A new record for new podcasts

• A record number of podcasts were started in May. 96,537 new shows were added to Apple Podcasts, according to Daniel J Lewis’s My Podcast Reviews. The previous record, 90,977, was hit in April: it’s likely that the coronavirus pandemic had a positive effect in podcast launches. There are now 1,136,520 podcasts in Apple Podcasts, according to the data. (Apple Podcasts powers at least 75% of all podcast app directories)

• French subscription podcast company Majelan is to close in its current form. The company is pivoting to a “personal fulfilment” app, available in both French and English, as the founders explain in their own podcast (en Français). Much like Luminary, the company had a rocky launch, with some podcasters concerned at their inclusion in the app.

  
  This link is no longer available, as at Aug 24 2023

• The IAB has released a report of internet advertising revenue for 2019. Digital audio advertising revenue reached $2.7bn, an increase of 21%. That number includes all forms of audio streaming, not just podcasting - but the bureau attributes a 25% growth in audio revenue on mobile devices, in large part, to podcasting.

  
  Aug 24 2023: This broken link now points to the Internet Archive.
  • The reports from the IAB also include a coronavirus report, pointing to “significant pricing pressure” during the pandemic.

• Opportunity: in the latest podcasting jobs from Podjobs, we notice Apple is hiring for a US and Canada Editor for Apple Podcasts.

• Podtrac has published its final weekly update of podcast data amid the coronavirus. Most podcast consumption has returned to near normal levels; last week was affected by Memorial Day (the last graph in the data shows this most visibly). The data only contains participating publishers.

  
  Aug 24 2023: This broken link now points to the Internet Archive.

• Listnr makes a podcast in over 30 languages without recording anything - it uses speech synthesis, “synthesized by our Deep Learning Engine”.

• Podcasting WordPress plugin PowerPress has been updated to v8.3, offering an improved user experience and interface. The plugin from Blubrry powers more than 60,000 active podcasts.

• Podbean has launched a new Unlimited Business Plan for secure enterprise podcasting.

  
  Aug 24 2023: This broken link now points to the Internet Archive.

• WideOrbit has been added to the Rubicon Project ad exchange allowing ad buyers using Rubicon Project to buy advertising on WideOrbit’s publishers, including broadcast radio stations and podcasts.

• Entercom’s RADIO·COM content is now available to users of Houndify, SoundHound’s independent voice AI platform, which is in a bunch of cars as well as other products.

• Buzzsprout now has a button to get your podcast listed with Podchaser.

  
  Aug 24 2023: This broken link now points to the Internet Archive.

• 9to5Mac carries a comment that Apple Podcasts should allow 'Patreon-style’ donation options to help podcasters. There’s a standard for this, though neither Apple nor Google support it; our Editor suggests Apple should go further and allow podcast publishers to sell access to their shows.

Tips and tricks

• How to make your podcast more accessible using transcripts (DiscoverPods)

• What makes a great podcast? (Rachel Corbett)

• Mistakes to avoid when starting a podcast (Podcast Generator)

Podcast News - with The Jordan Harbinger Show

On The Jordan Harbinger Show Clinical psychologist Justin Ramsdell, on why stressed brains don’t make great decisions, being wary of “intellectual trespassers” who make wild claims about areas outside their expertise, and how to avoid being hoodwinked by pseudoscience charlatans. Listen now

PushBlack’s Black History Year reached #6 in the Apple Podcast charts (and #1 in the history category) in the first 24 hours of release. In the first 48 hours, it reached over 20,000 subscribers, according to the press release. The podcast “connects listeners with Black thinkers and activists that have been left out of mainstream conversations”.

Live! From Tomorrow bills itself as an 'epic musical comedy about tech and innovation' - tackling subjects like climate change, blockchain, coworking, and cryptocurrencies in the style of a cast album.