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Any summation of the past year begins and ends with COVID, even if were just talking about podcasts.
Given everything thats happened, how can it not?
What was all this going to do to my livelihood?
How bad was this going to get?
Somewhat bad, it turned out, but only for a while.
Meanwhile, the work continued: publishers and production teams pushed to fundamentally restructure the way they did things.
At the time, it was unclear how long all of this would last.
A voice in the back of my head continues to laugh bitterly to this day.
The hit didnt end up lasting for very long.
Several factors possibly accounting for this recovery come to mind.
(You know, like the rest of us.)
Spotifys complications proved to be an opening for others.
Meanwhile, Amazon, long in anon-again off-again relationship with podcasts, now says it wants in again.
But hey, we only have so much space, and you shouldfeel free to hit the archives.
Seriously, I mean it this time.
The New Independence
ByCaroline Crampton
This year has done strange things to my memory.
That said, some of the responses to these turbulent times have surprised me a little.
Nowadays, it feels to me like that aspiration is nowhere near as linear.
Plenty of shows still seek and benefit from a corporate partner, which is fine and great.
It just no longer feels like thats the only endgame on the cards.
Thats because its become increasingly clear that such partnerships come with big downsides as they do with big benefits.
There is greater transparency around the trade-offs now which is a good thing, in my opinion.
Lets not be romanticising any of the outcomes here.
The flare up earlier this yearover intellectual property ownershipfeeds into this too.
There were a few other data points from the past year that got me thinking about this.
Theres Jeff Entmans aforementioned return to a community radio-esque model after his arrangement with KCRW dissolved.
And thats a revelation that makes me hate business bros infinitely more.
Also, Id just like to say: Im really proud of this show!
Looking back, that conversation helped frame my understanding of how the rest of 2020 played out.
Lets look at Spotifys UX as a prime example.
meditation, sports, current events).
But its far from perfect.
The lines between a podcast strategy and a voice strategy will likely continue to blur in the coming year.
What does this all mean for the future of podcasts specifically and audio generally?
Unlike what some others haveargued, I dont think podcasts will threaten the growth of the music industry.
That said, the music industry already seems to be an afterthought in Spotifys wider business-development priorities.
Last but not least, theres the issue of rights and control.
