Exclusive: Spotify catching up with Apple: but are they?

• Exclusive: Spotify is closing in on Apple Podcasts and indie podcast apps are becoming less popular, according to new data released to Podnews by Podtrac today. Calculated from over a billion US podcast downloads in September, for monthly audience, Spotify is now less than three percentage points away from Apple. But, for monthly streams/downloads, Apple is more than seven times larger - and that number’s growing.

  • The data also reveals that most independent podcast apps are shrinking in users and downloads; that iHeartRadio’s app grew the most last year; and a significant difference in the behaviour of users on Spotify vs Apple.

• Facebook has launched an “Audio” hub on their mobile apps, including podcasts and live audio rooms. You’ll find it in the “Watch” tab (obviously). It’s available only within the US.

• SiriusXM has signed a first-look deal with podcast producer Audio Up for new scripted podcasts. Audio Up also announced it’s completed a $12m funding round.

• Ozy Media’s collapse/non-collapse is something podcasters should take note of, suggests Steve Goldstein - arguing that the real winners in the podcast industry will be those with integrity and grace.

• Audioboom used Salesforce to create their internal sales platform, called LIRICAL. It does billing, sales and bookings - Salesforce have published a detailed look at the system.

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• Adam Bowie and Tom Webster spoke at Radiodays Europe, with podcasting facts and figures from across the world. The conference announced it will be in Malmö, Sweden, May 15-17, a week before The Podcast Show 2022, May 25-26 in London.

Tips and tricks

• Bruce Wawrzyniak has published 400 episodes of his show - here’s why he won’t stop now. Good reminders why keeping going is a good plan for your podcast, too.

• Call Her Daddy’s Alex Cooper suggests that there’s more to a podcast than just a celebrity and a microphone. “So many celebrities are trying to do it and sometimes it falls short or they’re not able to retain an audience.”

• Is now a good time to start a podcast? Jack Rhysider suggests that yes, yes it is.

Podcast News

Matt Walsh and Timothy Simons are launching Second In Command: A Veep Rewatch today. Produced by Kast Media, each week they will rewatch one episode of Veep and reveal exclusive stories from filming, play trivia, answer fan questions, talk with political commentators about the show’s (often) absurd politics and more.

Launching today, Audacy and Osiris Media’s Breaking Waves looks into the Seattle grunge scene, which defined rock in the 1990s: with bands like Alice in Chains, Nirvana, Soundgarden and Pearl Jam.

They Walk Among America is a new spinoff from the creators of They Walk Among Us, a UK-based true crime show. The creators have renewed their agreement with Acast.

But is it funny? discusses what’s new in comedy, and digging deeper into what we laugh at and why. It launched last month, produced by Counterpoint Arts.

City of Ghosts is new from Storytellers Ink, a neo-noir supernatural audio drama set in 1990s NYC about corruption, murder, and the things that haunt us, it was developed and written over nearly three years.