Independent Podcast Publishers Start Up
Is there a sustainable business to be had in podcast production? Part one of two.
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Also: We’re rolling out a premium subscription. I’ve kept the price as low as Substack will let me: $5 a month or $30 a year. I know you’re asked for a lot of subscriptions, but I hope you’ll find RN to be worth $5 a month. We’re going to have a lot of extras for the premium subscription. More on that below.
THE LEDE:
While many podcasters choose the DIY route of production, those who wish more polished podcasts turn to production companies. These businesses are starting up with the hope of building a thriving, profitable company. Can it work? For the next two newsletters, we’re going to interview people who started their own podcast business to see what they’re up to and how their company is doing.
We begin with David Yas, Founder and CEO of pod617, a Boston-based podcast network that also has its own studio. (Disclosure: David and I have known each other for many years.) I sent David a Q&A, and am publishing his answers in full.
David Yas (Photo courtesy of same)
You’re an attorney, and you practiced law for years. What made you decide to switch to owning a podcast business?
I got into podcasting for the normal reasons: Sex, drugs and rock and roll.
Seriously though … Much of my career was spent as publisher for Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, where I became versed in the worlds of advertising and marketing. Podcasting, in my opinion, is on the cutting edge of marketing in that it allows professionals, entrepreneurs and others to reach their audience in a way far more intimate than any type of advertising, blogs, newsletters or the like.
Podcast listeners are truly devoted. An extremely high number of listeners will listen to a whole episode of a podcast once they’ve committed by clicking on the show.
And a good podcast will showcase the host's personality in a way that few other mediums can do.
It’s a big risk, opening a “pod shop.” Has it paid off?
Like any new business there were some ups and downs along the way, and in the early going it was a challenge just to explain to some people what a podcast actually was.
I think some people thought I was selling iPod shuffles. But it's been great. My business has grown with every passing year as the vehicle of a podcast gains more popularity.
What are your most popular podcasts?
The ones with the most specific niches are usually the most popular. I produce a show featuring a woman named Joyce Gerber called the Canna Mom Show, which focuses on women who are thriving in the cannabis industry. It recently won an award as the best cannabis podcast in New England.
For years, we produced a show called Monsterland, which focused on the supernatural. It had a dedicated audience of thousands.
One of the shows I cohost is called Past Tens, and it's a music nostalgia show. We have a very loyal audience who respond to every episode, usually by telling us why we're wrong about our thoughts on Bon Jovi and Lionel Richie.
What elements do local podcasts need that a national podcast may not?
At the end of the day, podcasting is about reaching your desired audience. Local-themed podcasts have the ability to spread like wildfire simply because podcasts are built brick by brick, by people referring the show to others. In a local community that growth can be rapid and exciting.
What podcasts that you don’t produce do you enjoy?
Comedian Adam Carolla is in the Guinness Book of World Records for the number of downloads on his pioneering podcast. He's not everyone's cup of tea, but the production of the show is exquisite, sounding more like a polished talk radio show.
I enjoy the Serial style podcasts. There's one I'm listening to now about the NBA referee scandal called Whistleblower. Sarah Koenig and Serial really paved the way for a new form of news reporting. It was almost as if she was writing a detailed magazine article, but allowing the listener to participate in the creation of that article in real time. It was genius.
For the geeks in the crowd: Tell us about your setup.
I think it really starts with the microphones. The first thing I purchased was radio quality microphones by Rode. Like many podcasters, the mixing board I use is a Rodecaster Pro, which is an amazing toy that makes it very easy to record many voices at once whether live or remote, and add live sound effects. I have two of them. (ED NOTE: I use the Rodecaster Pro as well, and find it to be a great tool.)
Is there anything else we should know?
Podcasting isn't exactly rocket science, and there's a very easy entry level for those that want to get started and create something truly innovative.
The great thing about a podcast is that anyone can have one. And the worst thing about podcasting is anyone can have one. In other words, there are many people that think plugging in a microphone and talking about beer or comic books or “The Brady Bunch” will seem interesting to everyone.
The podcasts that we produce shoot high. We try to add creative touches, packaging, sound effects and other devices that make them a must-listen. With some elbow grease, planning, thought and, yes, talent, for a relatively humble budget, you can produce a show that is as good as anything on the internet.
Thanks to David for his insights into his local podcasting business. Next week, we’ll talk with a podcast business owner who is using his marketing skills to push his business.
NEWS AND NOTES
UVALDE SHOOTER: From CBS Tech Reporter Dan Patterson: “The 18-year-old shooter reportedly had a history of harassing and threatening teenage girls online…”
More about Yubo below. Dan runs a great Substack site/newsletter. Check it out.
WAIT - WHAT’S “YUBO”?: That was my reaction to the news above, and I’m supposed to know about All Things Social Media. It has actually been around since 2015. Its appeal is in its live streaming feature that lets users interact via video. Yubo refers to itself as “the social live-streaming app for Gen Z” and, just two weeks before the Uvalde massacre, touted its security features. According to CNN, the company missed warnings about the shooter:
Salvador Ramos told girls he would rape them, showed off a rifle he bought, and threatened to shoot up schools in livestreams on the social media app Yubo, according to several users who witnessed the threats in recent weeks.
But those users – all teens – told CNN that they didn’t take him seriously until they saw the news that Ramos had gunned down 19 children and two adults at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, this week.
Yubo has 60 million Gen Z users worldwide. By comparison, Twitter has 500 million users and Facebook has 2.5 billion.
SHERYL SANDBERG LEAVES META/FACEBOOK: The well-known COO of Meta, Sheryl Sandberg, announced she is leaving the company after 14 years. The Facebook parent company officer is equally well-known for the 2013 book she co-authored, “Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead.” Sandberg is worth $1.6 billion, making her the second-richest woman in tech, behind former H-P boss Meg Whitman. Mark Zuckerberg says he has no intention to replace Sandberg.
THIS WEEK IN TIKTOK: TikTok made some moves to make advertising and distribution a little easier. You’ll soon be able to manage your TikTok account through a third party platform, after the company reached an agreement with Sprout Social, Hootsuite, Sprinklr, Emplifi, Dash Hudson, Khoros, Brandwatch and Later.
Also, a study found that people now engage longer with TikTok than they do with YouTube, which is remarkable for a short-form video platform. The study, from eMarketer, found users spend 45.8 minutes a day on TikTok, edging out YouTube’s 45.6 minutes:
COME ON, BBC AMERICA! As the Queen celebrated her 70th year on the throne, American cable news channels have covered key moments, like last Thursday’s flyover:
But BBC America? It was in “Star Trek: The Next Generation” reruns. I realize that show makes up most of its lineup, but it would be nice to see them run BBC News coverage of the Queen’s Jubilee.
A.I. HAVE A PROBLEM: Synthesia STUDIO is offering the chance to demo their A.I.-hosted videos. You upload your text, and an artificial person “hosts” it. My first pass was less than perfect. Watch “Steve”:
Friend and weather genius Matt Noyes wrote to me on LinkedIn: “I’m pretty (sure) this actually came out absolutely, 100% perfectly for a Safran AI video promoting his site.” He’s not wrong.
I don’t blame Synthesia for the bad first attempt. I made this on my phone — quickly. Using the website yielded better results. The “models” don’t pass the uncanny valley test yet, but they are getting there. Welcome to Westworld…
LINKS AND LIKES
READING: Why the media keeps botching car crash coverage. (Slate). An excellent examination of how broadcast news takes police reports of car crashes at face value, and what happened when a St. Louis station actually investigated an “accident.” In short, we keep blaming the victims instead of the drivers.
PODCAST RECOMMENDATION: Remote Notes subscriber John Cockrell recommends Clear + Vivid with Alan Alda. You know “Hawkeye,” of course, and he has spent his post-M*A*S*H career working on science and discussion programs. Alda brings his charming curiosity and deft interviewing touch to Clear + Vivid, an interview podcast with, seemingly, the only rule being “let’s interview really interesting people.” (Spotify, Apple.)
Is there a podcast you want to recommend? Something people might not have heard that you think we should share? Leave us a comment and we’ll check it out.
LISTENING TO: The Chelsea Curve. This band may consist of fiftysomething-aged Gen-Xers, but they are as punk as they come. Their new album, “All The Things” rocks. (Spotify, Apple.) The single, “Top It Up,” is 2:43 of hooky, slamming fun.
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This week’s newsletter is dedicated to the memory of lifelong friend Sarah Etelman (1968-2022).
Independent Podcast Publishers Start Up
My Layer-Pak Vegetables came with a rat on the second to last layer, is this the customer service line?