Video on Spotify slammed; claims rebutted

• “No clear audience gain … unvetted, untested, and unproven proprietary metrics.” In a piece about video on Spotify, Sounds Profitable’s Bryan Barletta writes: “In its current state, I urge the podcast industry not to take part in Spotify Video and Streaming Audio as it stands to have a massive and long-term negative revenue and reputational impact for those involved.”

  • Pointing us to a recent blog post from Megaphone (for whom Barletta briefly worked), Spotify said many claims were untrue and sent Podnews a long set of specific corrections when we asked for comment. The company tells us that they’re keen to help. We last spoke with Maya Prohovnik in October, and we’d be keen to speak with Spotify again to get any specific questions answered. We’re updates@podnews.net (or hit reply).

• Ashley Carman covers Spotify music takedowns for podcasters in her Soundbite newsletter this week. It’s long been the case that Spotify has removed any use of commercial music in podcasts, regardless of any licence that podcasters have acquired. Ashley reports a recent change in Spotify’s tools - Podnews understand that creators now get eight days to provide more information, episodes can now remain on the platform if the content is correctly licensed, and there is now an appeals process.

  • Podnews readers get 25% off Soundbite for the first year.

• New service PodcastPrepper claims to “reduce podcast preparation effort by 95%”. The tool delivers AI-driven questions to ask your next guest. Great for podcast hosts who don’t really care about the guests they have on, the tool is just $4 while in beta.

• Podgagement has completed an import of six years of chart rankings, to make it the most detailed charts and rankings provider for podcasting. The fully international chart data includes nearly 34,000 charts from Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

• One of the UK’s biggest names in radio, Greg James, has been named as Creative Director of the Crossed Wires podcast festival. Greg is also a podcaster, and presents the BBC Radio 1 breakfast show.

• Here’s a fancy recap video from Evolutions in Chicago. The good news - our Editor didn’t make the cut this year; but there are plenty of Podnews supporters in the video.

• Video? Or audio? Podcasts are not one thing or the other, suggests Amplifi Media’s Steven Goldstein.

• Speakers have been announced for an event in the UK run by AudioUK. The Power of Podcasting is an invite-only event on Apr 23 for agencies and brands.

Moves and hires

• Chris O’Keeffe has been named as Media Manager, Podcasts & Content, for the global transit technology company Modaxo. O’Keeffe has produced a number of branded podcasts for a wide variety of companies.

Tips and tricks - with Memberful

• Podcast Discovery posts 5 Ways Understanding Your Podcast Numbers Can Help Your Podcast Grow. We’ve also written how to understand podcast stats, and the various places you can find them.

Podcast News - with New Podcasts

Missing the old This American Life, from the days before it got into international affairs and politics? Then take a ride from coast to coast without leaving your couch with All Across America - a sonic road trip across the USA, from the iconic to the hidden corners of the country, celebrating the voices, cultures, and untold stories that shape the American experience. An independent podcast as epic and entertaining as the country it covers.

I Formed A Band collects the untold stories of famous musicians – from before they made it big. Hosted by Eddie Argos and Joe Sparrow, the latest episode focuses on Dunstan Bruce, singer from Chumbawamba, about the band’s anarchic roots, the band’s political activism, and the unexpected journey to their global hit, “Tubthumping.” Hopefully we’ll hear why he got knocked down, and then got up again, and why you’ll never gonna keep him down.

Insiders: The TV Podcast is new today from two of the biggest names in UK television - Jimmy Mulville and Peter Fincham. The show promises personal stories, insider anecdotes, and expert analysis on the trends, triumphs, and controversies that have shaped television over the decades and today.

Award-winning podcast Ex-Wives Undercover has returned for a sixth season of “love gone wrong” stories that will leave you speechless. This season dives even deeper into the dark side of modern romance: the lies, the betrayal, and the strength it takes to rise above it all.

Back for 2025, the Season 4 premiere of author and former Seinfeld writer’s comedy/therapy podcast, The Neurotic Vaccine with Andy Cowan and (AI) Dr. Scott Kopoian, you’ll hear history’s most iconic woman fuel Andy’s neurotic quest for redemption over an entire millennium.