Spotify Announces Podcasts Subscription Service to Rival Apple Podcasts

[Janak Parekh]

I also pay for podcasts already, and I'm hoping they offer an Apple Podcasts option because I'd happily delete my Patreon account and eliminate one more opportunity to be part of a data breach.

I have two problems with the Apple offering:

1. One of the podcasts I subscribe to, I listen in Pocket Casts. It'd be a loss for me to have to use Apple Podcasts. (Amongst other things, Apple Podcasts has no audio trimming or voice boosting like Overcast or Pocket Casts.)
2. Creators can't offer other content other than just podcast episodes. A number of the creators I subscribe to on Patreon do offer extras, private updates, discussion forums, etc.

Limitations aside, yes, I'd otherwise prefer Apple's offering, but I don't know if enough creators are going to buy in, especially given all the competition. We'll see.

 

[Janak Parekh]

I probably have six to ten podcasts I'm subscribed to. Some of them I really enjoy. I wouldn't pay for them though, nor would I pay for 'additional content.'

I would volunteer you're a very casual podcast listener, so that makes sense. A lot of us listen to a lot more podcasts than that. I listen to 35 talk podcasts (in Pocket Casts) and 9 music podcasts (in Apple Podcasts). I'd bet some of the folks on this thread listen to even more.

I spend way more time on podcasts than I do on streaming video services. At that point, the idea of paying becomes a lot more natural.