Steve Goldstein

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 →

by Steve Goldstein

Streamlining is essential in any business, RAIN columnist Steve Goldstein asserts, from AT&T to Amazon to Major League Baseball … and, podcasting. Thanks to the creep of complexity, it’s taking more time to make an episode of a show or traffic an ad. Steve has got suggestions. Continue Reading →

by Steve Goldstein

There is a lot of chatter about the new era of “efficiency” in business today, says guest columnist Steve Goldstein. “Going forward, the podcast business will be scrutinizing everything more closely,” he notes. Good? Bad? Goldstein observes a shift to quality over quantity. Click for more. Continue Reading →

by Steve Goldstein

In this latest installment of the Amplifi Media blog, Steve Goldstein summarizes the Podcast Movement discussion panel which he moderated, with plenty of quotes from the panel: James Cridland, Jeanine Wright, Daniel Albright, and Mayowa Ajayi. Under discussion: Is the bloom off the rose in podcasting? Continue Reading →

by Steve Goldstein

In this latest installment of the Amplifi Media blog, Steve Goldstein interviews Steve Pratt, the founder and ex-CEO of Pacific Content. The conversation vectors into branded podcasts, naturally, as both Steves have a long history producing that format. Click through to read the whole thing, including the marshmallow test and a legenday John Houseman ad. Continue Reading →