Spotify launch a browser-based podcast audio editor

• Spotify has launched Soundtrap, a browser-based podcast editing suite. Offering editing, transcription, and some additional audio processing features, the software costs US$15/month and has been compared to “Google Docs for podcasting”. Spotify purchased Soundtrap at the end of 2017. We’ve had a short play and it seems remarkably capable. (Of note - it should work on a Chromebook, opening podcasting up to a whole new set of people including education).

• Not to be out-done, audio editing program Audacity v2.3.2 has been released. This free audio editing software now includes MP3 creation utility LAME, better support for Nyquist plugins, as well as a few extra features. The software’s free.

• If you’re using the Yoast SEO plugin for your Wordpress website, and you self-host, caution: it specifically stops Google Podcasts from working.

• The Android Google Podcasts app is testing auto-downloading for some users. It appears it works just like any other podcast app - downloading using wifi only (if you want), and auto-removing episodes after thirty days (if you want). Yes please, Google.

• We regularly see which podcast app is most popular; but Simplecast have shared which web player is most popular for their podcasts. Ignoring their own player, Apple Podcasts leads the pack, driving about 2.5 times more plays than Google Podcasts - so far.

• Magellan have released the top 15 US podcast advertisers for April. The insurer Geico has moved back to #2, ZipRecruiter is still #1, and our favourite Quip is at #4.

• Poynter, a respected journalism title in the US, has posted a long and useful set of experiences about launching a new podcast.

• A podcast addict takes two weeks away from podcasts.

  
  Aug 13 2023: This broken link now points to the Internet Archive.

• Podchaser, the IMDB for podcasting, has added user profiles. Here’s co-founder Cole Raven.

  
  This link is no longer available, as at Aug 13 2023

• Why do people love true crime podcasts? It’s not just the voyeurism… there’s a very human reason why, says Backtracks.

(We’ll tell you about more new podcasts tomorrow, after we’ve squished a bug preventing us from doing so today.)