We are not surprised that Steve chose the (unconfirmed but generally believed) upending report that Spotify is developing an ad-skipping button for podcasts. As always, this column’s argument is cogent: It’s a battle between listening experience and publisher monetization. Read straight through to Steve’s punch-in-the-gut final line. Continue Reading
A stat is circulating on LinkedIn and in newsletters stating that only 10 out of the top 200 podcasts have video. The implication being that 95% of podcasters aren’t doing video. Guest columnist Steve Goldstein notes that It’s a comforting number if you’ve been skeptical of the video push, and an alarming one if you just spent money building a studio. The only problem is the stat is out of context. Continue Reading
In this epochal piece, more a manifesto than an article, guest columnist Steve Goldstein lays out a detailed and convincing interpretation of podcasting moving through a middle-ground era, toward solid adaptation of new usage metrics and advertiser clarity. In one way, this article is a response to the recently released AMP Accords and a deeper questioning of its measurement solutions. With comparisons to YouTube, Steve promotes impression-based presentation of podcasts to advertisers — all the more important as podcasts extend deeper into video. Also — the one-year transition proposed by the AMP Accords is too long, Steve asserts. Among the many must-reads in Steve’s column series, this one is preeminent. Essential insights.
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Broad lessons of podcast success are fine, but in today’s guest column Steve explores smart niches — in particular, higher education. He gives us lessons learned at the recent Higher Ed PodCon in Cleveland. He found a huge range and depth of involvement in podcasting.
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In this edition of Steve Goldstein’s column, he examines short-form clips of larger audio pieces, speculating that podcast clips might become the main podcast product. Continue Reading
In this edition of Steve Goldstein’s column, he assesses the goods and bads of AI. It can now generate podcasts at industrial scale, he observes. But after hearing what Gen Z thought of AI-generated shows, one thing is clear: making content is easy — making people care is much harder. “AI lowers the cost of making content, but it does nothing by itself to increase the value of that content to a listener or viewer; if anything, it increases the noise.” Continue Reading
“A download is not a listen” — that’s a key message in Steve Goldstein’s latest guest column. He calls it “the download illusion” — a download is a metric of distribution, not consumption. This is key to the slow shift undertaken by the podcast industry to understand consumption realistically. Big platforms are moving beyond the download, and Steve discusses Spotify, YouTube, Apple, and Netflix. Then Steve extends the principle beyond audio to hotels (Marriott) and restaurants (Starbucks). “Radio knew this all along,” Steve asserts. There is also consideration of loyal fandom compared to large audiences. “You don’t need massive scale to build something valuable.” And more. This is one of the most compressed pieces of wisdom Steve has produced in this column. Continue Reading