New concept podcast earbuds

• POD Pods are earbuds with a case specifically designed for podcast listeners - with hardware that includes a dedicated skip button, and a colour e-ink display. Disappointingly - they’re just a concept, from Japanese designer Lee Huang. We’d buy one. Maybe.

• In the UK, Bauer Media sold its stake in digital audio marketplace Octave to its joint venture partner, News UK, last month. This month, the company has announced its digital audio ad platform AudioXi will be rolled out into the market - “our long-term strategic plan”, said ad-boss Simon Kilby.

• Google’s NotebookLM is now being rolled-out in over fifty languages. The tool makes AI-hosted podcasts from whatever information you feed it.

• The IAB is to run a training event on Jul 16. Audio 360: The Evolution of Audio & Podcasting is training on how to buy, target and measure audio advertising.

• Marco Arment, the developer of Overcast, made a YouTube video about his e-ink notetaker. John Spurlock freeze-framed it when he briefly showed his Overcast to-do list. So, now we know that coming up is a rewrite of the Apple Watch app and some CarPlay work; but also a new “you might also like” feature, and a “nicer directory”.

• Spotify is running the first ever Mexico Podcast Awards and has announced the nominees. The winners will be announced on Jun 4. When we looked last year, Spotify had 91% market share for podcast downloads in the country.

• PRX has announced two Podcast Creator Summits, in Austin TX and Atlanta GA. The events will offer free in-person seminars, talks, workshops, and networking opportunities.

• The 4,235,346th “AI-driven podcast based on Hacker News” has been launched. This one suggests that it’s AI-driven; while one of the presenters is definitely an AI voice, the other one sounds like a real Aussie to us.

• Eric Nuzum published his latest newsletter, and suggested that podcasting has fundamentally changed in the last several years - splitting into “chatcasts” and “storycasts”.

• The British investment manager Baillie Gifford now owns 5.3% of Spotify.

Tips and tricks - with The Podcast Show London

• Pod The North asks “should you consolidate your podcast feeds”? Jonas Woost at Bumper goes into the reasons you might want to do that.

Podcast News - with Airwave

New on Airwave: Go In the Test Kitchen with Dan Souza and his co-host for an interview-based video podcast that celebrates the joy of food, cooking, and what happens behind the scenes at America’s Test Kitchen. Each episode is a mix of expert insights, personal anecdotes, and lively discussions with guests from the culinary world and beyond.

In The OrganizedPreneur’s Podcast Launchpad this week, the episode covers the importance of a good microphone, the role of headphones, the necessity of a computer, and the various audio editing software options available. Aldreama also encourages listeners to focus on the essentials and not to get caught up in perfectionism when starting their podcasting journey.

Floating Space is for anyone searching for a place where they truly belong. It’s believed that everyone needs three places: home, work, and a space in between – the third place. But in a post-Covid, cost-of-living crisis, online-centred world, how many of us actually have one? Join the exploration of artist collectives, private members’ clubs, nightlife communities, the great outdoors, and more.

How do you create happy, healthy, high performing teams? Find out in this new podcast from Helen Sanderson MBE. On the first episode of Practices for Psychological Safety & Autonomy In Teams, Helen speaks to Tom Geraghty and Jade Garratt about psychological safety, what it is, why it matters and what practices can help.

Women aren’t better than men at seeing mess or multitasking, and men aren’t bumbling caregivers who can’t change a diaper or find the keys - MissPerceived has the academic research and evidence saying so. The podcast has partnered with New America to bring audiences a special season about the “Mental Load”- the invisible, emotional labor that disproportionately impacts women.

In 5 Random Questions this week, TINK Media’s Lauren Passell tells you why her shower belly wasn’t a first date hit, how she got on a bar’s Wall of Fame for drinking a shot called The Punisher, why only intense games of Sharks and Minnows matter, and more.