Apple to kill iTunes: why it makes no difference for podcasters

Apple has been widely reported over the weekend - and here in Podnews for the last few months - to be “killing iTunes”. This refers to the desktop app on Mac and Windows computers.

This is likely to be announced at WWDC, their developers’ conference, this week. So, what does this mean for podcasting? NOTHING: because you’re on Apple Podcasts, not iTunes. In fact, Apple mailed us back in February 2018 reminding us to always say “Apple Podcasts”, not “iTunes”.

The amount of listening on desktop is very small in comparison to mobile; but even so, it’s expected that Apple will announce a bespoke podcast app for MacOS to replace iTunes. Indeed, here’s the icon for it.

• Wild speculation: Apple Podcasts went on the web in April this year, so you can now listen to this fine podcast via Apple Podcasts on an Android, Windows or Linux device. However, there’s no front page for this experience yet: it just returns an unusual error. Is it moving to the web fully this week, with a proper front page and a method of subscribing (which there’s room for)?

• Wilder speculation: In the Apple Podcasts page code, there is mention of requiresSubscription for episodes, and price:Free - is this a paid-subscription service, or just Apple using a modified version of the AudioObject schema? (It’s probably the latter - the iTunes API has always returned similar fields).

• Our editor wrote Podcasting: What Apple Should Do Next in March, recommending Apple adds paid-subscription services, an Android app, and proper, robust APIs. He wonders how many of these ideas will materialise.

• The Tim Ferris Show is trying a new experiment: no ads, no sponsors, just a donation model. A blog post explains why.

• Podcast Brunch Club (like book club, but for podcasts) published its June listening list. The theme is Understanding China and the playlist includes 4 episodes that get into the country’s history, economy and culture.

• The London International Awards, a long-running advertising awards, have added podcasting as a separate competition this year.

• PodcastOne have revealed their Spring 2019 slate

Opinion

• It’s time for a podcast creation tool from Apple, says 9to5mac:

  Apple has always been about empowering people to build great things. From iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, and Garageband, Apple has always been at the center of technology and liberal arts. It’s now time for Apple to simplify the podcast creation experience.

• Nick Hilton writes about his first year running a podcast production company:

  The market is shaping up to be much less indie, much less counter cultural, much less innovative, going forward. … The money being invested into the podcasting industry is going to mean that there are lots more full-time podcast producers doing the rounds, but they’re going to be indentured to big, flush corporations.

Podcasts

Football, Feminism and Everything In Between is from former Labour spin-doctor Alastair Campbell and his comedian daughter Grace: which The Guardian calls “a chatty knockabout”. (Audioboom)

The Very Important Podcast is a branded podcast from air freshener Air Wick, featuring both hosts and guests sitting on the toilet. (SoundCloud)

How to build a dating app is a new podcast from, well, a company building their own dating app. (Buzzsprout)

Molly of Denali is a new action-packed adventure for kids rooted in Native storytelling (WGBH / PRX / PBS Kids)