Month: January 2023

If you’re not familiar with Podcast 2.0 features, we’re here to help. Not only will we help you understand the advancements underway in the podcast space, but we’re at the forefront of implementing these changes. We have added a whole host of new features, and today we are introducing the Value4Value feature to provide you with a new revenue stream.

Our Goal

Blubrry and other podcast companies are working relentlessly to expand podcasting by expanding the functionality of RSS. We aren’t here to overwhelm you with technical jargon, but we’re here to inform you of the benefits to you and your audience.

Many of these new features are easy to understand and implement. True, the V4V model is likely the most complicated and could cause you to scratch your head. That’s why we have made it as easily as humanly possible to implement with our partner, Alby.

Implementation is only the first step; we will continue to educate you on the best practices to make your audience understand the Value4Value model and how it can change the entire dynamic of your show.

What is Value4Value?

This is one of the most exciting new features yet and, as far as we are concerned, the most significant opportunity for podcasters to earn revenue for their show. We have placed this feature in as an Experimental tab in both the Blubrry Publisher and PowerPress. Our partner, Alby, makes it easier for you to get started.

The Value model means that you are able to accept online payments via your show. Value4Value uses the smallest unit of Bitcoin the (Satoshi), 100 millionth of Bitcoin, as a method to donate to a show. It can be in the form of supporting the show by the minute and episode or a show-level donation known as a boost with an accompanying listener comment – all with an extremely low transaction fee.

The Value4Value model can also accept donations in traditional currency; a great overview of the Value4Value model can be reviewed at Value4Value.info.  We will cover the funding feature in future blog post(s), right now we want you to start with the Value4Value feature.

Value4Value takes a little bit of time to wrap your head around. Our team, and over 11,000 other shows, are seeing success in shows earning a Boost, which is a donation with an accompanying comment that can be sent from within the supported apps at NewPodcastApps.com Another cool feature is that listeners can donate Satoshis by the minute as they listen to your show.

We highly recommend that you take a look at our documentation concerning Podcasting 2.0. and various new tags. We’ve already added some valuable features (tags) for our users and are excited to see where this leads.

Your next step is to try one of the new podcast apps to get familiar with what your users are going to see when you start recommending the utilization of these features.

I don’t know about you guys, but I am ready for a vacation. On that note, I will be out next week, so you will be hearing from Jake. Today, Spotify’s new org chart, NPR’s new fonts, and journalism’s new threat. But first, a quick note from Jake: Hey everyone, issuing a quick correction on […]

Hello, everyone. I’m here today while Ariel is out. No, I’m not listening to Normal Gossip yet, but I do have someone in my life who will recount the episodes to me beat by beat. Last year’s episode about the sweater and the vacation sounds bonkers. (Slate actually did an interview with the show’s producer, […]

Another week, another round of layoffs. This time, it is Spotify. CEO Daniel Ek informed employees yesterday morning that the company would be cutting 6 percent of its workforce and said he took “full accountability for the moves that got us here today.” The most high-profile change is the departure of chief content and advertising […]

Colorado Public Radio announced a new short-form podcast pairing reflections on nature with soundscapes gathered in wild places. Terra Firma will feature the stories of CMarie Furhman, a Colorado-born, Indigenous poet and writer, with outdoor sounds collected on public lands by sound recordist Jacob Job.

“I can’t wait for listeners to hear this beautiful and unusual podcast,” said Brad Turner, executive producer of CPR’s podcasting and creative audio unit, the Audio Innovations Studio. “CMarie and Jacob are both incredible artists whose work helps people feel a deeper connection to the outdoors and the natural world. I think listeners will find the episodes moving and thought-provoking.”

The episodes of Terra Firma are each 5-10 minutes long and are intended to provide listeners a brief escape into nature and mindfulness. The show’s goal is to make the restorative power of nature accessible to podcast listeners.

Each episode features reflection on nature from Fuhrman, whose writing is rooted in the landscape of the West. Fuhrman directs the poetry program and teaches nature writing at Western Colorado University, and she is the 2021-2023 Idaho Writer in Residence. She has spent her life in the mountains and shares her personal stories about elk, snow, birdsong and other aspects of the natural world in the podcast.

Accompanying Fuhrman’s voice and words are sounds gathered in nature by Dr. Jacob Job. Job is a conservationist, scientist and field recordist working to enhance conservation efforts by engaging the public on issues related to biodiversity, sustainability and land conservation and preservation using natural sound recordings, education and stewardship.

He is a National Geographic Explorer, project lead of “Sounds of Your Park”, and producer of Scientific American’s “National Park Nature Walks”. Job currently works as associate director of the Bird Genoscape Project, but spent most of his professional career as a member of at the Sound and Light Ecology Team at Colorado State University.

Spotify has been announced as the lead sponsor for Pod Live Sport, the UK’s inaugural Sports Podcast Festival taking place at Kings Place, London on February 8th – 12th 2023.

Among the line-up are an array of sporting legends and award-winners, with Premier League icons Ben Foster and Ian Wright hosting live-editions of their shows, Fozcast and Wrighty’s House respectively.

Also joining the lineup of live shows will be The Rugby Pod – the most listened to rugby podcast in the world – with regular hosts Andy Rowe, Big Jim Hamilton and Andy Goode set to be joined by special guests for a Six Nations discussion.

Spotify’s leading Original & Exclusive podcasts will headline the festival, with Wrighty’s House and The Rugby Pod live on Thursday 9th February, followed by Fozcast on Friday 10th February.

This will mark Fozcast’s first ever foray into live shows, with previous guests including cult heroes Trot Deeney, Sean Dyche and Kasper Schmiechel. The pod will be bringing an exciting range of guests that include top level athletes, content creators and people with interesting stories to share.

Finally, the hosts of Wrighty’s House x Stadio x Counter Pressed – Ian Wright, Musa Okwonga, Ryan Hunn, and Flo Lloyd-Hughes – will unite at Pod Live Sport to discuss football’s big talking points in a podcasting mash-up that dreams are made of.

Ben Foster, host of the Fozcast said: “We’re absolutely buzzing to be playing our first ever live show and bringing the Fozcast live to our fans for the first time. Who knows what might happen when we try this live, so It should be eventful whatever happens.”

Alex Aden, Senior Partnerships Manager, The Ringer (UK) at Spotify said: “Sport is massive for us at Spotify, and The Ringer boasts some of the best sports podcasts in the UK. We’re looking forward to showcasing these at Pod Live and being a part of the first ever live sports podcast festival to be held in the UK.”

Fan favorites including: The Socially Distant Sports Bar, The Race F1 Podcast, The Cycling Podcast, BBC’s Fighting Talk and the Sports Podcast of the Year 2022, Morning Kombat will also be at Pod Live Sport, with fans and listeners interested in attending able to visit www.pod-live.com to buy tickets.

Soundrise, the premier revenue-focused partner for mission-driven, independent podcasting, today announced that Jay Green has joined as Senior Vice President of Strategy & Operations along with previous VP, Lovlyn Corbett, who will be the new Director of National Accounts.

After spinning off from the successful public media advertising company Market Engenuity in late 2022, Soundrise has made strides in podcast advertising, supporting some of the most popular podcasts distributed by PRX.

A leader in the audio industry and specifically podcasting for more than two decades, Jay brings an extensive track record of building and scaling teams, driving revenue growth, and fostering industry-leading partnerships and thought leadership to Soundrise.

Previously the Senior VP, Podcast Strategy and Operations at Audacy-owned podcast studio Cadence 13, Jay has been a longtime champion of podcasting, with proven expertise and industry relationships. As one of the first partners for much of the evolving tech and data in the space including Nielsen’s Podcast Listener Buying Power, Claritas, IRI Kantar MWB, Jay brought national brand recognition to podcasting.

At Soundrise, he will help shine that light on independent creators and create greater value for both brands and advertisers. Soundrise also strenghtens its sales engine with the addition of Lovlyn, who will work to connect values-aligned brands with premium podcasts to help achieve marketing goals.

“Podcasting has seen incredible growth in what we can do to tie brands and creators together. Soundrise has prioritized the independent creators who are doing what they love and entertaining us all. Creators, advertisers, and listeners all deserve a rewarding experience, and Soundrise has an achievable vision of how to create this ideal ecosystem,” said Jay Green, the new SVP of Strategy & Operations at Soundrise. “The future of this industry depends on our ability to foster independence and content diversity, and I’m excited to help Soundrise push the boundaries of what we can do with audio.”

“With his background, Jay has both the creativity and industry experience to bridge the gap between the largest advertisers and the niche creators. The podcast industry is a an exciting inflection point with incredible opportunity ahead for independent creators and mission-driven audio. As we get into this next phase, Jay’s history and success navigating the industry from the very beginning will be an invaluable asset to our partners,” said Harry Clark, CEO of Soundrise. “On the sales side, Lovlyn brings experience working alongside some of the largest brands and advertisers in the audio space. Their combined expertise will help evolve our strategies and scale our operational capacity to grow the company, helping creators, advertisers, and listeners alike.”

Previously a Vice President at Kantar, Lovlyn Corbett crafted solutions for west coast ad agencies, marketers and adtech, including some of the largest brands in the world like Amazon, Mazda, Intel, and Disney. Before that, she spent 10 years on the audio side with Nielsen Audio turning audio measurement and audience metrics into actionable insights for radio stations. She brings expertise in optimizing advertising effectiveness to ensure Soundrise customers are getting the most out of their advertising spend, while truly understanding what makes a strong audio campaign.

BIPOC Podcast Creators, a network and consulting company that supports a community of Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) podcast creators, is proud to announce The Verified Service Provider Directory.

The Verified Service Provider Directory is a much-needed resource for companies and independent podcasters to find and connect with multicultural talent who have a track record of successfully providing services as small businesses or freelancers. The directory includes a diverse range of service providers including producers, editors, marketers, public relations specialists, and more, all of whom have been vetted by the BIPOC Podcast Creators Team.

At a time when it has become essential to the success of any company to build multicultural teams and reach diverse audiences, the directory is designed to make it easy for any company or individual to find the diverse talent they need to support their projects or build their organizations.

“We are committed to supporting and elevating BIPOC talent across the podcasting industry and beyond,” said Tania Al-awaji Estrada, co-founder of BIPOC Podcast Creators. “The Verified Service Provider Directory is an important step in achieving that goal while also making it easier for companies and individuals to find vetted talent for their projects.”

The Verified Service Provider Directory is live now and any BIPOC freelancer or small business that provides services to podcasters or podcast companies can apply to join the directory online Applicants to the directory can use discount code 0WK63, to receive $50 off the annual fee.

“We’ve heard repeatedly from company leaders across the industry that they can’t find qualified employees, freelancers, or service providers of diverse backgrounds and we’re not willing to allow that excuse to continue to be a barrier for multicultural talent in podcasting. This directory is a step in the right direction,” said Maribel Quezada Smith, co-founder of BIPOC Podcast Creators.

About BIPOC Podcast Creators

BIPOC Podcast Creator is a Black and Latina-owned networking and consulting company that supports a community of creators in podcasting and beyond. Our no-cost podcasting networking community offers resources, education, and connection for BIPOC creators seeking to grow their audiences, networks, and revenue streams.

True Native Media, a premier podcast representation agency, has named Brittany Bernado as their first Senior Director of Revenue and Sales Strategy. She will be in charge of spearheading and overseeing the sales of the company, with a focus on developing strategies to reach sales targets and defining sales objectives.

Brittany joins the team with over ten years of sales experience, most recently as the Director Podcast Sales at iHeartPodcast Network at iHeartMedia. During that time, she became the company’s go-to podcast sales expert for entertainment, health, and tech & telco.

Founder and CEO Heather Osgood commented that, “As we continue to grow our roster of talented podcasts our need to reach advertiser and brands with the opportunity to place ads in our podcasts has increased. We’re excited to add Brittany to the team because she deeply understands the podcast industry and is committed to bringing valuable advertising partnerships to True Native Media.”

Brittany joins new Vice President Nick Gryniewicz, and CEO and Founder Heather Osgood, on True Native Media’s leadership team to develop sales strategies to maximize revenue while strengthening brand and agency partnerships.

Bernado stated that, “I couldn’t be more excited to join the leadership team at True Native Media. I’m looking forward to applying my expertise and passion for podcasting and advertising to maximize revenue and brand partnerships in collaboration with the talented TNM team.”

About True Native Media

True Native Media is a podcast representation agency that specializes in podcast advertising.

True Native Media connects brands with podcasters to develop engaging host-read ads for global audiences. In essence, podcast ads are amplified word of mouth and powerful endorsements that produce results.

True Native Media values the genuine relationships hosts create with their listeners and the passion behind their content. The agency represents some of the best storytellers in the industry, from NY Times’ best-selling authors to highly-successful bloggers. Their independent podcasts partner with companies and continually build brand awareness with each story they tell.

At True Native Media, authenticity is of great value, which is why they take their brand-podcaster pairings so seriously. Clients can trust True Native to develop podcast strategies that meet their targets and objectives.

I could pretend to be perky, but I am not sure who that serves. Since you are all media freaks, you have likely seen the news that Vox Media, the parent company of The Verge and Hot Pod, laid off 7 percent of staffers today. That might be paltry compared to the 12,000 people who […]