Beware Spotify's video lock-in

• Thinking of using a podcast hosting company to upload video to Spotify? That ease of use comes with a big cost, we learn today: you will be forever locked in to your current podcast hosting company, according to warnings given by Spotify in the signup process. “This cannot be undone”, says one checkbox on Spotify; another points out that “this permanently replaces your RSS feed with API-based distribution”, repeating, twice, that “this cannot be undone”.

  • Podnews has seen at least 3,500 podcasts switch podcast hosting company in the last 30 days alone: it’s part of the freedom given with any RSS feed, allowing you to find better deals and different monetisation options as your podcast grows. It’s also, free to upload video to Spotify using the Spotify for Podcasters website - wherever you’re hosted.
  • It seems that it’s unlikely, however, that podcast hosting companies will mention this lock-in. Podigee, which launched Spotify video this week, doesn’t even have any documentation about it (they’re working on it, they tell us); while Libsyn, who launched Spotify video distribution last week, don’t mention this lockin at all. But then - why would they?

• The winners of The Golden Lobes 2026 were announced. The comedy podcast awards hosted by podcast festival Cheerful Earful, gave the Big Ears for Funniest Podcast of the Year to sketch show Crowley Time with me, Tom Crowley. We’ve a list of all the winners.

• What’s going on at self-styled “world’s largest indie podcast network”, Inception Point AI? The company, which has around 15,000 entirely AI-produced shows, has suddenly stopped auto-publishing new podcasts. Previously, they were pushing out more than two hundred a day. And existing episodes that we have sampled today appear to no longer contain advertising.

  • Jeanine Wright, CEO, tells us: “We’re in the middle of an ongoing platform migration and commercial transition, so some publishing and monetization signals may look unusual from the outside during the handoff. We’re not commenting on counterparties or active negotiations, but the business is very much moving forward. There’s a much more interesting story here than the tired “AI slop” caricature. I’ll be speaking about the future of AI in podcasting at The Podcast Show in London on Thurs May 21 at 2.20pm on the Origin Stage, and I’d encourage anyone interested in what we’re actually building to come hear it directly.”

• The Guardian is to announce a flagship US video podcast today. We can tell you it’ll be called Stateside with Kai and Carter, and it’ll start on May 13th. Of most interest for Podnews are some of the people behind the show - Jonathan Menjivar (ex-Pineapple Street, This American Life, Fresh Air, and creator/host of the acclaimed podcast Classy with Jonathan Menjivar) is executive producing the show alongside deputy executive producer Rachel Humphreys, a Pulitzer Prize finalist who was most recently with WSJ’s daily news podcast The Journal. The full announcement is a little later today.

• A new report from the Reuters Institute shows how news podcast publishers are pivoting to video as a response to audience demand and new platform features - and that video is reaching new audiences with different content expectations. It’s a free download, with research from the US, UK and Norway.

• Exclusive: Artists on Artists on Artists on Artists is now on iHeart, after the popular improvised Hollywood roundtable podcast joined iHeartMedia and the Big Money Players network. The show features chaotic, pretentious, and hilariously unfiltered conversations between fictional Hollywood personalities.

• “It’s not what you think, dear! I’m just listening to a podcast!” OnlyFans has launched a specific podcast portal (this link goes to a press release about it on Podnews). The company says that popular creators are increasingly using its platform to offer exclusive episodes to expand their profile.

• Beamly has added a number of new features: native analytics for its podcast page service; added automatic transcripts and auto-generated show notes for podcasters hosting with them; and added support for custom welcome emails, lead magnets, and integration with Kit.

If you’re reading this in the UK, then - if it’s your turn - please go and vote today. (No, not for that lot; if you were going to vote for them, we’re afraid you have to stay home, obviously.) Otherwise, please vote. Thank you.

People news

• Cheryl Brumley has been hired as Bloomberg’s new Head of Podcasts. She “will set the editorial, creative, and strategic vision for our growing podcast slate, with a focus on developing programs and formats that resonate across all of our platforms,” according to an internal email. Based in London, she joins from the Financial Times and The Economist.
• Mike Majlak has joined Rebel Audio as Chief Creator in Residence and partner. He will serve as an ambassador for the AI-powered podcasting platform.

Tips and tricks - with The Podcast Show London

• Just 14 days to go until The Podcast Show in London! Wondering where you’ll eat? Instead of the typical conference hotel bar food, Upper Street is filled with restaurants to fit every budget and every taste. Our recommendation would be to turn left on Upper Street as you leave the venue, and walk until you find something you like. If you see a McDonald’s then you’ll probably have walked for 20 minutes and you really should be better at choosing.
• Buzzsprout writes: Using AI as Your Personal Podcast Analyst, telling it to go back and analyze your back catalog.

Podcast News - with Airwave

With Airwave: Founded is a history podcast that takes a look at the stories you missed in history class about the founding of the United States of America.

LifeAudio announces a new podcast, Your Nightly Scripture a peaceful nightly show blending Scripture and prayer to help you unwind, connect with God, and drift into restful sleep.

In Memento Morbid, you’ll hear Joanna Ebenstein — founder of New York’s Morbid Anatomy — in conversation with a range of guests from morticians and artists to bestselling authors, scholars, and spiritual practitioners, exploring death, ritual, grief, and the strange, beautiful ways humans make meaning from mortality. When death doulas are making headlines (hello Nicole Kidman) and conversations about dying are moving into the cultural mainstream, the series feels especially timely.

Inside the Algorithm takes you beyond the AI headlines into the research labs, academic papers, and technical breakthroughs shaping the future of artificial intelligence. Hosted by Jeremy Bradley, Chief AI Officer at Cambridge Spark, it’s a technical, practitioner-led series designed for people building AI systems, leading AI transformation, or looking to understand what’s really happening beneath the surface.

Season 3 of Disability Deep Dive is new - clicking off with an episode featuring Spencer West, and his new book, “Breaking Free: Stop Following Expectations and Start Following Yourself.” Spencer reflects on anxiety, self-doubt, the pressure to live up to other people’s expectations, and what it means to build a life rooted in authenticity instead of approval. The conversation also explores disability, public visibility, self-trust, and how people can move toward a life that feels honest and self-directed.

The Bagpiper and His Brother is a five-part series and the 13th season of the Dakota Spotlight true crime podcast. You’ll follow two Midwestern brothers whose ordinary lives concealed troubling behavior, tracing their path from rural North Dakota to a 1971 bombing in South Dakota. Along the way, you’ll encounter wiretapping, theft, and violence, while the victim’s life unfolds in parallel, building toward an unsettling end.