Ambassador Ads change on Spotify

• Spotify has changed the eligibility for the company’s Ambassador Ads that can be used to earn money from podcasts. From Oct 1, creators must have 1,000 unique Spotify listeners within the past 60 days to qualify (the old limit was 100), and “we will limit the types of content eligible for this program”, the company has said.

  • The company is also to introduce “a new revenue share model for creators using Automated Ads”. We’ve no more detail as yet on that; they’re being expanded outside the US.

• Remote recording tool Zencastr has launched an iOS app for paid customers. The company has also launched ZenAI, an AI-driven clips creator for social platforms, for $299 a month.

• Another former Kast Media creator has spoken out against the company. Hawk vs Wolf's Jason Ellis posted on Instagram that the company “had decided to not pay us the money that they owe us”.

  • Last night Podnews spoke with Kast Media’s Colin Thomson, who told us that he has no confirmed future role at LiveOne, who are acquiring many Kast Media shows: and that his aim with the deal was to help creators as much as possible given the circumstances.

• Spotify for Podcasters reversed a three-month decline in August. The platform was responsible for 20.5% of all new episodes published last month; up from 20.1%.

• The share of downloads from Apple Podcasts for shows hosted by Buzzsprout increased by over 2% in August.

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• Podtrac measured 9.2% of all episodes released in August. It’s the highest share for the company ever. Spotify’s trackers are measuring 7.4%.

• Spotify has announced a new masterclass about “building a loyal fanbase”. It’s on Wednesday at 12pm ET, and is expected to focus on Spotify’s interactivity tools.

• Podshorty, a tool to “turn any YouTube video into an AI-summarized podcast” which we mentioned last month, has closed and refunded its users.

Moves and hires

• Lotten Skeppstedt has been hired as Head of Commercial for PodX. She had been Director of Books and Podcasts at Sesamy, a digital monetisation company founded by the founders of Acast.

• Sue McNamara, the Chief Revenue Officer of PodcastOne, and Eli Dvorkin, Podcast One’s Chief Content Officer, have both secured multiple-year contracts with the company. The company debuts later this week on NASDAQ.

The Tech Stuff - with RSS․com

• The Podcast Index has released the Podcasting 2.0 Music Top 100, a list of songs played in podcasts and their earnings. The top track by Corey Keller earnt $171 during the measured period.

• Taddy’s podcast API has enhanced its search functions, allowing searching by phrase and date. “Our most frequent search queries were for names”, the company says.

Podcast News - with Airwave

Part of the Airwave Podcast Network: The Civil War (1861-1865) is a history podcast where Rich and Tracy weave together a chronological narrative of the Civil War era. With more than 420 episodes, the hosts think the Civil War is not only a fascinating story from the past but is also important to understanding the America we live in today.

Strike Force Five became the #1 podcast on both Spotify and Apple Podcasts in the US since its launch last week. A new episode was published on Sunday.

LiSTNR has worked with the Australian Electoral Commission to produce Your Answer Matters, a podcast to help people understand the upcoming referendum in the country. Voting is compulsory; voters will be asked if the Constitution should be altered to recognise the First Peoples of Australia, by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice. We hope you’ll vote “yes”.

On Yer Bike is a new podcast launched by broadcaster Sanny Rudravajhala, Harriet Muckle and cycling journalist Katy Madgwick, following the Tour of Britain (which started yesterday). Helping them with expert insider info is professional rider, 24-year-old Red Walters, a British-Grenadian cyclist who is the Grenada national champion.

Eat Sleep Work Repeat is back with a new presenter lineup this week; Bruce Daisley is joined by Ellen C Scott and Matthew Cook. The show is one of the longest running and most listened to business podcasts in the UK.

Digital Folklore, a blend of audio fiction-style narrative and real-world expert interviews, returns for a new season today. Themes for this season include AI, disinformation, misinformation, conspiracy theories, the Mandela Effect, creepy clowns, and more. The show was selected as “new and noteworthy” by Apple last season.

From the TED Audio Collective, Fixable has returned for a new season. The podcast addresses the most pressing workplace issues today including: how often a remote workforce should come into the office, how to harness the power of artificial intelligence in the workplace rather than view it as an existential threat, and how to communicate with a senior member who is gaslighting you.