoy 5-6 podcasts while having "unlimited access to hundreds of podcasts" (just like I can access the Home Shopping Network as a part of my cable subscription!)
 
diego said:
Apple's move towards becoming a subscription service company is enraging. We are already customers, why charge us again to use every single component of the ecosystem?
Click to expand...
Because they are now paying others to create and curate content that you will enjoy. You could choose not to subscribe.
 
  • Like
Reactions: burgman and iGeneo
DesignTime said:
I agree. The internet died a longtime ago. It’s now just marketing and retail business. Its no longer about making the world better and giving people access to useful information. It’s about how much money can one make from others. Google with their paid searches and Apple with their ecosystem.
Click to expand...
That's exactly whats been happening.
 
I wonder if Apple could be looking at letting people pay using their AppleID credit or payment details for paid for podcasts to challenge Patreon? For example, if Apple hosted a 'paid-for' podcast or additional content they could let content creators host their bonus stuff there and people can then pay using a trusted payment method (for which they take their usual 30 percent cut).

An alternative would be to create a $5 a month bundle add-on - perhaps included with any Apple One subscription - which would pay for some bonus content on bulk terms.

Either way, they do have to improve their podcast services and not rest on their laurels like they do with other stuff - Spotify and Amazon are in danger of overhauling Apple's legacy lead with Podcasts.

To be fair Apple could do the same with videos as well, effectively letting the service become an ad free way for approved content creators to upload curated content which would not be affected by ads (but would allow the creators to continue with sponsored reads perhaps?)

In effect, it would be like a back-door way for Apple to create a curated YouTube without the controversial nonsense.
 
I make large use of the podcast app, but as long as podcasts+ will be included in my Apple Music subscription, I don't mind.

Anyway the podcasts app is pretty bare-bones, so I hope this will give apple a chance to revamp it a bit.
 
it never fails... this is a free market. If you can't or won't pay for a podcast subscription, then just don't. This is not a requirement.

Apple is getting pressure from the content creators.

So many here are like "Apple is now making us pay for Podcasts"...

I would gladly pay, or have it as a part of my Apple ONE account. *IF* they offer premium content with minimal advertisement. Heck, even Leo Laporte is monetizing TWIT
 
I’m not sure why but I’ve always hated listening to podcasts. I guess I’m just a visual learner. I know many people love them & get a lot out of them.
 
SFjohn said:
I’m not sure why but I’ve always hated listening to podcasts. I guess I’m just a visual learner. I know many people love them & get a lot out of them.
Click to expand...
I do, especially the evening news shows, F1 sports podcasts, and others. Many fiction podcasts that are well produced As well.
 
  • Like
Reactions: iGeneo
grobik said:
If they want to be taken seriously for podcasts they need to scrap the app and start over. It’s been hot trash since it came out.
Click to expand...
It used to be really good, then around iOS 7 or 8, it became complete garbage. I switched to Pocket Casts and haven't looked back, although I haven't been thrilled with some of the changes to that app, either.

I don't really need new podcasts to listen to, but I'd very gladly pay a subscription fee to get the ones I listen to delivered without ads. It's annoying trying to skip them.
 
Consolidation of podcasts would be a very bad thing for consumers. Locking more content behind paywalls is the last thing we need.
 
Here are my pre-event hot takes. They’re probably all wrong but I guess we will find out for sure today.

1. Let me get this out of the way — most podcast are not free. Like others have said, they’re smothered in imbedded ads, and podcasters are getting good at making it hard to find the point where the banter ends and the ad begins, therefore making them hard to skip. So yes, you don’t pay at the moment to listen to it but you endure countless Casper or other service du jour pitches during your favorite shows and time has a cost.
2. If they do what I imagine, nothing will change other than offering podcasters a simple way to get their ”premium” content on the podcast app and charge users a subscription fee to access it - selling it as “Podcast +”. This falls into apple’s core belief of making it simple on both sides of the transaction. Apple will probably sign some famous people to do exclusive series like Spotify has, but I think this will concentrate mostly on getting premium content easily in the hands of users rather than having to use a 3rd party system to subscribe to a show’s exclusive content. What I fear is that podcasters will be forced to make their premium content exclusive to Podcast + if they decide to benefit from the the service and this would be bad IMO. And there will be podcast app developers and payment solution companies who will be pissed off too...
3. Apple will obviously keep a percentage for this service and podcasters will be indignant and publicly hesitant about the program unless the terms are comparable to their current payment solutions.
4. I could be wrong about it all and Apple will just announce something boring like an exclusive series with Meghan Markle and other blah celebrities.

This is what my crystal ball is forecasting.
 
grobik said:
If they want to be taken seriously for podcasts they need to scrap the app and start over. It’s been hot trash since it came out. And maybe for once fix it’s syncing issues and properly removing played episodes. You shouldn’t have to mark as played/mark unplayed/mark played again just to remove a podcast episode. Then repeat on Mac and iPad and Apple TV…. Oh and after all that, tell HomePod to play your podcasts and it starts playing episodes from 2 months ago that have long been marked as played.
Click to expand...
You are right. The Apple Podcast App is crap.
 
JippaLippa said:
Anyway the podcasts app is pretty bare-bones, so I hope this will give apple a chance to revamp it a bit.
Click to expand...
I think the podcasts app is intentionally designed to be that way.

Many people just want to have a podcast show up, and play it. At regular speed. And appear on all their devices automatically (Overcast for example still has no Mac or Apple TV app, or widgets). I don't see Apple doing too much to further improve the stock podcasts app because that would just end up over-serving the market and risk alienating their users.

That's partly why I find myself bouncing between overcast and the podcasts app of late. I love smart speed, but I find I am also losing my taste for fiddling a little bit, and the default iOS apps have pretty much gotten good enough.

So what Apple does is provide like 80% functionality, but this 80% is really what most people will ever need. You want more features (or some unique feature like smart speed), there's where you can opt for a third-party app with a more opinionated design (and that's how Apple allows them to continue to differentiate themselves).
 
The why is simple - If Apple can make money with a subscription service they will do it. And if they can 'massage' the content in a certain direction politically, all the better.

Just like TV+ they will likely lock a few high visibility podcasters to make you tune in, start/fund a few podcasts on their own to start a discussion, and probably end up with a service that will win lots of 'awards' but be primarily made up of 'free' subscriptions as a perk of buying their products every year.
 
zedsdead said:
Podcasting is the last free beacon and realm on the internet...very worried about its future.
Click to expand...
When I first read your comment, it came across as, "Podcasting is the last free BACON and realm on the internet," and I thought for sure I was doing podcasting all wrong!

I've never been to the Realm of Bacon, so what am I doing wrong? :p

Abazigal said:
Don’t these already exist?

Phone calls - your monthly phone plan
Use your devices - Apple’s iphone plan (whatever the plan is that splits your iphone into 24 monthly payments and lets you upgrade every year).
iCloud photos - that’s basically iCloud storage
Download free apps - there was actually an app I tried a while back which let you bookmark apps for free. There was a subscription service that would alert you whenever a bookmarked app had a discount, but then I realised you were better off just using the money to purchase those apps instead. Think it was lookmark or something.

Everything is a subscription theses days. If you are not subscribed to Apple, then you are subscribed to something else.
Click to expand...
Yep, your electricity, gas, insurance, and ISP are subscriptions too, if you think about it.
cesko said:
Before they ask money they better have Siri be able to properly handle podcasts particularly with HomePod mini. As is, sometimes it’ll play the latest episode, other time start an older one and other start playing a totally different podcast cause Siri is too damn stupid to understand the same question.
Click to expand...
Siri sucks. She gets dumber and dumber with each new release of iOS.

Naraxus said:
Ofc. Anything Tim Cook can do to milk another buck from the suckers.....
Click to expand...
Bucks don't like to be milked, and anybody who tries it is probably a sucker for major pain.

Surprise!
 
  • Like
Reactions: tubomac
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back