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So were going to do just that.
Heres how this is going to work.
Lets get to it.
Will all those acquisitions pay off for Big Podcasting?
As you might recall, 2020 closed out with yet another flashy podcast acquisition.
(Ill set a plate aside, though, just in case I need to eat my words.
In any case, Amazons purchase of Wondery caps a stunning two year-run of major podcast acquisitions.
Now, we can also talk about the New YorkTimesbuyingSerial ProductionsandAudm which were very notable!
Of course, acquisitions are only part of this story.
The large sums of money spent over the last two years can broadly be read as investments of potential.
iHeartMedias deals were about switching their narrative away from being a bankrupt broadcast radio business into something else.
As 2021 unfolds, the framing should start shifting from a matter of potential to a matter of outcomes.
How, specifically, are these acquisitions and investments supposed to pay off for these companies?
How will increased participation by these companies alter the shape of the podcast ecosystem?
How will those failures impact podcasting as a business?
(How will we know if they fail?)
How will the rest of the ecosystem re-organize around Big Podcasting?
Lets start with Apple Podcasts.
But they are doingsomething.
What, exactly, is Apple Podcasts intent here?
And will the consequences of that intent be enough to preserve open podcasting?
How will these publishers, big and small, respond to an environment of more potential gatekeepers?
How will they assess relationships worth pursuing?
And how will some fight back to reduce the influence of these aspiring gatekeepers?
Consider the basic interactions of podcast advertising, for example.
How will the relationship between creative workers and organizations change?
(You could also sort that new story about former Conde Nast audio producers in here too.)
How will these matters be adjudicated?
How will the audio community open back up post-COVID?
And when that time comes, there will be intriguing questions to ask about the workplace.
Turns out, you’ve got the option to indeed manage a largely distributed production infrastructure.
Other logistical questions related to post-pandemic transitions abound.
Will the tape sync economy a valuable source of money for freelancers pick back up?
How will in-studio interviews and recordings be restructured?
How many people do you really need in the studio at once, anyway?
There are also stories about broader post-pandemic business realities to consider.
(This isnt universally true, of course.
Again, Im wincing as I write this section.
Also, some of them are fascists.
But well get there someday, at some point.
Misinformation, content moderation, and platform responsibility?
But the rot is already very much visible.
Updates on LaffaireCaliphate
The tail of this story is still evolving.
The column also confirmed that other journalists at the Times have raised concerns about Mills.
you’re able to view screenshots of the letter fromthis Wemple tweet.
The actual content of the letter itself does not make any specific demands.
David Folkenflik wrote up a fuller version of the storyon the NPR website.
Earlier this morning, the Times sent back a response to the PRPD group.
We believe weve handled what was a significant journalistic lapse with accountability, the letter read.
We thoroughly review all complaints received, and will take any appropriate corrective action.
The letter also acknowledged the poor timing ofThe Dailyepisode in which Mills was the guest-host.
It does not appear to commit to any other specific actions.
I tweeted the screenshots of the full letter out, and you’re able to find emhere.
As of January 2021, not a single one of us still works for Conde Nast.
Were writing this open letter for two reasons.
First, we hope companies investing in audio will learn from the mistakes of Conde Nasts mismanagement.
you’re free to read the full letterhere.
Selected Notes…
From Deadline: Former CAA Agent Vanessa Silverton-Peel To Head Spotify & Chernin Entertainment Partnership.
Well thats going to be awkward.
Hmm.FromBillboard: SiriusXM Expected to Write Down Pandora by $1 Billion, Citing Royalty Costs.
Heres theBusiness Insider write-upon the matter.
This is the second incident of Bannon getting kicked off a platform in recent months.
For some reason,the Associated Press wrote upMichael Cohens rehabilitation-through-podcasting efforts.
As always,Bryan Curtis piece on The Pariah Podcastremains a key text for These Times.
In tomorrowsServant of Pod…Crooked Media chief content officer Tanya Somanader joins the show this week.
(Albeit with thin margins, of course.)
A left-wing podcast-first mirror to right-wing talk radio?
A somewhat unprecedented blend of a conventional media company and a direct organizing vehicle?
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