Report: Apple Podcasts Favors Shows With Subscriptions

[fatTribble]

I'm not sure I would call it greedy. It is simply what all publicly trade corporations need to do. Grow Revenue. Period. Shareholders expect that. So Apple as in every other company, has to grow year after year. I am an investor in Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet, and NVIDIA. I expect that stock to grow every single year as part of my retirement. So they need to find ways to generate revenue. With EU rules and US impending they will lose some growth there and need to make up for it elsewhere. Just a fact of capitalism, right or wrong.

I completely agree. I guess I wonder if there is a point where you start to lose views and clicks because of that approach. Personally I’ve pulled back from the TV app in favor of using the individual streaming app solely because of the obvious advertised content overshadowing what I’ve already paid for.

 

[Harry Haller]

Any problems, he goes to Paulie. Trouble with the bill? He can go to Paulie. Trouble with the cops, deliveries, Tommy, he can call Paulie. But now the guy's gotta come up with Paulie's money every week, no matter what

“Is that a problem?” Paulie

 

[bodhisattva]

The problem is everything having to be about money. Podcasts didn’t used to be about that (and luckily mostly still aren’t outside Apple and Spotify). Also luckily Apple still allows third-party podcast apps without asking a cut of whatever the podcasts they provide access to may happen to make.

Podcasts have always included the money element. Whether it is a shoutout to a sponsor, running ads, etc. Very few if any have been about the message.

 

[Dan From Canada]

Apple has evolved into a company that is more into satisfying investors at the expense of consumers.
Nothing wrong with that. They are allowed and I am allowed to vote with my dollar.

 

[Dan From Canada]

Podcasts have always included the money element. Whether it is a shoutout to a sponsor, running ads, etc. Very few if any have been about the message.

Ive unsubscribed from a few podcasts over the years not because they were horrible but because ads were being injected mid-sentence.
I have no problem listening to an ad. I get it. Everyone wants/needs some sort of revenue but when it becomes intrusive...

 

[truthsteve]

It’s wrong in that it disadvantages free podcasts who just make a little money on the side with ads and/or donations. It incentivizes podcasts to change to a subscription model, which is exactly what Apple wants, but is to the detriment of consumers.

Or

podcasts that people are paying for is a strong signal that the content is much higher quality than the free podcast, making it more relevant to users searching.

 

[bodhisattva]

I'm not sure I would call it greedy. It is simply what all publicly trade corporations need to do. Grow Revenue. Period. Shareholders expect that. So Apple as in every other company, has to grow year after year. I am an investor in Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet, and NVIDIA. I expect that stock to grow every single year as part of my retirement. So they need to find ways to generate revenue. With EU rules and US impending they will lose some growth there and need to make up for it elsewhere. Just a fact of capitalism, right or wrong.

Agree 100%. It's the way of the marketplace. Even the mom and pop ice cream shop in the 50s existed to make a profit. It's not that Apple has changed, but rather the market place has along with all businesses that want to grow. A breakfast sandwich costing $5, a coffee costing $8, and a pack of those irresistible girl scout cookies growing in cost prove we just need to adjust, adapt and move on. For podcasts, we could all just charge a yearly $0.05 fee and technically we are subscription based and can march to the front of the line.

 

[bodhisattva]

Ive unsubscribed from a few podcasts over the years not because they were horrible but because ads were being injected mid-sentence.
I have no problem listening to an ad. I get it. Everyone wants/needs some sort of revenue but when it becomes intrusive...

The majority of subscriptions I purchase is for this exact reason. The ads have became a bit too much.

 

[truthsteve]

Podcasts didn’t used to be about that

Podcast used to be just a hobby, not full time gigs.

 

[Amazing Iceman]

The problem is everything having to be about money. Podcasts didn’t used to be about that (and luckily mostly still aren’t outside Apple and Spotify). Also luckily Apple still allows third-party podcast apps without asking a cut of whatever the podcasts they provide access to may happen to make.

Take a day off and do Uber for free... If everything is not about the money, you won't mind doing it.

 

[truthsteve]

And if there was, we should rally against it,

it's always been like this. vote with your wallet.

 

[.wojtek]

Podcast - a marvel triumph of open tech stack (it's based on RSS!) paired with patron model works great but of course corporate greed and Spotify, Apple and likes have to destroy that... argh... 🙄

 

[thejadedmonkey]

EU like: excuse me!

I hope so. These sorts of practices unfairly disadvantages anyone who wants to do it for free as a hobby.

 

[ugahairydawgs]

This is very American view of business. There is absolutely no necessity to maximize profits in order to have a healthy business. It’s also a myth that there would be a duty towards shareholders to maximize profits. And if there was, we should rally against it, because it’s not beneficial to customers and not healthy for society. Profits should be a means to an end, not the end itself.

You are talking in terms of how you feel the world should be, not how it actually is. Shareholders invest in companies to grow their investments, so yes....the duty of the company is to reward those shareholders for their trust in the company by working to maximize profits, which also serves to entice additional investors in the future. Customers of Apple also invest in other companies or markets in general, which serves their interests as well. It would be hypocritical to want your own personal portfolio of investments to grow while at the same time bemoaning a specific company for doing the same for their shareholders.

 

[Rogifan]

So what’s the problem?
When you go to a store, the Clearance section is all the way in the back.
Some small stores will put some clearance items in the front to bring people in, but the big stores don’t need to do that.
Once again, what’s the problem?

I don’t use Apple’s podcasts app. I listen to numerous podcasts, none of which require a subscription as they’re all ad-based. Shouldn’t placement be based on popularity and not who’s offering a subscription that Apple can take a cut of?

 

[darkcompass]

But those days are mostly gone. Podcasts started out as randoms in their basement recording on their laptop mics, now many of them are professional operations that people rely on to feed their families. There are still some of the former around, but we're kidding ourselves if we don't look at podcasts as a business.

The Randoms are not dead, we just smell funny.

 

[crsh1976]

Incoming paid Podcasts+ subcriptions..

 

[scuac]

For profit company prioritizes profits. More news at 11.

 

[scorpio vega]

The problem is everything having to be about money

It’s a business not a charity.

 

[scorpio vega]

Apple has evolved into a company that is more into satisfying investors at the expense of consumers.
Nothing wrong with that. They are allowed and I am allowed to vote with my dollar.

Until android starts doing the same. Oh wait.

 

[icwhatudidthere]

I completely agree. I guess I wonder if there is a point where you start to lose views and clicks because of that approach. Personally I’ve pulled back from the TV app in favor of using the individual streaming app solely because of the obvious advertised content overshadowing what I’ve already paid for.

I hate what the TV app had turned into. It’s basically as bad as the Amazon Prime video app was. I swear anything Eddy Cue touches turns to **it.

 

[needsomecoffee]

With Netflix on my device (older iPad) when clicking into a show like "Monk" to get to the episodes all 16 in a season would be shown in one list. Now ten are shown and there is a another tableau of "shows that might interest you" JUST LIKE the page I left to see the season's Monk episodes. Gotta hit the "More" button now to get rid of the tableau and see all 16 episodes. In one of the worst GUI changes ever Amazon no longer lets me see a list of Kindles to deliver a eBook borrowed from the Library. Used to have a drop-down list. Now one must first go to the devices pages, choose the appropriate device as the default, then download the eBook because it only downloads to the default device (they took the drop-down list away). Undoubtedly as Apple grows its podcast market those shown at the top will simply be the most profitable to Apple (eithe subs rev, or direct ad buy). If other changes favor Apple Revenue at our expense they will be made. It is strange to me (notably the Amazon change) how things so often get WORSE... but, but Shareholder Value.

 

[hans1972]

The problem is everything having to be about money. Podcasts didn’t used to be about that (and luckily mostly still aren’t outside Apple and Spotify). Also luckily Apple still allows third-party podcast apps without asking a cut of whatever the podcasts they provide access to may happen to make.

Maybe developers should be the ones starting with not caring about money.

 

[fatTribble]

This is very American view of business. There is absolutely no necessity to maximize profits in order to have a healthy business. It’s also a myth that there would be a duty towards shareholders to maximize profits. And if there was, we should rally against it, because it’s not beneficial to customers and not healthy for society. Profits should be a means to an end, not the end itself.

When my company was American owned it was an excellent place to work. We had great profits and the employees were happy. Then we got bought by a Dutch company. I could give dozens of examples to bore everyone but the upshot is that profits were the only thing that mattered. People no longer mattered. Quality no longer mattered. Frankly the customers no longer mattered as long as they didn’t discover our declining quality.

 

[ApplesAreSweet&Sour]

So what’s the problem?
When you go to a store, the Clearance section is all the way in the back.
Some small stores will put some clearance items in the front to bring people in, but the big stores don’t need to do that.
Once again, what’s the problem?

It's great that Apple offers ways for podcasters to earn revenue directly on Apple Podcasts.

But whether or not a podcast choses to opt into this shouldn't lend it more exposure over those that don't.

This has everything to do with Apple earning a cut of the subscription fee revenue and nothing to do with promoting the most interesting and popular voices in podcasting.

No wonder my Podcasts recommendations are so far off and never feature the shows that are truly popping in my country or relate to my listening history.

I thought it was some bug or lack of a recommendation algorithm altogether.