Jottings of note:
What’s It About?
In his latest Matt on Audio column, Matt Deegan (Creative Director, Folder Media) makes a crucial distinction in how listeners think about and define podcasting. “Consumers don’t define podcasting by platform — broadly listening to an MP3 file on a phone — but by content type: People having long-form conversations (on whatever platform).” It’s not only how consumers think of multi-platform podcasting, but also about how creators are motivated to make shows. He observes: “To me, the choice of podcasting for most creators is rarely about audio. It’s more about it being an efficient system for content creation and distribution.” READ
Critique
Solution or problem? That question swirls around Spotify in the wake of a new book release: Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist by Brooklyn-based author Liz Pelly. Based on more than 100 interviews with industry insiders, Spotify employees, musicians, and years of background reporting, Pelly’s book is a criticism of the concept and results of algorithmic and playlist based music programming. The book examines Spotify’s “two-sided marketplace,” and the recording industry which has become “increasingly playlisted, personalized, and autoplayed.” Her effort is getting a lot of attention on Reddit.
Yet Another Role
Well known and highly regarded audio advocate Arielle Nissenblatt has taken a new role as Director of Community and Content at Audily, a podcast and audiobook service provider. “Thrilled to officially venture into a production role for the first time and to continue my work in the marketing and community spaces, too!,” she raves. Nissenblatt, who sits on the board of The Podcast Academy, founded the EarBuds Podcast Collective in 2017 and remains Head Curator there.
January 9, 2025
