At a time when AI is facilitating content creation in audio and other media categories, an ingenious new startup called PodStash reduces production effort to practically zero.
That said, PodStash is not a creative tool for turning original content into audio. Its key purpose is to turn any Internet text page into audio. (A Wikipedia page would be a good example.) Along with that basic function, the app also creates an archive of audio captures bundled into the user’s selected podcast app, effectively creating a listening feed.
Colin Gillingham
It’s more than just “effectively.” Talking with founder Colin Gillingham, RAIN learned that PodStash audio is RSS-enabled. Users who spend an hour surfing the web could have hours of listening ready for the evening. (PodStash gets integrated with the user’s podcast app. Explanatory video HERE.)
Gillingham mentioned that he is slightly autistic, and built PodStash partly to convert webpage content for his personal consumption.
Behind the scenes, PodStash uses the GPT-4 AI engine to craft a summary of any web page text content and shape that into a script. Generative voice AI service ElevenLabs delivers a synthetic voice read. Each audio conversion is limited to five minutes in length. Our testing delivered impressively realistic voice performances. (Other tech details are HERE.)
We asked Gillingham whether a user could conceivably amass a large network of AI-generated short podcasts (each limited to five minutes) and monetize them in a self-serve programmatic ad market (potential copyright issues aside). “These podcast RSS URLs are meant for personal consumption,” Gillingham said, “but sure — you could share your custom URL with a larger audience.” Gillingham also mentioned that he intends to launch an ad-supported version which would be free to use.
As of now, PodStash is launching at seven dollars a month, with a $1 first month. Go HERE.
