That is Sizzling Pod, The Verge’s e-newsletter about podcasting and the audio business. Enroll right here for extra.
Hope you all had an awesome weekend. I don’t have any podcast ideas at this time, however I did see the Roundabout Theater’s gender-reversed 1776, and it completely slapped. As my buddy Olivia stated, 1776 was made as propaganda and has no enterprise being nearly as good as it’s (it’s additionally extra clear-eyed about American politics than Hamilton, however I digress). Plus, the film model has Mr. Feeny as John Adams — what a present.
Anywho, on the docket at this time: Apple makes it simpler for podcasters to ship the products to their subscribers, Microsoft is making leaps within the text-to-speech AI area, and we have now some thrilling Sizzling Pod Summit information!
Asserting Sizzling Pod Summit Brooklyn 🎤
It’s that point of 12 months once more, gang: Sizzling Pod Summit is coming again to the Wythe Resort in Brooklyn on February twenty third. We may have extra particulars quickly, however we will likely be switching it up a bit this time round. Along with panels with specialists from throughout the business, the Summit will characteristic new interactive programming, so keep tuned!
As at all times, the occasion will likely be invitation-only. Visitors will obtain invitations by electronic mail with the ticket buy code by the top of the week. And if you don’t get an invitation instantly, don’t despair! You’ll be able to apply for an invite by way of our ticket lottery on the On Air Fest web site.
On that notice, Sizzling Pod Summit Brooklyn is being held in affiliation with On Air Fest 2023, which is able to happen February twenty third–twenty fifth. On Air Fest has some cool programming lined up, that includes On Being with Krista Tippett, Individuals’s Celebration with Talib Kweli, a dwell podcast penthouse, networking breakfasts, events, and extra. The occasion may even characteristic On Air: The Podcast Expertise, an immersive podcast exhibition from the world of My Favourite Homicide and the Precisely Proper Community, On Being Undertaking, The Coronary heart, and extra. The exhibit will run from February twenty third–twenty sixth, and tickets can be found at experiencepodcasts.com.
Apple (lastly) makes it simpler to distribute subscription podcasts
Final Might, Apple introduced that it will launch delegated supply for subscription podcasts within the fall. It missed that objective by a couple of weeks, however delegated supply is now dwell for a number of podcast internet hosting platforms, with extra to return.
The characteristic permits creators with subscription exhibits to distribute episodes straight from their host dashboards as a substitute of getting to manually add the content material by way of Apple Podcast Join. Collaborating hosts for now embody Libsyn, Blubrry, Omny Studio, and RSS.com, with different standard platforms like Buzzsprout and Acast to be added later. Anchor, the largest distributor of podcasts (and a subsidiary of Spotify), shouldn’t be a part of the preliminary batch of internet hosting suppliers.
What are subscribers prepared to pay for?
Talking of podcast subscriptions, Cumulus and Sign Hill launched a report that provides some perception into what (if something) will compel listeners to pay for podcasts. Unsurprisingly, the reply is extra content material (at all times extra content material! Feed the beast!).
Amongst weekly podcast listeners, 36 % stated they might pay a month-to-month price for bonus episodes of one in every of their exhibits. Different perks that ranked nicely had been entry to prolonged episodes (32 %), early entry to episodes (30 %), and behind-the-scenes content material (28 %). What do they not care about? Unique merch (22 %) and transcripts (13 %).
Whereas that’s nonetheless a fraction of normal podcast listeners who’re prepared to pay something in any respect, it does present that there’s some validity to the methods creators are utilizing to shore up subscriptions. Patreon creators use bonus episodes because the cornerstone of their memberships, whereas Wondery has leaned closely into the early-release mannequin for exhibits like My Favourite Homicide and SmartLess.
Microsoft makes some (barely alarming?) advances in text-to-speech AI
Final week, I wrote about how Apple is utilizing fairly superior text-to-speech expertise to facilitate the manufacturing and distribution of audiobooks. To date, that characteristic consists of 4 AI voices. Microsoft, in the meantime, introduced a text-to-speech mannequin referred to as VALL-E that may allegedly simulate anybody’s voice with only a three-second pattern.
If it really works, that would have huge implications for the audio business. There are positively upsides — improved text-to-speech may vastly enhance accessibility for individuals with visible impairment and, like within the Apple Books case, make audio content material creation simpler general. However it is usually simple to think about how issues may go off the rails in an enormous means, with podcasts that includes “friends” who aren’t actually there and deep fakes which are laborious to fight. That would particularly be an issue whereas the business figures out how one can reasonable content material.
That’s all for now! See you subsequent week.