Spotify Poised to Surpass Apple Podcasts in U.S. Listeners This Year

[panjandrum]

It really is intuitively obvious though. How much more simpler do you want it to be?

I want it to allow me to set ALL podcasts to play in the proper order, rather than having to set each one, and to also remember the setting properly. (My key word is that was 'reliably' - which I probably could have expanded on, and now have!) That said, Overcast also does not allow this, but at least the rest of the app is much nicer, with that particular setting easier to find and tweak, with nice big easy to see buttons rather than tiny little ones. Fundamentally a lot of these issues come down to Apple's current lack of focus on making good, visible, usable UIs. Download Overcast and find that setting; it's obvious and easy - it's right there in your face as soon as you choose a podcast and download the first episode - three big visible buttons "Unplayed | All | Settings". Just as it should be. Apple's Podcast app? Nope, gotta dig for it, and even then I've experienced a lot of cases where it doesn't seem to "stick." Overcast's seems to work properly.

So, so important if you're listening to My Dad Wrote a Porno, after all! (hint, hint)

 

[Christian 5G]

Hurry up with that default music setting update already so I can set it to Spotify, tired of my free U2 playing every time I get in the car lol

 

[LeeW]

Spotify is a great service, far better than Apple Music which I would prefer to use simply as everything else I use would mean a better overall deal with Apple One.

But in my view, there is just no comparison. Spotify has nailed so many aspects of its service. Even my kids, their friends and others who use an iPhone would not consider Apple Music, Spotify all the way for them.

 

[Art Mark]

The correct answer to that headline is: "So what."

 

[RossMak]

I use Spotify to listen to podcasts, however I find it pretty terrible to find new podcasts on Spotify.

Ive never found a podcast app that does everything really well to be honest.

 

[Art Mark]

Apple has had five years to eat Spotifys lunch, in that time Spotify had added more subscribers than Apple has.

Podcasts don't really matter. And Spotify still doesn't make money. If anyone can eat Spotifys lunch it will be Amazon. I'm not sure this is any kind of issue. I think it would have been wise fo Apple to have stepped into Podcasting more directly early on, but it's such small potatoes.

 

[archer75]

I use Spotify to listen to podcasts, however I find it pretty terrible to find new podcasts on Spotify.

Ive never found a podcast app that does everything really well to be honest.

The only podcast app that I felt is any good is pocket casts. Been using it for years and years. I can't stand any of the other ones I've used. About twice a year i'll go through and check out the other ones to see what changes they've made but I always end up coming back to pocket casts.

 

[sjsharksfan12]

Podcasts are an uninteresting dead end!

Why do you say that. The whole reason I listen to podcasts is to listen to things I am interested in. I've actually made friends with Podcast hosts, at least when it comes to Star Trek and going to Star Trek conventions. It's also where I get most of my Hockey news content, because Sports Radio won't talk about Hockey and mock people who like the sport.

I just don't see Podcasts as a dead end but I am worried about fragmentation. I listen on Pocketcasts and I like the fact that Music and Podcasts are two separate things. It's not hard for me to change apps on my phone.

I remember when Apple made Podcasts mainstream and you had to plug in an Ipod into the computer to allow it to sync with Itunes to get the new episodes. I think I've been listening to podcasts for over a decade now.

 

[DummyFool]

I am a happy Spotify user. Don't know if Apple is better, don't care. Will never go with Apple as they will double the prices once they will have kill the small competition.

 

[hagar]

I’m not a fan of the Podcasts app either. I want my podcasts to be downloaded automatically on WiFi so I can listen to them in the car. But it Happens all the time they’re not there. They’re also out of order, episodes are missing, etc. All in all, I find the interface confusing and messy.

 

[SSDGUY]

Apple lost a lotta folks back in the iTunes days when they went from fun and intuitive to confusing and unintuitive after butchering the UI. I hadn't thought much about it lately, but recently was chatting w/ a relative and he commented on how it became so confusing so he went with Pandora of all things. People just aren't interested in revisiting an audio ecosystem that already gave them a bad taste in the mouth.

 

[archer75]

I’m not a fan of the Podcasts app either. I want my podcasts to be downloaded automatically on WiFi so I can listen to them in the car. But it Happens all the time they’re not there. They’re also out of order, episodes are missing, etc. All in all, I find the interface confusing and messy.

Never had this issue on the apple podcast app. What I want to auto download does and plays back in the order I want them to. While I have issues with the app this isn't one of them.

 

[sjsharksfan12]

Apple lost a lotta folks back in the iTunes days when they went from fun and intuitive to confusing and unintuitive after butchering the UI. I hadn't thought much about it lately, but recently was chatting w/ a relative and he commented on how it became so confusing so he went with Pandora of all things. People just aren't interested in revisiting an audio ecosystem that already gave them a bad taste in the mouth.

Maybe I'm just so used to it, but after buying a new computer and running Itunes from the windows store, I don't hate it as much as other people seem to. I would love for the Windows equivalent of what Mac users have, but I feel like Apple has kind of abandoned it's Windows users.

 

[Romeo_Nightfall]

I was/am a huge Joe Rogan fan, but I haven't listened to any of his Spotify output as I can't be bothered with yet another app.

Being able to listen to entire 2-3 hour shows on YouTube was perfect. What I missed on YouTube I caught up with on Apple Podcasts.

Podcasts were meant to be available to all. Exclusivity/greed has ruined it, like it ruins everything else.

Yeah, I could just download Spotify. I guess I would need to become a Premium member to get an ad-free experience. I like Joe, but not at £9.99 a month or whatever Spotify charges.

Seems you don’t like People get paid. Are you a school kiddo.

 

[redtape]

I'm not sure all those users that Apple lost actually went over to Spotify. It could be that the market for podcast increased and some users jumped ship from Apple to Google podcasts (or some other podcast app)...

 

[connormw]

I know it's to be expected here, but the hypocrisy is astounding.

To everyone on here saying "well they only have gotten their numbers up because they spent money on deals and content." Yes, that's true. But Apple did the same exact thing when launching Apple TV+ - spend a ton of money for content, taking the rights over for things like Peanuts, etc.

Everyone does this. And the reason for it is to try and grow your platform. Knocking Spotify for doing exactly what Apple does is peak MacRumors Forums.

 

[Romeo_Nightfall]

I use Spotify to listen to podcasts, however I find it pretty terrible to find new podcasts on Spotify.

Ive never found a podcast app that does everything really well to be honest.

Yeah seems impossible. I use Castro but far from perfect and only single device.

 

[Okasian]

Podcasts don't really matter…

…I think it would have been wise fo Apple to have stepped into Podcasting more directly early on…

 

[Jeaz]

If they say so. One of the producers of one of the largest podcasts here in Sweden (which is Spotifys home market) recently commented that, at least when it came to their listeners, around 80% still use Apple Podcasts, with the rest split Acast, Spotify and others. Maybe it's a demographic issue, but sounds odd that Spotify would be doing so great in the US when it can't get off the ground here were 95% use Spotify for their Music vs Apple Music.

 

[Steve121178]

Seems you don’t like People get paid. Are you a school kiddo.

Rogan was already getting paid by me on YouTube. He just did what was best for him and signed a deal with Spotify, which is fine.

Doesn't mean I have to subscribe to another app for just one podcast at £9.99 a month, does it?

After 2 mins research I can see that even as a Premium Spotify member, you still get ads listening to Rogan. Some people can't see the difference between getting paid and greed, kiddo.

 

[JDuggan]

Spotify, Audible, Stitcher Premium will be the downfall of podcasts.

They were fun while they lasted!

 

[zipster]

Not surprised. I was hesitant at first, but much prefer Spotify for podcasts (and music).

I think Apple really needs to step it up here in terms of design and usability.

 

[Localcelebrity]

Apple should have put Podcasts.app on Windows and Android by now

 

[manu chao]

That comparison does not tell the whole picture. There are four relevant levels to podcasting:

1. The producer (Spotify has entered that market but still only in a pretty limited way, Apple just announced their first podcast)
2. The podcast hosting, this is wide open market much like web hosting (Spotify only hosts the podcasts it produces)
3. The podcast directory, while Spotify has one just like Apple, I don't think third-party apps can use it
4. The podcast player, here Spotify and Apple are the two largest (at least on iOS, on Android, Google's podcast app probably has the largest share) but there is a pretty decent number of third-party options

Several (many/most) podcast players have their own directory but most might largely just mirror Apple's directory. Spotify's directory in the contrary, I think, can only be accessed by Spotify's 'podcast player' (ie, the Spotify app).

From a podcast producers point of view, when they submit their podcast to any of the directories (most producers will probably submit them to Apple, Spotify and Google), it matters how many listeners use players that access each of those directories. Thus one would need to add the marketshare of all third-party players that get their podcast directory from Apple to the marketshare of Apple's podcast player.

(I might be missing a few players in the above, but it paints the general picture.)

 

[Rob_2811]

If they say so. One of the producers of one of the largest podcasts here in Sweden (which is Spotifys home market) recently commented that, at least when it came to their listeners, around 80% still use Apple Podcasts, with the rest split Acast, Spotify and others. Maybe it's a demographic issue, but sounds odd that Spotify would be doing so great in the US when it can't get off the ground here were 95% use Spotify for their Music vs Apple Music.

Powerful JRE