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Quick Hits: Faster podcasts? Will Apple offer podcast creation? SoundCloud “archive” stopped

Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web:

Podcasts at twice the speed spark debate: We’re regularly seeing that podcast fans are a dedicated listener base, but perhaps some of them are squeezing in so many shows with a bit of a cheat. The new trend is for people to listen to their shows on a faster playback speed. A Chicago Tribune writer polled several leading podcast and audio experts for their opinions on the practice of playing a show at twice the intended speed. The reactions, which run the gamut, are pretty great.

Will Apple ever offer podcast creation tools? Apple is a central figure for the podcasting community. The company’s Podcasts app is how a vast number of people manage their listening and library of shows. But an opinion piece in Macworld questioned why Apple’s efforts in podcasts have only been on the listener end. The company’s only tools for recording, editing, or publishing a podcast are unintended applications of its GarageBand software, which is primarily targeting musicians. While there are many startups offering fast and easy podcasting, it’s a worthy question for the tech giant to address at some point.

SoundCloud shuts down volunteer “archive” project: We previously reported on an unsanctioned effort to digitally preserve SoundCloud in its present state. The move by the Archive Team raised an eyebrow for us, and it seems SoundCloud had a similar reaction. The company has asked them to stop their work to create a backup. “SoundCloud is dedicated to protecting the rights and content of the creators who share their work on SoundCloud,” a rep told Motherboard. “We requested the Archive Team halt their efforts as any action to take content from SoundCloud violates our Terms of Use and infringes on our users’ rights.” Seems about right.

Anna Washenko

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