Digital Audio World

Musings and information on podcasting, digital audio, online streaming audio and home studio recording from Tim 'Gonzo' Gordon of DigitalAudioWorld.com

Saturday, February 25, 2006

Automate your podcast - voice and all?

I read this story two times. What's the point? Why have a computer voice do your damn podcast? I don't get it. Will someone please explain this to me?: Pocket-lint.co.uk Podcasting goes scripted news story.

Tuesday, February 21, 2006

Premium Podcasting Headed Your Way

It didn't take long for the most popular podcast to test the waters on a premium podcast business model. bit-tech.net | Ricky Gervais takes podcasting to Premium Level. For $7 a month you'll get a weekly half-hour show. Supposedly there are hundreds of thousands - maybe millions - of downloads an episode of the podcast. Ricky was said to have commented that he'd wished he'd started charging for it earlier. Well, it didn't take him long.

Actually, this is a good thing. If people want the content that bad, they'll pay for it. It's good for Ricky (of course), and good for other less-known podcasters, because if the model succeeds it might help pave the way for premium content for other podcasters.

If it's worth it, you'll pay for it. Admit it! Of course you will, if you see the value in it.

Meanwhile, the Tim 'Gonzo' Gordon Show podcast is still free!

Down the road aways (and in internet time that might be weeks or months), as more and more podcasts move towards a premium value model, many hobbyist podcasts might get frustrated and just sit on the sidelines for awhile.

OR.... listeners may get fed up with all of their favorite podcasts trying to squeeze $$ out of them that they'll stop listening, which might force some podcasters into the position of deciding whether to continue as a premium podcast or go back to the freebie approach.

This could get interesting...

Friday, February 17, 2006

Narasa Rebbapragada of PC World sticks her toe in podcasting, doing a little light surverying and querying some of the numbers of downloads, feeds, listeners and finding that many people wonder just what the heck is a podcast?? PCWorld.com - The Playlist: Podcasting--Behind the Hype

Still, one of the things that came out of her article that was interesting was this: "Another survey conducted by Taylor Nelson Sofres says that 78 percent of those who have ever listened to a podcast are male. (C'mon, ladies.)"

So only 22 percent of podcast listeners are female. I wonder if it means that most of the podcasters are male? I would guess, because that's sort of the ratio you get on terrestrial radio. It's changed somewhat in the past ten years, but I'm guessing that about 60 - 65% of all radio announcers are male. If I'm even close, that's a big change. When I got into radio in the mid 70s, it was probably 97% male. Yup, a boys club. And I'm sure a lot of the boys had resistance to welcoming girls on the air.

So now the challenge is to get more ladies / girls into podcasting, as both listeners and podcasters. Is it a gender thing? Are women less interested in futzing around with creating shows and audio files and the like? Is it something else altogether?

I'd be curious what you think...

Thursday, February 16, 2006

"Apple/iTunes do not care about Independent Labels or, for that matter, the record industry," says Tony Brummel of Victory Records. Tony sounds off on iTunes in an email to FMQB (Friday Morning Quarterback, a radio industry trade paper). In FMQB: Radio Industry News, Music Industry Updates, Arbitron Ratings, Music News and more! Mr. Brummel rails against Steve Jobs as well as major labels who are bending over backward to get their music on iTunes.

All in all, a fiery and interesting missive. Tony, I'm with ya.

I was having a discussion today with an acquaintance and we both agreed that record companies are facing a short half-life. TV and radio stations have a bit longer to live, but major record companies have been sucking from the big teat for way too long. When someone pays $15 for a piece of plastic that's worth less than a buck and then starts to look at where the majority of that money goes, they stop buying. The pricing model is growing tiresome.

I have only bought a half dozen CD's in the past year - and that's more than the previous couple of years combined. And I think the only things I bought were from old established (or dead) artists such as Peter Gabriel, Kate Bush and George Harrison. Either that or unknown bands / artists that totally slip my mind right now because I'm not sitting in front of my collection :)

Very few new artists offer anything new to me. The craftsmanship is based on machinery, not true artistry or talent. There are exceptions of course. I actually watched the Grammys and thought U2 did a fine job. Keith Urban was a pleasant surprise. McCartney doing a duet with a young rapper (who?) on 'Yesterday' was an interesting bit of updated nostalgia. But not much else there intrigued me. Why not invite Damian 'Junior Gong' Marley to the stage? His lp "Welcome to Jamrock" has knocked down doors, and flown up charts. He even grabbed another Grammy for best reggae album (if you're a Marley you will most likely walk away with that award!). Put him and his massive dreadlocks on stage and I'd be calling my parents to watch!

Long live independent music.

Saturday, February 04, 2006

Podcast: Bob Marley Birthday Show Special

The latest episode of the Tim 'Gonzo' Gordon Show podcast features a entertaining and wide-ranging interview with Roger Steffens, the premiere reggae author and archivist, who discusses the life of Bob Marley. He also talks about his recent two-week trip to Israel, and the surprise announcement that made headlines across the country with his two-hour 'Life of Bob Marley' video presentation. Check out the podcast here. Take a look at Roger Steffens website here.