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That’s the question digital writer Steve Smith asks in Folio magazine. Smith says podcasting “needs a platform that can accommodate and accelerate host reads, dynamic ad insertions and subscriptions so that producers and consumers can calibrate the business models that work for them and their content.”
Smith says Spotify could lead the way in podcasting into much deeper metrics about usage, audience, targetable demos, contexts and locations for advertisers. “And if the company truly values the intimate relationship podcasts and their audiences enjoy, it will find a way to pass through or share that direct relationship with the publishers. At the same time, Spotify could and should give podcasting a better front end. We need a discovery mechanism that serves the long tail with searchable audio, smart recommendations, easy personal curation of the experience and easy sharing across all social networks.”
Smith believes Spotify could be the player that fixes what needs to be fixed in podcasting so that it can continue to move forward, something he says Apple has failed to do. “Spotify certainly is in the best position to offer podcast publishers a slightly more polished mass distribution platform than Apple.”
Smith says podcasts lend themselves to direct relationships with publishers, and those direct channels need to be at the core of distribution and of new content ideas. “From homepages to email, mobile apps to browser alerts, social posts to print, media brands need to embed podcasts into every direct touchpoint they have with customers.”
Read Smith’s article in Folio HERE