Libsyn now hosts 67,000 shows; but CFO resigns

• Libsyn’s Chief Financial Officer, John Busshaus, has resigned. It comes after a complaint by the US’s Securities and Exchange Commission, accusing Busshaus and Libsyn’s CEO, Chris Spencer, of negligence and misrepresentation involving Libsyn’s previous parent company. Busshaus and Spencer have agreed to a settlement “without admitting or denying the allegations”; and Busshaus has also agreed to a two year suspension of appearing or practicing as an accountant before the SEC.

  • In brighter news, Libsyn now has 67,000 active shows, and 5.6m available episodes. August and September were the second and third best months, respectively, for new podcast signups in the company’s history, according to the company’s latest financial statement.
  • In July, we reported that a minority of disgruntled shareholders led by Camac had succeeded in forcing Libsyn to convene a special meeting, seeking to change the board and corporate governance. Libsyn announced last month that the meeting will be held in Reno NV on November 8th.

• What are the most important metrics to watch? It’s not just a story about downloads, says Pacific Content’s Dan Misener.

• In the US, the IAB’s Podcast Upfront in New York NY has sold out.

  
  Aug 17 2023: This broken link now points to the Internet Archive.

• Steven Goldstein reviews the Amazon Echo Auto. “I was able to resume the podcast from where I left off on my home Echo device later”, he writes - a feature Google has had for the past year - and adds: “It is exciting and empowering to be able to call upon any podcast especially if you did not place it in the queue of your smartphone ahead of your ride.”

  
  This link is no longer available, as at Aug 17 2023

• Nick Quah writes his list of the top podcast apps for Vulture. His top pick? Pocket Casts. He describes Apple Podcasts as “not a particularly good experience”.

• KCAA, an NBC and CNBC affiliate radio station in California, has a price list for one of its shows. An interview will cost you $75. To play your song? $50. (Some podcasts, too, charge for interviews.)

• We Edit Podcasts have posted three easy steps towards accepting donations for your podcast. “Sometimes just asking nicely is all that’s needed to motivate your listeners to support your show,” they add, which reminds us to mention our Patreon page.

• Podcast hosting platform Pinecast was down for two hours in the morning of October 2nd. Traffic had mysteriously “more than tripled” in the hours previous. It’s back up and fine.

• ABC News Chief Meteorologist Ginger Zee can’t hold it back any more: announcing yesterday that she is hosting Inside Frozen 2, a behind-the-scenes podcast about the making of the sequel to Frozen. The podcast will launch as the days get shorter and colder on November 20, though we’re guessing being a meteorologist, the cold never bothered her anyway. (Walt Disney Animation Studios / ABC Audio)

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Podcasts

Sue Perkins: an hour or so with… was launched yesterday at the IAB Podcast Upfronts in the UK. The comedian and writer, known as a host of The Great British Bake Off, features Mary Berry as her second guest. (Audioboom)

On Oct. 1, 2017, a country music festival in Las Vegas was interrupted by a barrage of gunfire. In Critical Condition: accounts from One October, Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Shea Johnson shares the stories of two Las Vegas police officers, a woman in dire straits and the night their lives intersected.

The Heirpod is a brand new podcast from ABC Audio, with royal news and interviews from the British Royal Family. The first episode was published yesterday, from Harry and Meghan’s tour of Africa. (ABC Audio / Wide Orbit)

Radiolab’s Jad Abumrad has been working 9 to 5 on a new podcast. Dolly Parton’s America is a deeply personal, historical, and musical rethinking of one of America’s great icons. (WNYC Studios / OSM Audio)

The last voyage of the Pong Su reveals the true story of one of the most audacious drug trafficking efforts in Australia’s history - featuring a North Korean dictator, bags of heroin, drug lords, spooks, sailors, Australian cops and a web of lies. (The Age / Omny Studio)