Spotify adds personalised podcast playlist

• Breaking: Spotify has (just) launched Your Daily Podcasts, an algorithmically-driven podcast discovery playlist that promises “an easy way to discover new shows while also keeping up with old favorites”. If you’ve listened to at least four podcasts in the past 90 days, you’ll find the playlist in the “Your Top Podcasts” shelf on Home or in the “Made For You” hub on browse. It’s available for free and premium users within the US, UK, Germany, Sweden, Mexico, Brazil, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

  • Of note: “If you’ve never listened to a story-driven sequential show we think you’d like, you’ll get the trailer or pilot episode first” - a reminder for all of us, therefore, to remember to record a trailer episode (and mark it as such in the RSS).
  • We got three episodes of podcasts we listen to: The RadioToday Programme, then Podnews, then The Missing Cryptoqueen, followed by a podcast from TED Talks Daily, a trailer for The Misfits Podcast, and a trailer for Australian True Crime. It seems effective, works well, and the recommendations were appropriate. Is podcast discovery fixed now?

• Breaking: Comedy podcast network Headgum has launched Gumball, a marketplace to allow brands to buy host-read advertisements directly from podcasters. Gumball has been in-use internally at Headgum for its own podcasts, and has been used by 300 brands for over 4,000 host-read ads.

• Podcast live events will bring in over $55m this year in the US, according to research from podcast membership company Glow.

• Podcast host Blubrry have announced a new post-production service, including dedicated professional support.

• The BBC is to make a BBC Sounds app available on connected televisions in January 2020, enabling listeners to hear podcasts and catch-up radio on their television sets.

• October’s Australian Podcast Ranker has been published, with Crocmedia’s AFL Trade Radio at #1. The ranker is opt-in, and does not include the ABC or Mamamia, two large Australian podcasting companies.

  
  Aug 18 2023: This broken link now points to the Internet Archive.

• Yesterday, we quoted Libsyn’s Rob Walch about what happens if you mark your podcast as explicit: that you’re removed from Apple Podcasts in many countries. Jack Rhysider, who hosts an occasionally potty-mouthed podcast Darknet Diaries, says things have changed somewhat, and that “it’s hardly a hurdle now”.

• Australian podcast publisher Mamamia has won a prestigious award - winning Best Use Of Podcast at the international Native Advertising Awards 2019 in Berlin. The podcast, The Split, was produced with Westpac, an Australian bank. From the press release, one data point: monthly listens to Mamamia’s network are currently around three million.

• Podcast host Omny Studio have added two new end-points for podcasters using their platform: to Deezer and to RADIO·COM. (Our podcast directory page has the details of how to submit to these and others).

Thank you to the podcast agency Call for Content for your kind support of Podnews and for becoming a Gold Supporter today. The company helps businesses generate revenue using podcasting.

Thanks to their support, we were able to spend a little time on something new. Spotify’s personalised feed looked interesting, so we coded a switcher tool today, as a bit of a test. It helps you check whether the podcasts you listen-to on your current podcast app are also on Spotify (or, you know, many others). It’s likely to break with your own OPML files, but give it a go (and tell us if it breaks!)

Podcast News - with Spreaker Prime

Spreaker Prime: Morbidology is a weekly true crime podcast that takes an in-depth look at some of the world’s most heinous murders using investigative research and primary audio – including 911 calls, interviews and trial testimony – to share each true story. They’re using Spreaker Prime to earn money and cut their hosting costs.

Sake On Air is celebrating its first year’s anniversary. It’s the world’s first sake and sochu dedicated podcast. They’re hosting their first-ever live audience Q&A in Tokyo. Mmm, umami taste. (Blubrry)