Steve Goldstein

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 →