Monthly podcast listeners continue to grow

• The number of podcast listeners continues to grow in countries across the world , according to new data from the Reuters Institute. The Digital News Report 2024 says that “Podcasts continue to attract younger, richer, and better educated audiences, with news and politics shows heavily skewed towards men, partly due to the dominance of male hosts”, adding “Many markets have become saturated with content, making it hard for new shows to be discovered and also for existing shows to grow audiences.”

• Libsyn has integrated YouTube Music’s API, which lets podcasters automatically upload shows to YouTube. The API, which was announced at Podcast Movement Evolutions in March, automates the process of telling YouTube where your RSS feed is: Libsyn also pulls in statistics from YouTube to a separate page in the Libsyn dashboard.

  • Notably, Libsyn supports video podcasts, and will automatically upload those to YouTube. (We think no other podcast host offers this?)

• The first AI-powered podcast marketing tool, Capsho is to launch Capsho NextGen in open Beta. The tool includes self-learning, more flexibility and a custom tone of voice.

  • The company is also running a free event on Thursday with a number of entrepreneurs.

• Wellness Loud has launched a podcast and media network featuring a lineup of wellness experts.

• Podcast listening in Malaysia has increased 18% in the last year, according to Triton Digital’s Simon Lee. He will be sharing more data and insights at Podcast Day Asia, powered by Podnews, in Kuala Lumpur on Sep 3. Use code PODN10 to save.

• Audion has launched a voice cloning solution for advertising. The tool “can faithfully reproduce a person’s voice, creating synthetic audio recordings that imitate the specific tone, rhythm and nuances of that voice.” The company suggests it will allow voice actors to generate additional income.

• Blubrry has enhanced its podcast statistics with a way to compare your show with others in your category.

• Buzzsprout has launched a short weekly podcast called Buzzsprout Weekly. The show is aimed to cover new Buzzsprout tools, and is an accompaniment to the company’s weekly newsletter.

Tips and tricks - with Memberful

• Maribel Quezada Smith asks eight questions you should ask before you start your podcast, including “What are your goals?”

• We Edit Podcasts promises 100+ Podcasting Tips in 10 Minutes

Podcast News

The Explorers Podcast is one of Elon Musk’s favourite podcasts, according to a livestream on X. It’s an Airwave Media podcast from Matt Breen.

The Age of Napoleon Podcast is another one of Elon Musk’s favourite podcasts: a history podcast about the life and career of Napoleon Bonaparte as well as the general context of Europe between the early eighteenth and early nineteenth century. It, too, is an Airwave Media podcast.

Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History was the third and final podcast recommendation from Elon Musk - but also “probably my top recommendation”, he says. Hosted on Libsyn, “the podcast’s unique blend of high drama, masterful narration and Twilight Zone-style twists has entertained millions of listeners,” says the description.

Rob Flood and Philip Dodd host We Did It Medway which launches today. The show celebrates the best of Strood, Rochester, Chatham, Gillingham, Rainham and the Hoo Peninsula in England; and the first episode today features Kelly Tolhurst, the former MP for Rochester & Strood, and her Labour opponent, Lauren Edwards.

Which seven songs narrate your life story? Life in Seven Songs launches today - a new podcast by The San Francisco Standard. The show talks with trailblazers in intimate discussions about their life journeys. Through seven songs, guests will lay bare the milestones that have sculpted their identities and helped make them who they are today.

In Dispute: 10 Famous Trials That Changed History is new from the Legal Talk Network today. The show features reenactments of actual conversations preserved through trial transcripts; and legal analysis and modern-day reflections from Attorney J. Craig Williams. This podcast will dive into the trials of the Salem witches, Chicago Black Sox, O.J. Simpson, and McMartin Preschool childcare providers.