Podcasting has been having a banner year, and many new apps and services have emerged to cater to the growing audience. One of the latest is a project called Just Listen from Wenbin Fang, the creator of the minimal Listen Notes database. Just Listen offers an unusual take on podcast discovery.
The app will deliver a random podcast episode every time it is opened. When they’re done, the listener dismisses the episode and receives a new random one. The attitude is that people can use this as a starting place to dive into the large content pool of podcasts or to explore shows beyond the popular programs that lead the charts. Fang added that the delivered episodes will hopefully “get smarter over time,” which makes it seem like this could become a more personalized recommendation engine. He is also open to modifying the platform in new directions, noting that it could become an Alexa skill.
Fang is an intriguing player in the podcasting space. His willingness to try out his own vision for companion services, even at a limited scope, shows the passion that serious listeners have for this audio format.