Quick Hits: Amy Schumer’s Spotify podcast; true crime podcasts go gritty; what does Anchor own?

Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web:

Amy Schumer’s casual approach to podcasting: Spotify’s big-ticket podcast collaboration with comedian Amy Schumer has posted its first episode. Schumer spoke with The Associated Press about the project, 3 Girls, 1 Keith. “The goals were to make us all some money and just to hang out, honestly,” she said. Listeners will get a “fly on the wall” experience of Schumer and her co-hosts: Rachel Feinstein, Bridget Everett, and Keith Robinson. “There’s just such a feeling of us hanging out like we would anyway.”

Podcasts > television for true crime: The Minneapolis Star-Tribune ran a feature on the burgeoning wave of true crime podcasts. The writer opined that for fans of the genre, podcasts are offering more, and more compelling, stories to keep listeners hooked. That may be because podcasts haven’t been afraid to get into the gritty, gory details. “The shocking details and graphic accounts of this material lend authenticity to the form,” said Laurie Ouellette, a professor of communication studies, cultural studies and comparative literature at the University of Minnesota. “We’re living in this post-truth moment, when there’s great anxiety and debate about what’s true and what isn’t. These stories feel real and listeners want that now.”

Questions about Anchor and ownership: If you’re a fan of mobile app Anchor’s recent pivot to simple, snackable podcast production, this is worth a look. The Mac Observer took a closer look at the app’s terms and conditions, which contain some eyebrow-raising language. Although Anchor’s CEO released a statement and scaled back some of the wording, it’s a good reminder that anyone trying to make a business out of podcasts should always read all of the fine print.

Anna Washenko