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Apple Meets With Podcasters to Hear Wide-Ranging Community Grievances
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They're damned if they do and damned if they don't aren't they.
Apple should do this for their whole product line up, OSX and iOS. Getting feedback from people who actually use your products throughout the whole day can be extremely useful. I'm not sure why they are not doing this already. Reading through feedback emails from their site (if they even read them at all) isn't enough I think. They should just read these forums, people complain here a lot. But many of those complaints are actually valid and it's stuff Apple should look into.
Now I think about it, this would be a interesting job as well. If Apple had someone who would get in touch with users, sharing improvement ideas, comments, concerns etc. and reporting back to them.
I know I'd like a job like this.
Now I think about it, this would be a interesting job as well. If Apple had someone who would get in touch with users, sharing improvement ideas, comments, concerns etc. and reporting back to them.
I know I'd like a job like this.
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Nobody really gives a hoot about NDA's. Nobody has every really given a hoot about NDA's. Think about how many stories you've read where "spoke on the condition of anonymity". Besides, Apple could have wanted the info leaked, because it looks like they're doing something. <-- Complete supposition on my behalf.
NDA's today are the equivalent of an electrical fence with no power.
The complaint about sharing seems absurd. From the iOS podcast app it takes three clicks to share. 1 to access the share sheet. 2 to select the social network you desire. 3 to post. Barring putting a giant Facebook button on there that shares immediately I don't see what the complaint is.
I wonder if some marketing jerks will come in and work on a way to monetise podcasts, like charging per subscription
in iTunes.
in iTunes.
Don't you mean
"Good example of apple, after years of inaction, finally get around to listening to customers. We await the day they might actually do something about it"
Right, why the hell should 7 elite media distributors be allowed to wreck everything? The great thing about podcasting is that it IS kind of like a return to the early heady days of radio. All kinds of marginal voices can gain access. Why in God's name should anyone necessarily be allowed to turn it into revenue stream? Advertise on your podcasts, fine. Mention your sponsors, fine. But the minute you start to allow heavy-hitters to distinguish themselves, you've de-democratized the whole thing.
I subscribe through Howl to get access to a much larger backlog of episodes, but also to support the cause. It's not much. Better than nothing
People who think a $400B company doesn't regularly have sessions with all kinds of groups for input have probably never been invited to give their opinions about anything at all.
That said, when content providers make a lot more money, so does Apple. Monetize podcasts like apps, and both podcasters and Apple will increase see billions in revenue.
That said, when content providers make a lot more money, so does Apple. Monetize podcasts like apps, and both podcasters and Apple will increase see billions in revenue.
They are probably talking more about traditional audio broadcasting, like radio. It's not that it's crashing, but changing so drastically that the old-school folks who can't adapt feel like it's crashing.
I haven't used those apps, but I don't think so (unless they are somehow reading from and subscribing via iTune's directory). A podcast lives wherever the feed and files live. iTunes is just a directory. Once you're subscribed (aside from Apple keeping track of your subscription if you're using that eco-system) iTunes has nothing to do with it anymore.
That's what concerns me, because several of the top podcasts are now NPR and such players that don't really represent the whole podcasting community at all. They saw it was taking off, and jumped, bringing a huge existing audience. And, for the most part, they seem clueless about how *most* podcasts work, metrics, advertising, etc.
Google Play is getting into it too now. But, I'm *really* hoping Apple keeps it a directory. The *worst* thing that could happen to podcasting is if some company tries to bring it in-house and monetize it somehow. In that regard, Apple has done a *GREAT* job so far of keeping hands-off.
They could, I suppose. But, at the moment, once someone is subscribed, Apple has no real control over it. And, if they did, podcasters could just encourage people to subscribe other ways with other apps. Apple is just the biggest of the podcast directories right now, but they don't own it in any way.
I suppose, but then one would think they'd go beyond the top 7 podcasters, as those few don't have much in common with the rest.
Once you're subscribed, you're reading the RSS/XML feed *directly* from where the podcast is hosted. So, anyone subscribed with any app will see the whole backlog of episodes. It's only when you're looking in the iTunes interface (not subscribed) that you're limited to, I think 300 past episodes (i.e.: that's all Apple keeps in their directory index).
Exactly! I remember reading MacWorld articles about this new podcasting thing and here was how you got set up to produce one WAAAY before it was included with iTunes.
This is excellent news, now I can listen to my podcasts on Spotify.
I'm not sure what this has to do with Spotify...
Yes, it was around before that and termed 'podcasting' but didn't take off in popularity until Apple's adding it to iTunes. I think basically it was just a bit too much work for most people before that. You had to download files and then transfer them to your player. Before my iPod, I used to burn MP3s to a CDRW and play them in my car stereo (only some car stereos could do that well.)
https://internationalpodcastday.com/podcasting-history/
Well then Dan Calin wasn't one of the top podcasters they invited. He'd have turned on the others and read them the riot act about the importance of respecting others personal data privacy.
The biggest failing of Apple regarding podcasts is that broken down disaster of an iOS app I just described in the last thread...
The biggest failing of Apple regarding podcasts is that broken down disaster of an iOS app I just described in the last thread...
Respectfully, reading it again—from the article:
Top of the complaints list was a frustration among podcasters at their lack of ability to make money through subscription downloads, mainly due to insufficient access to data about their listeners - data that they argued Apple is in a unique position to provide.
In other words: Apple has access to who is downloading—market data—that Podcasters could use to attract advertisers and make better advertising decisions (on the podcast itself).
So for example, if a podcast could know that 80% of listeners are women, then they could feature that data in their press kit, attracting advertisers that sell products to women exclusively. A more specific example would be that Tide wants to advertise to female-focused podcasts because women primarily do the shopping for households (statistically).
If you have a science-based podcast named 'Science Geek 101', for example, which is not a gender-biased topic, how are you supposed to know how many women listen to your podcast vs men? Apple knows because they have the data. But you, the podcaster, do not.
It has nothing to do with (specifically) monthly fees. Podcasters want to know market data so they can sell advertising "air-time" to the right advertiser.
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Why wouldn't they have this data?
Once someone is subscribed to your podcast, you can get stats on them just like you could if they visit your website. Both LibSyn and Blubrry offer pretty advanced statistics that go ****WAY**** beyond what Apple could provide (unless Apple attached subscriber names and credit cards, heh).
Yes, Apple might have a bit more specific data around that initial subscription, as it is tied to a user account and such. But, that's not really the critical data (or at least shouldn't be) for an advertiser making the decision. Again, I'm guessing these top 7 podcasters don't know what they are doing, as they are likely coming from traditional media.
That was my reaction too. I listen to a ton of podcasts (I'd go crazy at work w/o them) and I don't feel like any I listen to have these complaints. All of mine have advertisements too so maybe...idk. Maybe this will come up in some of them now if it becomes a larger talking point for the community. /shrug
Where did podcasting get it's name?
I bolded a part of your comment because I think you answered the question. Apple doesn't provide detailed info like LibSyn/Blubrry (as far as I know, and trusting your comment).
Apple has access to the default Podcast app, phones, laptops, iCloud accounts, credit cards, location data, and so on. I doubt Podcasters are demanding that data to such an extent, but why wouldn't they ask for *more* data, or at least standard data types.
I'm sure Podcasters would like to know listening habits (iPhone vs iPad, listening times, time played) and demographic data (age, gender, race, location, etc). I don't know what LibSyn/Blubrry has on all that but I'm sure Apple could
- increase access to data
- build better tools to access and analyze that data
I've never liked the sharing via the Podcast app. My girlfriend would text me a link to an episode via the share sheet, and the link would drop me into the podcast in iTunes...but with no indication of the specific episode.
I've been much happier with Overcast.
My favorite podcast network has the occasional Kickstarter campaign, and I'm happy to be a monthly contributor. But I wouldn't feel that way about all the podcasts I currently listen to. Would depend on the price I guess.
Gotcha.
I was just wondering what sort of data podcasters are looking to get from Apple... and using myself as an example of someone who isn't using an Apple solution to listen to podcasts.
The actual podcasts are served from somewhere else (Libsyn, Podtrac, etc) so they aren't tied to Apple at all, right? If I understand correctly... podcasts are basically RSS feeds and an MP3 file served from somewhere.
So if a podcaster wanted to know how many downloads they are getting... they'd check with their podcast provider... not necessarily Apple.
Apple must know what you're listening to... but the file itself is coming from some other service. So those numbers would be equally as valuable.
(unless I'm completely wrong... no file actually comes from Apple servers, right?)
