Steve Goldstein

by Steve Goldstein

“The heat of the moment, can be the difference between a podcast listen and a show stuck in the purgatory of the podcast queue.” In his latest guest column, Steve Goldstein talks about the importance of podcast drop timing. Case study: HBO chose to delay dropping John Oliver’s Last Week Tonight from Mondays to Thursdays. Will audiences “wait and see”? Pay to see? Or maybe neither. John Oliver wasn’t happy about it. Steve connects this to podcasting, and evokes “the purgatory of the podcast queue.” Continue Reading →

by Steve Goldstein

“In my days as an executive in the radio business, our competitive focus was always on other radio stations and grabbing audience from them with researched music, smarter commercial placement, stronger talent, and visible marketing.” That’s how Steve leads us into this overview of the many media attractions which are taking audience and time-spent from podcasting. Choice abounds, and in the search for greater audience the advice here is to think broadly about where that time will come from. “The competition isn’t just another podcast; it is everything.” Continue Reading →

by Steve Goldstein

Apple changed podcast measurement when it changed how downloads are counted. Numbers dropped, but integrity rose. “The podcast industry supported the move to uphold the integrity of the metrics advertisers see {…} cognizant that downloads would take a hit but chose long-term credibility over the vanity.” In his latest guest column, Steve Goldstein tours through media categories including radio, digital advertising, email marketing, television, and print media. In all cases, measurement is a challenge. This is an illuminating read. Continue Reading →

by Steve Goldstein

In his latest guest column, Steve Goldstein observes that Americans listen to four hours of audio per day … and that metric has not changed for a decade. “Time spent is unmoving,” he says, “and so it begs the question: How can podcasting (or any audio sector) continue to grow listening in a seemingly static audio environment?” Steve details five recommendations. Continue Reading →

by Steve Goldstein

In this epic review of podcasting in 2023, guest columnist Steve Goldstein takes us on a retrospective tour of business developments in the fast-moving, still-evolving industry. What is a podcast — that existential question starts things off. YouTube. Gimlet. The job scene. Amp. Brand safety. The audio market generally. Research notes. Success at the top. AI. Omnichannel distribution. SiriusXM. Wall Street. Public radio. And … the opportunity of 2024. A must read. Continue Reading →

by Steve Goldstein

“Authenticity is Merriam-Webster’s 2023 word of the year,” Steve Goldstein informs us in his latest guest column. That word resonated in the podcasting field, used to represent a unique value to both listeners and advertisers — “both a cliche and a cornerstone,” Steve says. That brings podcasting up against AI, arguably pretty low on the authenticity scale. Things brings up a conundrum: Is AI a boon to podcasting or a threat? Steve holds forth. Continue Reading →

by Steve Goldstein

In his latest guest column, Steve Goldstein shares insights from students in his Business of Podcasting course at NYU. Most notably, these students consume podcasts in many venues, from Tik Tok to Spotify to YouTube. The lesson for podcasters? Keep students in mind. “For most podcasters, relying on a single platform for distribution is no longer sufficient.” Continue Reading →

by Steve Goldstein

In his latest guest column, Steve Goldstein gives the verbal stage to Steve Stockman, President of Custom Productions. He lays out a course of best practices for podcast videos. There is a difference between a podcast on YouTube and a YouTube podcast — and the difference lies in keeping the visual aspect interesting. “Video is a language.” This piece holds to high standards, but at low cost, and leans on the science of attention in visual presentations. An extraordinarily valuable and bracing interview. A must-read. Continue Reading →

by Steve Goldstein

In his latest guest column, Steve Goldstein takes a big view of podcasting from start to present, and he sees three evolutionary periods. Baked-in host endorsements, dynamic insertion, content experimentation, new platforms … it’s an ultra-concise history. Continue Reading →

by Steve Goldstein

In his latest guest column, Steve Goldstein offers a litany of podcast listening apps which launched with hope and fanfare, but underperformed their expectations. It’s an interesting trip through time. Continue Reading →

by Steve Goldstein

In his latest guest column, Steve Goldstein makes this observation: “Podcast monetization and the concentration of dollars chasing a relatively small number of shows is a big problem for our industry.” In a powerful interview with Christiana Brenton, Acast’s U.S. Head of Sales and Brand Partnerships, these two experts discuss the revenue concentration in podcasting: According to Edison Research, advertisers can reach half of all weekly listeners with just 44 podcasts. Steve calls this “a frightening stat and a systemic problem.” Christiana Brenton calls this “an inflection point” for ensuring a sustainable long-term medium. A must-read. Continue Reading →

by Steve Goldstein

In his latest guest column, Steve Goldstein provides the most insightful and comprehensive analysis of the new NYT Audio app that we have seen (including ours). “There is a virtual mobile graveyard loaded with podcast apps that promised everything from socialization to audio clipping to better recommendations.” Can The New York Times succeed? A must read. Continue Reading →