What is Spotify really measuring?

Listen · September 24 2018 · 2.6 minutes to read

This article is at least a year old

What do your Spotify stats actually say? Blubrry’s Todd Cochrane comments on the New Media Show ~~that they measure “listens”, not downloads, and that someone just needs to listen for 30 seconds to count.~~

UPDATE: He’s wrong. Spotify measures “starts”, roughly similar to downloads, and “streams”, which measure listens for longer than 60 seconds (the IAB v2 standard).

We’ve updated our article on how to understand podcast statistics further with Spotify’s clarification, which is behind a login wall only available to Spotify partners.

We regret the error.

The Apple Watch now includes a podcast app. Here’s how to use it. (Anyone want to send us some pictures of Podnews playing on it?)
Overcast has also had an update. It now supports the Apple Watch and has had a redesign. Of particular note: it highlights when a podcast is daily or weekly. (And as of now, so do we.)

Get the free Podnews newsletter for more like this

Get it free

Is the podcast bubble bursting? asks the Columbia Journalism Review. Yes, of course the podcasting bubble is bursting, responds Blerg Magazine.

Aug 6 2023: This broken link now points to the Internet Archive.

RadioPublic is reminding podcasters to claim their podcast on the RadioPublic platform.
Dave Jackson shares the proper way to use a Blue Yeti microphone. “It’s not a bad microphone, but you need to know how to use it”.
Crypto publication Hacker Noon is pivoting into podcasting, with Trent Lapinski as host. The first podcast will come out “late September”.

This link is no longer available, as at Aug 6 2023
Buzzfeed’s audio team, which the company have announced will be laid off, have posted the team’s resumes and contact details on Twitter.
Marketplace highlights the booming podcast industry in China. Unlike in the rest of the world, revenue is from paid-for podcasts.
Jack Rhysider posts about the three biggest challenges for podcasters (making, marketing and sustaining). He also links to a set of podcasts about podcasting, including Podnews.
Event: PatreCon, November 1-3, Los Angeles CA, USA.

Aug 6 2023: This broken link now points to the Internet Archive.
The BBC’s new audio app, BBC Sounds, will be launched on 30 October. We hear it’ll contain some third-party podcasts, though be available within the UK only.