Digital Audio World

2008-02-15T23:20:00.000-08:00

Trying to Subscribe to a podcast a KINK .FM

Here in Oregon's Willamette Valley, I spend a fair amount of time
listening to radio, and one of the best stations in Oregon,
according to my own admittedly biased opinions, is KINK-FM 102.
You can find them online at KINK.FM.

They're what you might classify as Adult Alternative, playing
artists such as Collective Soul, Crowded House, Feist, Green Day,
Maroon 5, John Mayer....my kind of music, mostly.

Their announcers are generally pretty solid, even though I'm a
pretty harsh critic, having spent 25+ years behind a radio mic.
So I feel I can be picky :-) So thumbs up there...

They also heavily promote their podcast page on their website at
http://kink.fm. Lots of great audio there: interviews, morning
show snippets, music. Good stuff.

As a listener and a podcast subscriber, I would be interested in
subscribing to their podcasts.

But it's virtually impossible.

I've been podcasting since early 2005. I've taught podcasting.
Still do (http://podcastingadventuresonline.com). And I know that
for a podcast to exist there has to be a way to subscribe,
because that's what makes a podcast: the ability to subscribe to
the RSS feed that contains the audio so you can automatically
download the audio whenever you fire up iTunes (or any other
podcatcher).

KINK doesn't get podcasting.

I've written to them numerous times, trying to explain it. Their
webmaster either doesn't get the e-mail, or doesn't bother to
reply because -- well, I don't know why. It's a mystery to me.

So I put together a short three minute video demonstrating how
difficult it is for visitors to subscribe to their podcasts. I
even sent the link to the afternoon guy, who's an acquaintance of
mine.

I'll be curious to see if they ever figure it out and make it
easy for you and I to subscribe to their podcasts.

Here, watch the video for yourself:
How NOT to get podcast subscribers: 3-minute video

...and see if you don't agree.

2008-01-04T14:01:00.000-08:00

Backing Down...a Bit

Let's ratchet down the invective I launched a few days ago (see below) about the RIAA. Apparently they weren't going after a guy who simply copied the songs from a CD that he owned on to his computer. No, they were ticked because the guy put them in a 'shared' folder so that other people could access them.

See here!

Following the RIAA's logic, ANY sharing of songs would be considered illegal. Which means that probably 85 percent of all teenagers in the US and half the rest of the population should pay a fine because they shared a CD with a buddy.

Following that logic a bit farther, if all of those people that have broken the laws in that regard were fined to the extent that the RIAA apparently would like them to be, no one would have any money left (or any interest) in buying any more CDs.

Therefore, the recorded music industry would cease to exist and the RIAA guys could get real jobs as, oh, talk-show hosts or newspaper columnists; maybe move into hotel-motel management.

Well, I think I've solved the RIAA's problem. Perhaps I should send them an invoice.

2008-01-02T14:38:00.000-08:00

RIAA Smoking Crack. Again.

Download Uproar: Recording Industry Goes After Personal Use

The arrogant bastards at the RIAA now claim that copying the songs from a CD that you bought onto your computer is illegal.

Reminds me of the time that Garth Brooks said (back around '88 or '89) that anyone who sold USED CD's should be arrested. Music Millennium in Portland, Oregon, even held a Garth CD fry in honor of that stupid statement. How can you not be able to sell something that you legally bought? Just because Garth didn't get a second royalty check the second time the original CD is sold he thinks it should be illegal.

If I buy a used car, does that mean Ford deserves another royalty payment because they built the car?

When you purchase something used from the classified ads (oh, say a pair of skis or a boat or a tunafish sandwich) I suppose Garth Brooks (and the RIAA) think we should award the original creator some $$ because they made it originally?

I'd be curious to check with Garth and see how many used CD's or tunafish sandwiches he's bought - and what amount he paid to the original manufacturer.

'Scuze me?

What planet are these guys from?

2007-09-19T10:40:00.000-07:00

Proof of Podcasts?

As the term 'podcast' seems to slip into the mainstream even more, it appears that more and more people are downloading and listening.

It appears that people are talking about podcasting less, but using them more?

A local radio station in Portland - KINK.FM - offers a number of 'podcasts' on their audio pages. So - as is becoming more typical of those who didn't jump on the podcast phenomenon a couple of years ago - they're helping to change the meaning of the word.

Without an RSS feed, the MP3 audio file is just that - a file that you can download. No one can subscribe to it, so technically it's not a PODCAST. But they refer to them as podcasts on the air, and at KINK the link for subscribing actually does a nutty thing when you click on it - it opens a new window that shows the RSS feed code. Weird. How does that work? And how would a typical visitor know what to do with that?

I've actually written them trying to explain that what they're doing is not working - most people don't know how to subscribe to a feed and therefore need simple instructions. But they haven't responded and haven't made changes that would make it easier for their listeners.

In spite of that, many more people ARE listening to podcasts and downloading them, whether through subscriptions or manual downloads, so it's heartening to see that the medium is growing and maturing.

2007-07-13T14:05:00.000-07:00

Web Radio $$ for Pay-to-Play is a Last Minute Deal?

Webcaster Royalty Rates going to huddle

The news from this morning (posted earlier here) is already outdated, as it should be. Here's the latest in the attempt to keep web radio on the 'air' and live on the net.

2007-07-13T08:48:00.000-07:00

MAJOR VICTORY??

Appeals court rejects Webcast royalty delay | Technology | Internet | Reuters

This was coming, one way or another. It looks like there's no reprieve, even though opponents say that the battle isn't over.

However, what strikes me is the attitude of the executive from SoundExchange:

"This is a major victory for recording artists and record labels whose hard work and creativity provides the music around which the Internet radio business is built," SoundExchange executive director John Simson said. "Notwithstanding this victory, we continue to reach out to the webcasting community to reach business solutions."

"Major Victory..." Shutting down thousands of online outlets for musicians, listeners, indie netcasters...this is termed a 'major victory'?

Perhaps he hasn't read the research or heard the anecdotal evidence that spreading music around by bits and pieces here and there actually leads to INCREASED sales...and that by closing down thousands of those bits and pieces, he's helping to shutter the doors on ways people get exposed to music.

There was a government study done years ago (I wish they'd do another!) that demonstrated unequivocally that sharing music by copying it and giving it to friends leads to MORE SALES.

Even in this digital age, if a fan finds a new artist, it's still highly likely that they'll eventually PURCHASE some of that artists music or attend a concert.

Closing down web stations that expose people to new artists (and face it, even the 'mainstream' artists are still new to people every single day) is closing down one avenue of music exposure.

I can't think that this is a 'major victory' for the recording artists and record labels, who continue to see CD sales decline.

2007-07-03T13:37:00.000-07:00

Bring Back Payola?

It looks to me like the record industry isn't doing the math very well. They want to raise the rates that radio pays artists for the right to play songs.

See this here for more from the San Antonio Business Journal.

Let's turn this around. If radio stopped playing music - stopped COLD, and went to talk or news format (or playground sounds for that matter) - where would those artists be? Where would the record industry be?

They'd be squat out of luck. If there were no music played on the radio, nobody would know about new artists except through word-of-mouth, the grapevine, other media including online.

I think artists and the record industry would find out soon what advantage they have as the radio industry plays literally TONS of tunes - both old and new.

Now if this admittedly fantastic scenario unfolded, of course the music industry wouldn't die - and neither would the radio industry - but both would change drastically.

Theirs is a hand-in-glove relationship. One thrives because of the other.

If radio stopped playing music because it cost them too much (and yes there is a limit to how much they can take) they would change and evolve and find new programming. Listeners would make the adjustment by finding new tunes through friends, in-store listening, online recommendations and more.

And this statement puzzles me, because to me and my 25 years experience in radio, it rings false:

Said MusicFirst Executive Director Mark Kadesh in a statement: "Of all the ways we listen to music, corporate radio is the only medium that refuses to pay performers even a fraction of a penny for their voice and creativity."

What about the royalties paid to BMI, ASCAP and SESAC? Isn't that considered more than a fraction of a penny? And doesn't the radio industry scratch the back of the recording industry and its creative artist brethren in a ginormously beneficial way?

Of course it does.

So it may come down to see - if this movement progresses down the path it has started - who will blink first: the radio industry or the recording industry?

I dare ya...in fact, I double-dare ya, recording industry: take the plunge, get Congress to pass a law (scary thought #3,209 today) and see what it gets you.

See if the consumers of your product can find out about it without the benefit of radio.

Personally, I think we need to go back to the model that built the recording industry so big, but seems to have slipped in recent years: PAYOLA.

2007-05-02T08:37:00.000-07:00

Podcast Downloads: Now There's the Real Surge

Like the soldier surge in Iraq, which went largely unnoticed in mainstream media, so goes the podcast download surge. Nonetheless, Wizzard Media claims to have set a new podcast download record recently. Details posted by Jason Lee Miller on Web Pro News:

Podcast Downloads Set New Record: WebProNews

Daily download requests average 2.3 million for Wizzard Media, which last year combined the services of Libsyn, Switchpod and Blast Podcast. As a result, Wizzard claims the disctinction of being the "largest podcast hosting network on the planet."

A quick scan of their website at http://www.wizzard.tv shows nothing much at the moment except the following statement:

This is Wizzard. We are a new media company. While we build our new site, please enjoy some of these great shows.

2007-04-05T14:01:00.000-07:00

Inside The Copyright Royalty Board Decision With Kurt Hanson

FMBQ (Friday Morning Quarterback) is always a good read if you're following radio, whether online or off. The streaming music royalty controversy gets a little air with this interview.

Kurt Hanson is the founder of AccuRadio.com and RAIN publisher, and in this interview he maintains that unless the upcoming royalty rate change for online streaming music is adjusted downward, it'll virtually shutdown all music webcasting.

All. Music. Webcasting.

Which means it would drive listeners to international stations (which are starting to block US listeners so they won't have to pay the rates), or to illicit operations like the one in my base- uh, er..

Informative stuff.

Obviously somebody isn't paying attention here. Since when is driving all net-casters out of business good for the music industry?

2007-03-14T16:23:00.000-07:00

Slacker Radio Kicks Off

Are you ready for yet another online music service? Well, of course! And if we're going to partake, there'd better be something worthwhile here.

It looks like that might be the case with Slacker online radio. According to this article from PC World's blog, Harry McCracken believes that Slacker has enough different goodies to entice folks.

Although, yes, he did find a few bugs in the ointment.

A couple of observations after cruising by Slacker's site and giving it a try.

First, the logo - flying wings surrounding a swastika-like musical note - gave me an initial impression of Der Fatherland's 1935 look. I doubt that was intentional. And hey, the mind does pull some interesting things out of mid-brain at times. But, still...a strong imposing image.

I tuned into SXSW radio to check out the tunes and sound. High quality, immediate sound -- all from the front page. No software to load; just click and play.

So far, so good.

There's a 'share with friend' button and a load to device button (still in beta, as devices are expected later this year).

I don't need to repeat all that Harry went over - but it looks and sounds cool. I didn't run across the problem he apparently had of the station only playing one song at a time, but perhaps he spent more time than I.

Worth a look!

2007-03-13T15:10:00.000-07:00

MP3 Patent Fights Snarls Microsoft

What's it worth for Microsoft to be able to play MP3s in Windows Media Player? Or more to the point, if this case is ultimately ruled against Microsoft, what does the ruling mean to Apple and others who use software to play the billions of MP3s just lying around on PCs, Macs, iPods and other MP3 players?

This NY Times article may be able to shed some light on the whole thing, but it appears there are miles to go before this thing is put to bed.

2007-02-09T13:53:00.000-08:00

iPods Targeted as Govt Wants to 'Protect Us'

The backlash against the recent proposal to ban iPods and similar devices while walking around is predictable. As is the death of this stupid proposal.

It's obvious that Sen. Kruger is looking to get a little press activity with this untenable idea.

I've heard him quoted as saying that the 'government needs to protect its citizens.'

Hmm. Don't see that anywhere in the Constitution. Show me where the government is supposed to protect us from our own behaviors, however stupid those behaviors may be.

If that were the case, all 300 million of us American citizens would have a collection of government agents protecting us 24/7 by standing in our living room, monitoring our TV watching habits, looking over our shoulder while we drive or walk, checking the fat content of our fast food, advising us against unprotected sex....etc.

Can you say '1984?'

You can't protect someone from being unobservant while walking around with an iPod cranked up. If they're going to walk into the path of a bus or train, well...let 'em. It's one way to strengthen the gene pool by letting the deadwood fall off the wayside.

Callous? Perhaps. But letting us be free to do dumb things, to be inconsiderate, to walk around without paying attention to where we're going - well, that's what FREEDOM is about, in case anybody forgot.

If you need a primer, check out Peter McWilliams' still-timely book 'Ain't Nobody's Business If You Do.'

Here's the story on the proposed iPod ban: NY State Sen. Carl Kruger proposes ban on handheld devices - Tech

2007-02-02T07:37:00.000-08:00

Gonzo Podcast 57: Maximum Rock and Roll

Speaking of audio, the latest Tim 'Gonzo' Gordon Show podcast features an interview with author Arnaud Dirieux, who along with Murray Engleheart, penned "AC/DC Maximum Rock and Roll." Relive some fun times with the world's greatest rock and roll band. Click here for the podcast.

2007-01-29T22:13:00.000-08:00

Podcasting Tools and More

Andrew Darlow subscribes to my newsletter Podcast Info, and after a bit of feedback last week we traded a couple of emails. He led me to one of his posts on podcasting here which I found quite useful. He's got a handful of links, such as Gizmo Project and Wimpy Player that I'm trying out.

Andrew's a photographer and digital imaging consultant and if that interests you like it does me, you'll find that his podcast and blog here will have a number of cool and fun things.

2007-01-19T06:32:00.000-08:00

Digital Audio is Everywhere

Let’s go back, oh, say, thirty years. The late 70s. The Bee Gees owned the pop charts. The Clash and Elvis Costello were busting out of England with what was referred to punk sounds. They were surrounded by the Buzzcocks, The Jam, Nick Lowe, Television, Wire, Iggy Pop and David Bowie.

We’d buy the music from those artists on vinyl LP’s. The singles would be pressed as 45 RPM records. Cassettes were in full bloom. And the artists were all still recording on analog tape.

Commercial digital recording of classical and jazz music began in the early 70s, pioneered by Japanese companies, according to Wikipedia. While experimental digital audio recordings exist from the 60s, it wasn’t until the early 70s that digital audio slowly moved nearer to the mainstream.

Back then, if a recording was digitally recorded, mixed and mastered, it was referred to as DDD. If the first step was an analog (tape) recording, but digitally mixed and mastered, it’s be called ADD.

After Ry Cooder recorded the first all-digital rock/pop album in late 1978 (Bop Til You Drop), the gates opened.

Now of course, digital audio is literally everywhere. In fact, it’s hard to find a source of audio that does NOT have a digital component. Your cell phone’s audio is ditigally processed. That CD you’re listening to is digital. iPods, iRivers and other portable music sources all rely on digital audio. If you load up your computer with CD’s or even transfer your old records to your computer, it has all now become digital bits.

There are digital jukeboxes, digital car stereos, digital audio receivers, and digital HD radio receivers in which the audio is transmitted and received in digital audio form.

In 2006, digital music (downloaded off of various legitimate websites) accounted for 10% of all music sales – about $2 billion. Yeah, Billion with a B. That’s expected to rise to 25% of all music sales within the next four years.

You can’t escape digital audio.

If you are an online business person and you do a teleseminar and make that conversation recording available, you’re dealing with digital audio.

If you podcast, you create, edit, sweeten, mix and publish using digital audio.

“But I do a video podcast,” you say. Right. Your audio is still digital.

High quality, small digital audio recorders are becoming lower in price. I’ve had a Marantz digital recorder for two years and it literally goes almost everywhere with me. If I take a trip, it goes into the backpack. I use it to take notes, record ambient sound, record conversations and meetings. I sleep with it to describe my midnight dreams, albeit in a somewhat muzzy voice sometimes!

There are small pen-sized digital audio recorder that can be used discreetly to make audio recordings. The digital note-taker has replaced the micro-cassette (although I still have a micro-cassette recorder that is still quite useful).

What’s the point of all this?

Simple. If you want an edge in technology, one good way is to learn how to record, manipulate, edit, and publish digital audio. You’d be surprised (perhaps not?) how many people who are fairly computer savvy – yet totally in the dark about digital audio. But really, it’s not that difficult.

This means – for starters – getting a piece of audio software, a decent microphone and perhaps even a small mixing board to control the level of the sounds into your computer.

It means being able to rip a CD’s contents into your PC or MAC. Learn how iTunes works. Learn how Audacity (the free audio recording software) works. Explore other software, such as MusicMatch or WinAmp. Listen to online radio stations.

With digital audio being ever-present it only makes sense to get up to speed on how it works. It becomes a marketing tool. It shows people you’re on top of things. It gives the perception that you know more than most.

Digital audio is everywhere. Now it’s up to you to add to the noise!

2007-01-17T08:58:00.000-08:00

Switch-over to new Blogger causes email spasm...

Sorry about that! If you subscribe to the email updates from DigitalAudioWorld.com's blog, you recently got about 15 emails covering the last several posts. I don't know why it happened, but I can tell you what caused it: I switched over to the "New" Blogger yesterday and it apparently sent out the missives when it did the update.

My apologies...I don't think it'll happen again!

2007-01-17T07:41:00.000-08:00

Gonzo Podcast 56: Roger Steffens Interview

January 17, 2006: Gonzo Podcast 56: In this entertaining and informative interview with Bob Marley archivist and former editor of The Beat magazine, Roger Steffens takes us inside the London High Court with his perspective on Wailers bass player Aston "Family Man" Barrett's £60 million lawsuit against the Marley estate and record company.

Tim 'Gonzo' Gordon Show Podcast

2007-01-03T13:56:00.001-08:00

Sony's Opening Door a Bit for Music in Podcasts

I don't think this is the answer that podcasters were looking for, but it's a start, even though it's a specific isolated incident. Perhaps more music companies will make it easier for podcasters, both pro and hobbyists, to use major music in their music podcasts.

Gotta love the comment by the exec with BMG's Legacy Recording, though:

Adam Block, SVP/GM of Sony BMG's Legacy Recordings, describes the podcasts as "essentially a movie trailer for our projects." Digital media strategist Ted Cohen, formerly of EMI, told the WSJ that "protecting" major label artists' songs from appearing in podcasts has backfired as a strategy. "We've protected them so well nobody knows they exist," he joked.

Check the story here...

2007-01-03T13:53:00.000-08:00

Adam Block, SVP/GM of Sony BMG's Legacy Recordings, describes the podcasts as "essentially a movie trailer for our projects." Digital media strategist Ted Cohen, formerly of EMI, told the WSJ that "protecting" major label artists' songs from appearing in podcasts has backfired as a strategy. "We've protected them so well nobody knows they exist," he joked.

Check the story here...

2006-12-13T14:12:00.000-08:00

iTunes Sales Down

Just because you've got the lion's share of the MP3 player market and the dominant on-line sales source for MP3s doesn't mean there isn't a twig in the toilet.

According to Forrester Research, sales have slumped a goodly amount since this time last year - check it out here: Is iTunes Slowly Dying?

According to the study, "only three percent of online households purchase music via iTunes, with the majority still buying CDs as their preferred method."

This little tidbit caught my eye - I was under the impression, from news stories and Apple's gushing PR department, that damn near everyone in America was sucking tunes down from iTunes Music Store. Apparently it's not the case. Instead, just 3 percent of ONLINE HOUSEHOLDS buy from iTunes. It's not insignificant and can surely add up to a stack of virtual wax (and $$), but it's not the dominant force it appears to be.

2006-12-08T14:09:00.000-08:00

“The Nametag Guy” Scott Ginsberg Reveals Secrets of ‘Approachability’ and Discusses Launch of Online TV Station

The “Tim ‘Gonzo’ Gordon Show” Podcast interview with Scott Ginsberg uncovers keys to being approachable. Ginsberg also discusses the importance of being a published author – and believes that audio podcasting is being overshadowed by online video.

SALEM, OR., December 8, 2006 – Imagine wearing a nametag 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Even sleeping with a nametag.

Scott Ginsberg (www.HelloMyNameIsScott.com), also known as “The Nametag Guy” has parleyed that nametag into a lucrative speaking and writing career. And it all happened because he decided to wear a nametag for a day back in 2000.

“It was serendipitous, spur-of-the-moment, organic; whatever you want to call it,” said Scott, “and although it was experimental, I found the reaction to be impressive: the friendliness, the approachability, the willingness to break the silence was so incredibly cool.”

Since then Ginsberg has published three books (a fourth is on the way in April of 2007) on approachability and the ability to start conversations and how they enrich the human experience. “It’s about how to make a name for yourself,” said Scott. He admits that having a book is "huge - it's a giant wedge in the door" to getting attention and new business.

Ginsberg discusses how he connected with his two main mentors, Jeffrey Gitomer (www.gitomer.com) (“he just emailed me after I was on CNN with my first book”) and Shep Hyken (www.hyken.com), who hooked up with Scott through his grandmother.

While Ginsberg has been podcasting for awhile, he says he recently discontinued the audio podcast, “because I think audio podcasting is slowly moving into the end of its product life cycle, so I’m moving into video podcasting.” He anticipates that his first video podcast will be available early spring of 2007.

Ginsberg discussed his new website which will launch next year. It'll be an online TV station with regular videos, training modules and topics close to his main message of approachability.

Listen to the full interview with Scott Ginsberg on the Tim ‘Gonzo’ Gordon Show podcast.

2006-11-30T15:45:00.000-08:00

Podcast Listening On The Rise. Again.

On the heels of my participation in AmericaWebWorks.com's SEO for PodCasting webinar last night, comes news that the podcasting audience is rising: eMarketer.com - 34 Million Ears Perked for Podcasts.

The (so-called) not-so-cheery news is that only one in a hundred downloads a podcast daily. At least, that's the implication - that it should depress podcast supporters, particularly Steve Jobs. So, let's do the math: if the 1-in-100 applies to America, and there are 300 million people in America, that's about 3 million downloads a day or 90 million downloads a month.

Damn, that's nothing to cough out a lung at. I suspect as many people live on farms as listen to podcasts. But I'll bet most farmers don't listen to podcasts! No, I don't see the connection.

While the percentage of males downloading podcasts is increasing, it's noteworthy that the demographic split among downloaders is quite even: 18-29 (14% of this age group download podcasts), 30-49 (12%) and 50-64 (12%) are neck and neck. And neck.

Household income is not a significant factor to podcast listening, either.

However, the more experienced computer user, the more likely to tune in to a podcast. Broadband users grab more podcasts - but not by as much as you might think: 10% to 14%.

It's all good news for podcasters, as far as I'm concerned.

Now, where's the free beer they promised?

2006-11-28T11:29:00.000-08:00

Anti-Zune Movement?

I've stumbled across a handful of posts today where bloggers and writers actually urge people to NOT purchase Microsoft's new iPod challenger "Zune." Why? Mainly because it's NOT user-friendly. This article from the Chicago Sun-Times hits it on the head: Andy Ihnatko :: Avoid the loony Zune

There are a number of pro-zune sites out there that would beg to disagree (just search for 'Zune Love'), but even those folks seem to be awash in back-handed compliments for Zune, admitting that Zunes DON'T have podcast-catchers, Zunes DON'T work with Windows Media, Zunes DO NEED A FIRMWARE UPGRADE to get started...and the list goes on...yikes.

Where's the consumer in all of this? About the bottom of the list, it appears.

2006-11-21T10:06:00.000-08:00

$$-Related Podcasts Show Promise and Growth

The folks at Marketing Sherpa have just posted a new case study on the use of podcasts in the financial world:

MarketingSherpa > How a Financial-Services Firm Added a Social Media Platform to Keep Clients Informed

Fidelity Investments has moved into the tech world aggressively, making podcasting work where other similar 'traditional' or 'conservative' businesses fear to tread.

Glad to see the whole thing is working. Just more fuel on the fire for us podcasters who know how well podcasts can be used to leverage a client base, distribute information in a timely manner, and do it in a way that's inviting and entertaining.

2006-11-16T07:06:00.000-08:00

iTunes Subscription Protocol Change?

I was poking through a podcast directory when I came across an iTune subscribe link that was extremely simple. Insstead of a 90 or 100-character URL, it was simply the location of the RSS feed with the prefix "itpc".

Since I'd never heard of it, I did some browsing and came across this post from Derek Miller in Vancouver BC.

Penmachine.com: Apple's new "itpc" podcast URL prefix | Derek K. Miller, Writer & Editor, Vancouver, Canada

So I tried this for my iTunes one-click subscribe link and it works great. Just one-click and you're subscribed.

Wow, another thing Apple has done right. If they keep going I might actually buy something of theirs or at least consider it.

And, hey Derek, thanks for the info!

2006-11-14T07:51:00.000-08:00

Gonzo Podcast Goes Explorin'

On this most recent podcast show - Gonzo Podcast #52 - I grabbed some 'live' on-the-scene audio from a new 'audio' exhibit at the Exploratorium in San Francisco.

Take a listen now:

Tim Gonzo Gordon Podcast Show# 52

2006-11-04T08:40:00.000-08:00

Zune In, Baby

After seeing the 'first look' from C/NET (Microsoft Zune (30GB, black) Reviews. MP3 players Reviews by CNET) on the newest MP3 / video / photo player from Microsoft I think this may give iPod a good little run for the money. Not only does it look and act cool, but it has a wifi feature which allows you to share your music with other Zunesters.

When it comes to determining what music will be allowed to play on Zune, apparently you can play your own CD tracks that you've ripped to your computer. But it won't play tracks from other services according to C/NET reviewer James Kim:

"The unit will playback MP3, protected WMA (the Zune-kind only), and unprotected AAC. No native WAV or WMA Lossless playback. If you have $200 worth of Wal-Mart tracks, you're in trouble. (You'll have to burn and rip, or find some way to convert). If you're into subscription services, the ZunePass is your only choice."

It'll price out at $249; it has a 30GB hard-drive, and hey, it's just in time for Christmas!

Some Zune Links:

Coming Zune
Zune Insider Blog
Zune Press Room

2006-10-20T10:29:00.000-07:00

PODCAST INFO - STREAMING FLASH AUDIO

Here's the latest PODCAST INFO newsletter I published this week. Do you get my newsletter? If not, subscribe here.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Let's take a quick look at streaming flash audio in this issue ofPodcast Info.

First of all, what is streaming flash audio, and why would you use it?

Flash is the name of program written and released years ago by Macromedia. This was part of a suite of web-related software, which also included DreamWeaver (web design), FireWorks and FreeHand (graphic design - with different purposes).

Flash was probably the er, well, flashiest of those programs. With it a clever and skilled designer could incorporate audio, video, animation and other elements. Somewhere along the way a handful of folks came up with the idea that it would be easy to incorporate the 'click-to-play-audio' function into a website so that it would be easy to get viewers to click and listen.

So why should you offer flash audio if you have a podcast? After all, a podcast is downloadable and transportable, right? What's the point of offering another version of the audio?

~~~~~~

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW:

People listen to audio differently, and the more options you are able to offer your visitors, the higher the chances are that you can capture their attention and actually get them to listen.

Not only that, but there are still people who access the web via dial-up, and downloading a multi-megabyte file might take them 30 to 60 minutes and unreasonably tie up a phone connection.

~~~~~~

That's why on my podcast home page I'll offer a link to subscribe via an RSS feed, a direct link to subscribe through iTunes, a direct link to the MP3 file and a 'click-to-play' audio flash button for people who want to listen right then and there without waiting.

Macromedia claims that Flash players are installed on 98 percent of all computers, and while that number may be exaggerated, conservative estimates put the number at at least 90 percent. Flash is the streaming solution of choice for dial-up listeners as well as those who are accessing the web with DSL or broadband.

So when it comes to making it easier for your audience, offering flash audio is a no-brainer. But where do you get a useful piece of software to convert your files to flash? My favorite for the past year or two has been AudioStreamsPlus, created by America Web Works.

(And by the way, if you purchase the software, send me a copy of your receipt at tim(at)timgonzogordon.com and I'll refund $10!) Of course there are other flash audio solutions, but I've not found one that is as user-friendly as AudioStreamsPlus.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

End of newsletter - once again, to subscribe, click here.

2006-10-18T10:51:00.000-07:00

Google's SearchMash - Search Mach Three?

Just got wind of a new Google thing: SearchMash - and decided to have a little fun with it:

podcast gonzo - searchmash

It works this way. Enter a search term or terms, and the site pulls up ten text results, along with image results on the right sidebar. Click the 'more results' link and the page adds another ten results to the current page, without going to a second page. Pretty cool.

In my testing, I inserted 'podcast gonzo' as a search term - just to see what came up. I use the name Tim 'Gonzo' Gordon on my podcast and every page I can come up with and encourage others to do the same. And yup, the more I use it the more it shows up onlien in search results and other folks pages with links back to my sites.

In the first ten results there were a number of links to sites that mention me - as well as some of my sites. Next ten results I found mentions on Squidoo.com (from Leesa Barnes), Idiotvox, Odeo, Digital Podcast, and more.

The 'infinite scroll' feature works well, and is a nifty alternative to the typical results pages that roll out with other search engines.

But is it really operated by Google? Yes, even though you have to go through to the privacy page to find that out (thanks to Danny Sullivan, a Clickz.com expert).

2006-09-28T21:02:00.000-07:00

Apple Turnover

So Apple is gathering the posturing attorneys to protect the term iPod: Podcast Ready has been served with a 'cease and desist' letter, saying that the terms "'podcast ready' and 'mypodder' consist in substantial part of Apple's iPod mark, and contain Apple's POD mark in its entirety."

Lots of discussion on the Yahoo podcast board - not everyone things that Apple will get away with this. After all, "podcasting" and "podcast" are words that entered the English language before Apple released iPod.

Keep watching - this could get interesting. See the letter from Apple here.

2006-09-25T06:59:00.000-07:00

Old-Time Radio Style Alive and Well in the Podcast World

Check out the interview with J. Marcus Xavier of "The Silent Universe" in the most recent Tim Gonzo Gordon Podcast Show.

It's a fun behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to produce a podcast with voice actors, sound effect, music and a script.

2006-09-20T09:44:00.000-07:00

64 Reasons Why (and How) Small Business Should Be Podcasting!

Learning, Networking, Web Traffic, Branding, Promotion, Positioning Yourself as a Leader

Why podcast? As a small business, if you're considering all of the various reasons to podcast, let me help you. I've put together a special report that has 64 Reasons!

Here are the first ten:

Drive more traffic to your site.
Increase your brand recognition.
It's easy.
It allows you to discuss ideas and concepts in detail with other people that you might not have normally been able to.
It will increase your visibility.
I will increase your networking opportunities.
You'll meet people who come across your podcast that you never would have met before. One or two of them will open doors for you that you didn't even know existed.
Promote your product.
Promote an affiliate product.
If you create a popular podcast, you can use a variety of methods to monetize it.

To get the remaining 54 Reasons Why (and How) Small Business Should Be Podcasting, click through to the subscription op-in page for the Podcast Info newsletter. Not only will you get the report "64 Reasons Why (and How) Small Business Should Be Podcasting" but you'll also get "Podcast Best Practices" and "Ten Ways You Can Post Audio Online."

What the hell? Do it now!

2006-09-15T15:03:00.000-07:00

Starbucks Podcast Reviews Taste Bitter

Here's a surprisingly refreshing review of a corporate podcast: Podcasting dregs: Starbucks grinds out surprisingly flavorless product by Steve Johnson of the Chicago Tribune.

Too bad he doesn't offer advice on how to cure the coffee blues in this particular 'flavorless' corporate podcast.

Here's how I'd fix it:

First, DON'T DO THE INTRO ON THE FRICKIN' TELEPHONE!!

Jeez, this is such a cheap and easy cure, it's amazing that such a deep-pockets company such as Starbucks can't figure this out. Either they don't have anyone in-house that knows what they're doing, or the professional podcast producer they've hired is really, well, unprofessional. I'd never let that kind of lousy sound quality pass out of my studio that's for sure (hint, hint!).

In listening to Episode Two, the lady host (what the hell's her name, anyway - don't they even think to let us know that up front?) is doing the interview from a telephone and talking to a guy who sounds like he's also on a telephone, but perhaps in a studio. His quality is fairly good, but still not excellent quality like it should be.

I don't get it.

Next, take the damn microphone out to some stores. People who sit and drink lattes and half-caf vanilla espressos all day long at Starbucks must be pretty big fans of the store and certainly have some interesting content. Yeah, it'd take a little more work, but - once again - this is STARBUCKS, fer Chrissake. Do some interviews and get some unique content.

The interview with the coffee barista comes off as flat and scripted, instead of spontaneous, fun and unscripted. I guess it's hard to make a professional podcaster out of a coffee barista, but you can certainly hire a professional announcer to handle the hosting chores.

Other elements:

Music - lame. Who's elevator are we on? (echoing Steve Johnson's comment) Why can't they feature some of the music available at Starbucks? Surely they can afford the music licensing rights.

Features: hmm. Not much thought here. Entertaining with coffee? Interview with a barista? These all ooze corporatism - after seeing the Starbucks segment on 60 Minutes I don't think Founder Howard Schultz would buy into all of this mostly non-listenable content.

What about a history snippet? A coffee myth-busting feature? Coffee factoids? Something besides 'coffee talk.' How about chat about some of the cool music that Starbucks sells? That's GOT to be worth some chat time.

Bottom line: next time try for more good content, less corporate shilling.

Overall grade: C-

For a corporate podcast, even this is (so far) a non-starter. Unless they perk up their presentation and polish the audio quality, they'll continue to pale against some great hobby podcasts - which are much more entertaining and of higher audio quality.

I wonder. Should I tell them I'm available to consult?

2006-09-05T07:49:00.000-07:00

Andy Wibbels Interview

Andy recently released his book on blogging called "Blog Wild! A Guide for Small Business Blogging."

In a meandering interview, Andy talks about corporate and small business blogging, his upcoming WordPress blogging teleseminar, and the courge of the bloosphere - splogs. It's all on the most recent edition of the Tim Gonzo Gordon Podcast Show.

2006-08-31T06:39:00.000-07:00

Blog Evangelist Holds Free Teleseminar

How's your blogging going for you these days? Do you have one? Are you posting regularly? Do you get the most out of your blog?

Free plug: Andy Wibbels and Sherman Hu are hosting a free teleseminar on blogging - particularly with WordPress. Do you use WordPress? I do (not on this blog, but on TimGonzoGordon.com/Blog) - and think it's great for a number of reasons. And I want to find out more about it, to see what I can REALLY do once I get up to speed on the true possibilities.

One thing I really like is the ability to post audio or video and seamlessly embed it in the page. Take a listen to the examples (and look at the seamless player) on a recent post I did demonstrating a handful of digital audio cuts that I recorded with my portable flash recorder, the Marantz PMD 660.

The 660 is the slickest recording unit I've ever used: high quality in a small unit; the audio is stored in digital files which are easily transferred to my PC's hard drive, where I can edit and post in a snap.

Andy and Sherman's teleseminar is coming up on Wednesday the 13th of September. You can sign up here: WordPress Essentials.

2006-08-29T13:17:00.000-07:00

iTunes Affiliate Program Gets Dander Up

Just thought I'd point you to a post on this blog regarding iTunes new affiliate program - which probably isn't going to do more than piss in the wind a bit. After noticing that they offer a whopping 5% (!) affiliate commission, it makes me wonder why anyone would bother? But I suppose some people will, regardless, because a nickle per song is better than nothing. But as The Work Better Weblog / iTunes Podcast Directory Strategy Divert and Distract points out - it doesn't do any good for the podcaster involved.

2006-08-28T14:20:00.000-07:00

Zune from Microsoft Soon Come!

Can Micrsooft's 'Zune' MP3 player compete with iPod, or is it too little too late?

If you've learned anything over the years, it's not to bet against Microsoft. Deep pockets, yes. Competitive nature, but of course. Occasional slipshod approach to coming up with devices that the market reall wants, yes!

However, Zune may be a hit. Look at the notes from this story from FMQB on Zune.

Wireless music sharing, intended to be used as a social networking utility, will be included in Zune. Along with a 30g hard drive and some other cool features I've read about show the Zune to be particularly well-thought out.

Now, how will the marketplace respond? Geek love? or Re-Jection?

2006-08-28T10:24:00.000-07:00

Radio Listening Decline Continues

Combined with stories that portray podcasting as an upstart that's stealing listeners from both satellite and terrestrial radio, comes the recognition from the industry that it ain't going to get any easier:

Report paints a 'depressing' picture for future of radio - San Antonio Business Journal

But it is all due to podcasting? I don't know. I've been a radio DJ and programmer since 1975 (having fleed radio in 2002), and it's always been my insistence that despite the convenience of corporate programming, not everybody wants to listen to McRadio. There are always folks who want to listen to something new and different - admittedly, the minority, but I feel that those numbers are growing.

And with podcasting offering more and extremely wide choices, those early adopters are pushing the edge, and abandoning radio without a look back. Radio is the loser here, but much of us in the trenches, answering the phones from listeners for years, heard the complaint first hand for years: corporate radio and corporate rock have always sucked, and probably always will.

And if the corporate powers-that-be don't see that, they'll at least have a good vantage point to see their listeners continue to wave bye-bye.

2006-08-14T15:34:00.000-07:00

Kids Say: It's Okay to Copy CDs

Years of anti-downloading campaigning and lawsuit ball-busting by the RIAA have worked to decrease illegal downloads from the free-for-all from a few years ago. It doesn't hurt that there are now thousands of free legal MP3s available as well - and that iTunes is such a damn success.

But there's still one area where the RIAA isn't making much hay: CD copying.

A new study by the LA Times and Bloomberg indicates that teens still think CD copying is okay. It's sort of a time-honored tradition: make a copy of a song you like so your buddy will dig it, too.

The story in the LA Times looked at the legalities of CD copying by talking to a copyright expert from DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary: "A strict interpretation of the law says that if making a copy robs the marketplace of a sale, it is prohibited," said attorney Mark Radcliffe.

There's a big operative word in that sentence: "IF."

What IF you make a copy of a CD that you never had any intention of buying? Or a movie? Does that 'rob the marketplace' of a sale? I can think of dozens of movies or CD's that I wouldn't mind having in my collection but would never put on my "MUST BUY" list. Sorry, but I have groceries to buy and mortgage payments to make. So if the act of making a copy doesn't really rob the marketplace because you never would have bought the damn thing in the first place make the copy illegal?

Besides, what seems to be missing in all of this copyright hullaballo is the observation that passing music along on a viral path can actually lead to more sales?

Back in the late 70s and early 80s some record companies used to put a little icon of a cassette with a skull and crossbones above it with the warning "Home Taping Is Killing The Music Industry."

Funny thing, though. About that time the government came out with a study that said home taping actually encouraged sales! Seems that if you catch wind of a new artist or song from a tape that a friend gave you, and you like it enough you'll actually go out and BUY it. Which enlarges the fan base, and gives the artist more folks in the long run who will buy their new release - and dig through their catalog for gems they don't have in their collection.

It's interesting that kids think that CD copying is generally OK and not illegal.

But what's more interesting to me is that in the long run it is part of the viral marketing that grows fan bases and brings more people to concerts and back catalogs.

Also: this opinion piece from Peter Martin of Australia.

2006-08-12T18:07:00.000-07:00

Ziggy Marley: CD Review

I recently signed on as a contributor to BlogCritics.org, and just posted my second CD Review - check it out!

2006-08-08T16:48:00.000-07:00

Memo to Sirius and XM Satellite Radio: Watch Your Back

Sometimes a technology is so good and cool-sounding that it jumps out in front of everything else and then - whoops! - it sort of vanishes when something else just tromples all over it.

Is it happening with satellite radio? New data suggests that podcasting might actually put a huge dent in satellite listening. Since it's so easy to take a podcast along for a ride in your car (and many people apparently are doing just that), they're foregoing listening to their satellite radio.

Sirius and XM radio are seeing their subscriber bases growing, but losses for the two are increasing, according to news reports.

It recalls the time when DAT (Digital Audio Tape) was the Next Big Thing, for oh, about 8 months back in the late 80s. Or was it the early 90s. Whatever. Once you could burn a CD, who the hell needed DAT? Nobody. It's a great technology, but it got shoved to the side of the road as another piece of technological litter.

Satellite radio is an uphill battle, anyway, in spite of Howard Stern's huge draw. Paying for radio? How dumb is that?

Sirius says they lost $237.8 million during the second quarter of 2006. That's an increase over the loss from the same period in 2005.

Let's look at it this way: either you pay for radio with a few hundred channels of fairly cool stuff, but you STILL CAN'T CONTROL EXACTLY WHAT THE CONTENT IS....or you download a podcast for free....or listen to local radio.

You may like the host on the satellite station that you're paying for, but there's always something on the terrestrial band which is at least listenable or comparable.

And did I mention that 99.999% of all podcasts are free? Yeah, many of them are supported now with advertising, but since your content is laser-targeted (you get to CHOOSE what to put on your iPod), chances are better than ever that it's something you'll want to listen to.

And with the price of entry for satellite radio at something like $150 a year, it's not going to grab everyone. No way.

And of course Apple's new iPod support in many new car models for 2007 will continue to eat away at that satellite support.

Check the story here from Podcasting News

Damn, I'll be those guys in the corner offices for those satellite radio companies are looking over their shoulders, wondering how they, too can start podcasting soon...

2006-08-05T14:21:00.000-07:00

Podcasts to Become Easier to Transport

The news just keeps coming up roses for podcasters. After seeing the metrics of the number of podcast listeners rise in a number of surveys and examinations this year, now comes this - news that Ford, GM, Mazda and others will include iPod connections in their new model cars.

Which means that, not only will iPod addicts get to easily carry their tunes with them and listen on their car radio (many already do with third-party add-ons), but many podcasts will go along for the ride as well. So instead of listening to Bob and Tom on a syndicated radio show out of LA, I could grab the Chris Pirillo Show, Coverville, iMedia's cool media info podcast, something from Eclectic Music or...whatever. I may never have to listen to 'actual radio' in my car again.

Naturally, this bodes well for iPod, which hopes to sell more iPods for folks to toss into that new automobile. but that doesn't really bother me, though I'm not a big iPod fan nor an Apple fan. Steve Jobs and the iPod has truly opened the floodgates and brought the masses to podcasting.

When is this good news for podcasters gonna grind to a halt? I suspect it will be a looooong time.

Here's the story from Business Week which covered it a day or two ago: Have iPod, Will Travel.

2006-08-04T15:56:00.000-07:00

World's Largest Arts Fest Podcast

Up until a few hours ago, I'd never heard of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Now I think I'm going to sell my house, rent my kids out for a month and head for Scotland's capital city.

No, seriously, even though at times the 'rent-the-kids' thing comes up, this is a month long festival, and this time they're wrapping up a ton of stuff in podcast form for the rest of the world that just by golly can't make it to Edinburgh in the next month.

"The Edinburgh Fringe Festival features 28,014 performances of 1,867 shows in 261 venues, and features an estimated 16,990 performers," according to the facts released recently. And a daily podcast tries to touch much of that, but those numbers begoggle the mind and numb the senses. I suppose being there in person would do much of the same.

Still, as podcasting goes, this should be a hoot. Head for the main site here: edfringe.com : official site of the edinburgh festival fringe.

Or go to the podcast page, which is hosted in conjunction with the Pocast Network.

I'm told "it would take you 5 years, 11 months and 16 days to see every performance back-to-back. Last year, the Fringe sold 1,338,550 tickets - the third time and third consecutive year that the Fringe sailed past the million-ticket barrier."

The Stage (a UK trade publication for the entertainment world) last year helped bring the podcast of the Fringe to the world, so with a year under their belt, these guys should have a ton of fun and really have their act together. Or not, depending...

It's on my iTunes subscription list. Is it on yours?

2006-08-01T14:28:00.000-07:00

Publicity for Your Podcast

I've read Joan Stewart's newsletter for a few years now and it never fails to inspire me with ideas in insights into the world of publicity. Her website, the Publicity Hound, is a goldmine for anyone wanting to create good publicity on or off line.

Recently, Joan released her email class called 89 Press Release Tips. The tips are emailed out one a day for 89 days. Yeah, I know, that's almost three months worth of ideas, one at a time! It must drive her nuts! Or she loves it. Either way, the freebies can do nothing but help you, so if you think you need publicity for a podcast, newsletter, product, website or...whatever...do yourself a favor and subscribe.

Booyah.

2006-07-30T13:21:00.000-07:00

Gonzo Podcast July 30, 2006

Live from the Oregon Coast: Reviews of Ziggy Marley's "Love is My Religion" and Tom Petty's "Highway Companion"; sounds of the hike to Hart's Cove. Back in the studio it's podcast training and vocal training: how to get rid of vocal crutches!

Tim Gonzo Gordon Podcast Show for July 30, 2006

2006-07-26T07:17:00.000-07:00

My first review on BlogCritics.org

...Where I rattle the amps and drums of Cracker. Check it out: Blogcritics.org: Cracker: Forever Rock 'N' Roll.

2006-07-26T06:58:00.000-07:00

Gonzo Podcast: July 25, 2006

July 25, 2006: Blog updates, off-the-wall comedy, regular 'net stops:

TimGonzonGordon.com/blog
DigitalAudioWorld.blogspot.com
Blogcritics.org
Digital audio comedy from the 90s: "Theater of the Mindless"
Seattle Mariners
ESPN.com
Postsecret.com
LewRockwell.com

Tim 'Gonzo' Gordon Podcast Show Home Page

2006-07-24T06:36:00.000-07:00

Wireless Women

A few years ago a female friend of mine dropped her landline telephone in favor of wireless. To me, it didn't make sense. Until I thought about it a little longer. She had no real reason to have both lines, and the wireless was the more obvious choice.

Since then a number of people I know have done the same thing, and in my personal world it's predominantly women who have done just that.

Have you dropped your landline in favor of wireless? Then you might be interested to see the results of a new study on women and their wireless phones.

Sprint Study Shows What Women Want When It Comes To Their Wireless Phones

For instance, women place personalization high on their list: individual ringtones, colors, etc. In fact, personalizing their wireless phone comes in as more desirable than personalizing their hairstyle. And oddly enough, tattoos are a distant fifth behind their computer screen, mobile phone, hair style and stationery.

Perhaps a photo of your new tattoo of your new phone on your letterhead - placed as background your computer desktop?

2006-07-21T15:37:00.000-07:00

One in Twelve Download Podcasts

Terrestrial radio stations may see their grip on listeners slipping away thanks to the bratty kid brother: podcasting.

In a new report from Nielsen Media Research, stats show that about 9 million web users have downloaded a podcast in the last 30 days and 'a significant percentage, approximately 38%, of active podcast downloaders say they are listening to radio less often.'

“The incredible popularity of podcasting is the latest demonstration of consumers’ willingness to take control of their media experiences,” said Larry Gerbrandt, general manager and senior vice president of Nielsen Analytics.

"My God!" exclaimed myself. "You mean people like to skip commercials, bounce around a recorded program, or pick and choose the content they really like? No wonder they're ignoring corporate radio with drone DJ's and computer-generatled playlists!" Apparently I'm about to walk off in a huff.

Podcasts, much like their text-related cousins - blogs - differ from other forms of online media delivery, in that podcasts and blogs are being readily adapted by more and more businesses and organizations.

This bodes well for any person or organization that dips their toe into the podcast waters soon. Even now, it's still a new technology for most people, and if you position yourself as a podcaster in the near future, you'll be well-positioned to leverage that with your community, whether it's customers and clients or prospects....or just people that like whatcha do.

Start podcasting today, I say!

2006-07-21T14:50:00.000-07:00

Digital Audio "On the Run"

Since I'm not a runner (have you ever seen a jogger with a smile?) this is little more than a curiousity to me, but the Nike iPod is, ahem, up and running.

Technology News: iPod: Nike iPod So Easy to Use, It Could Get You Off Your Duff

If this thing takes off even a little bit, I'm sure we can expect to see more and more of these hybird creations. Anyone for a barbecue fork with an iPod? iFork? How about a toilet tissue dispenser with an iPod? iDump. How about a condom that triggers the iPod to play your favorite song at the moment of truth? i-Fu--. Oh wait that's been done. I recall talking about that in 1990 when I was on the air at KISN-FM: a company had released a condom with a small chip that played a pre-programmed song at that moment. How they could tell the moment of truth is something that's always mystified me.

Okay, iNuff.

2006-07-18T15:25:00.000-07:00

Podcasting Expands. Again.

According to Nielsen // Net Ratings, estimates that over 9 million Adult Americans have recently downloaded a podcast. (Nielsen//NetRatings Click here)

(all podcasters say it in unison: "Woo Hooo!")

And it's not slowing down. Michael Lanz, an analyst with Nielsen says that the portability of podcasts truly appeals to young, on-the-go audiences: "We can expect to see podcasting become increasingly popular as portable content media players proliferate."

Even though Mr. Lanz talks just like a geeked-out press release, he's right. iPods and other MP3 players are indeed selling like hotcakes (bought any hotcakes lately?) and with Microsoft about to jump into the fray before the Christmas rush you can expect the feeding frenzy to continue.

So if you aren't podcasting yet, it's because you're spending most of your time downloading and listening to podcasts.

Hey, some of my favorite podcasts:

That's good for now...

2006-07-14T07:00:00.000-07:00

Podcast Profit

Is is possible to put podcast profit into your pocket?

While podcasting is an exciting and challenging hobby to thousands of people, more and more folks are looking at is as a way to generate a few extra bucks.

But the question is: how?

After studying podcast profit for several months and talking to over a dozen people who can point to podcasting as a way to add income to their bottom line, I've come to the conclusion that there is no 'magic bullet' - no single answer.

Read the rest here.

2006-07-12T17:03:00.000-07:00

B2B Podcasts Find Hungry Audience

Dana Gardner's column here (Research paper shows IT buyers are eating up B2B podcasts | Dana Gardner's BriefingsDirect | ZDNet.com is a great demonstration that podcasting is the perfect medium for reaching clients and prospects from one business to another. Or several dozen or hundred others, as the case may be.

Dana's commenting on this report, which unveils numbers that show podcasts, blogs, wikis RSS feeds and more are "are evolving into key elements of the B2B marketer's online toolkit."

The report's key finding is a no-brainer, if you ask former radio and TV folks: white papers and so-called dry information can be much more palatable and entertaining as a podcast than as a, well, dull white paper. Even if it has pretty graphics.

Are you podcasting? Are you looking at B2B podcasting? You should take note of this line in the report (thanks, Dana!):

"this group as a whole all but begs for more of this type of content to be delivered via podcasts, so the opportunity to address a real marketing niche within the B2B space firmly exists..."

Boo-yah! Learn to podcast here.

Figure out how to make money podcasting here.

2006-07-10T17:08:00.000-07:00

Keep-a You Hands Off-a My Movie!

In one of the more eye-catching stories today, it looks like groups that have been editing movies to remove negative portrayals (?) of homosexuals or drug use, or religious reference are BREAKING THE LAW by doing so, and they'll have to cease and desist. Or maybe they can go to jail and get a first hand look -- nah, never mind.

But here's the story:

BetaNews | Judge Rules Movie Sanitizing Illegal

The judge sided with the movie studios, who put millions into their productions, saying that "the copyright owner is the one that can make the choice of what audience it wants for a particular piece."

So instead of taking out F-bombs and gratuitous skin from movies to make them palatable for a specific (read: 'prudish') audience, it looks like the potential viewers are now left to their own devices.

Either that, or wait until the movie comes to network TV. They wouldn't dare show that kind of stuff, right?

2006-07-07T16:36:00.000-07:00

'Google' till you puke

Last year 'podcast' was the word of the year for the Oxford English dictionary. Well, Merriam-Webster is apparently not letting Oxford get all the glory. They've just announced that 'google' is entering their dictionary.

One big reason is that most folks use the term as a word meaning 'to search online' so yeah, it damn well better make the dictionary.

Of course, the word 'googol' is already in the dictionary, and has been for years. According to Wikipedia, "A googol is the large number 10¹⁰⁰, that is, the digit 1 followed by one hundred zeros."

Hell, I remember thinking that 'googol' was the coolest math word when I was in the 7th grade. Now a misspelled version of it is the name of one of the most successful internet companies out there.

Some other words that have been tabbed for inclusion include 'ringtone,' 'spyware,' 'biodiesel,' drama queen,' 'soul patch' and 'unibrow,' which means "a single continuous brow resulting from the growing together of eyebrows."

What if your soul patch and your unibrow got together half-way down your face? Would that then be a nose-stache?

2006-07-06T06:45:00.000-07:00

Podcast Update: Tim 'Gonzo' Gordon Show

This 15-minute episode explores my new personal blog as well as this older blog; Kevin Hogan’s Subliminal Achievement; take amoment or three to wish Huey Lewis a Happy Birthday, then offer up a short digital audio creation of mine from a year or two ago called “The Trance I’m In at One A.M.” Yes, Martha, you can do some odd things with digital audio!

Here's the Tim 'Gonzo' Gordon Show home page.

2006-06-29T15:00:00.000-07:00

Tom Petty to sit tight on 'similar' Chili's song

Ya gotta love Tom Petty. While half the world is tossing lawyers in the air and juggling them for fun and profit if someone even sneezes their direction, Tom says "no worries" about the similarity of the new Red Hot Chili Peppers song 'Dani California,' which supposedly sounds a whale of a lot like Tom's "Mary Jane's Last Dance."

Here's the story from FMQB.

In this day of digital audio and sampling and 'borrowing' of riffs and melodies, good to see Tom not making a big deal out of this.

2006-06-28T13:48:00.000-07:00

Podcast Listeners Tune in to Radio More Often

In what looks like a surprise (to me!), folks who listen to podcasts tend to listen to more radio. 58% of people asked in a recent Bridge Ratings survey say that they spend MORE time with conventional radio due to their podcast listening habits.

Is it because the podcasts are from conventional radio which steers the listener back to the radio station? Is it because they're finding better stuff on conventional radio because podcasts suck?

Respondents also addressed the question of which medium they spend the most time with. "Adult Hits" listeners spend the most time tuned in to their favorite conventional stations than the other options: MP3, Internet Radio or Satellite Radio.

Bottom line: the competition us getting tougher for all types of media as us mere earthlings adjust to life in the fast media lane of too many choices.

As the report puts it: "Digging deeper into the findings, listeners who consider news or talk radio to be their favorite, the one they tend to listen to most in a typical week, find podcasts of their favorite radio personalities to be an excellent complement to the terrestrial version of those personalities."

But here's the finding that caught my eye the most: "Podcasts provide a way for these adult listeners to hear programming they missed but then do not tend to increase time spent listening to those radio stations."

Radio program directors across the land are scratching their heads on this one...except for the three or four who really get what's happening - and begin to offer complementary programming in podcast form from their top announcers.

I can hear it now. "You want me to work more? That'll cost you! It's not in my contract!!"

Heh heh...

2006-06-15T10:51:00.000-07:00

Pay for Play: Good, Bad, Ugly...indifferent?

You may have seen the story that shows how EMI - one of the largest music distribituion entities in the world - settled a pay-for-play complaint and investigation (EMI settles with Spitzer over payola for $3.75 million�|�Reuters.com)

I'm gonna play the devil's advocate and ask: what's wrong with payola? It's the way our world operates. You influence someone in a position that can influence others and voila' - you have a conduit to selling more product!

The complaint, as I understand it, is that when you do that you present an unfair and biased position on what's really popular on the charts.

Here's where NY State Attorney General Elliot Spitzer steps in...

"When a record label engages in an elaborate scheme to purchase air time for its artists, it violates state and federal law and presents consumers with a skewed picture of the country's proclaimed 'best' and 'most popular' music," Spitzer said. "We're pleased that our investigation of payola in the music industry has resulted in significant business practice reforms that will help generate more diverse airplay."

Who benefits from the practice? Of course, the artists!

Who is hurt by the practice? If you are to take the opinion of Spitzer (and the law), the consumers are hurt by it - apparently because they've been suckered into buying something that's not nearly as good or popular as they think it is!

Well, there's something that's damn wrong with that argument, federal and state laws aside. The market (consumers) will not buy stuff that they don't want to buy. They won't spend money on crap...at least not for long. If the market is manipulated to the point of seeing inferior stuff fly off the shelf, it is self-correcting. Word of mouth - especially in the music and entertainment industry - is quick and deadly.

I'll give you an example: When the movie 'Gigli' came out, it had a lot going for it. Ben Affleck was coming off a string of decent-to-large hits: Pearl Harbor (2001), The Sum of All Fears (2002) and Daredevil (2003). Jennifer Lopez' track record was also pretty good: Out of Sight (1998), The Cell (2000), The Wedding Planner (2001), Maid in Manhatten (2002).

Not to mention, Affleck and Lopez were on the pages of all the tabloids and checkout counter magazines such as People and US - they were a hot property, having met and engaged in a relationship during the filming of the movie.

Two hot actors, hot press, etc.

When Gigli opened on a weekday on the east coast, by the next day on the west coast ticket sales were down, simply due to word of mouth. And that all happened within 24 hours of its opening on the opposite coast. By that weekend, it was deader than a doornail and was pulled from theatres shortly thereafter. Since then it's become a punchline to pretty much any Ben Affleck joke.

Why did it bomb when it seemed to have so much going for it?

It bombed because it sucked! The audience figured it out quickly enough. They will do that with music as well.

In a sense, pay for play, or 'payola' may be a sneakier and more insidious way to manipulate the marketplace for a short term, to create buzz. But if there's no substance behind the buzz, it won't last, no matter how many steak dinners a music director gets or how many prizes a radio station receives from a record company to give away to promote a tune.

Besides, we're talking entertainment here...this is not a science experiment, and it is not government policy (that's another story altogether on manipulation!), nor is it anything critical to do with the functioning of our society. It's all fluff, and meaningless fluff in the 'big picture.'

Who the hell cares if charts are manipulated? It doesn't really matter!

2006-05-30T15:50:00.000-07:00

Stick this in your ear

Once more, confirmation that 'content is king.'

From Mac News: Podcasting : NPR Fleshes Out Its Podcast Lineup comes this statement:

"Nobody really cares about podcasting if it's not good content," said WOSU General Manager Tom Rieland. "Content is king. We know ... NPR has good content that people enjoy and that is really important to their lives. It's all about having information your way, now."

Are you trying to figure out the content of your next blog post or podcast is? Are you trying to write an ebook or a newsletter and are scratching your head at what the hell you should write about? What will you audience want to read or listen to?

If 'content is king' I would add one caveat: Good content is the only thing that people care about.

Are you engaging your audience to think, to care, to respond, to feel emotions, to learn? Do you give your audience full disclosure? Do you let them feel what you're feeling, let them understand what you're thinking?

Still struggling to fill that page or podcast? Tell your audience about what makes your adrenalin surge through your body. Show them how you are moved to tears. Explain to them the newest trick you learned that just makes you feel like a goddamn kid all over again because it's so cool.

Search yourself for tidbits of trivia that tells a story; shake the cobwebs off a few anecdotes that illustrate an issue.

Find ways to get your readers or listeners to believe with you in what you're doing, and you will have a reader for life.

Are you stumped - still - about how to come up with great content? Then you need a copy of "Constant Killer Content System" which is designed to help you create content on a continuous basis. If you're publishing a podcast, writing a blog, ebook or newsletter, take a look at it - it's part of Podcasting Adventures Online. Soon it will be available as a stand-alone ebook / workbook. Stay tuned! In fact, if you want to be notified when it comes out as a stand-along product, go pick up a few free reports here and you'll be signed up for PODCAST INFO, my now-and-again newsletter on podcasting and related topics.

2006-05-24T16:14:00.000-07:00

Go to Apple camp. Watch head explode. Repeat.

Well, maybe the exploding head is a little off track, but camp is cool. I remember trying to learn how to swim and loading all the kids into the back of a flatbed truck with sideboards (totally illegal today!) and heading to the lake.

Apple's Camp may be a little different. Podcasting, Website building, creating music with GarageBand and learning to shoot your own movie. The 2 1/2 hour workshops (camp?) are geared towards kids 8 - 12, and are spread across the country. Sounds like fun for kids...get 'em hooked on how cool Macs are before they go out and buy their own!

No word on the Apple Camp website as to the cost. And I didn't register so I don't know if they wanted me to pony up $$. But check it out. Tre cool.

2006-05-23T15:15:00.000-07:00

Young Podcast Listenership Moves Upward

Podcast this, podcast that.

One in five of all podcast users download and listen to about 5 podcasts a week, spending about 3 1/2 hours a month jamming podcasts into their ears.

A new Bridge Ratings survey - {FMQB: Radio Industry News, Music Industry Updates, Arbitron Ratings, Music News and more!} - found that most listeners feel that they're able to find better podcasts than they did the last time the question was asked.

There's a sharp upswing in podcast usage in the 12-24 demographic, according to Dave Van Dyke, the president/CEO of Bridge Ratings (hey, I think he used to consult a station I worked at in Portland in the 80s!). The question: “Have you listened to a podcast in the last 30 days?" resulted in higher numbers from the younger group. 25-34 year olds also charted higher. Most said it was because they had more free time!

Free time!?

What is that?

Maybe I should google it. As if I had any time to do that.

Bridge Ratings keeps a continual pulse on the podcast nation, and I think we're all grateful for that. Maybe I can get Dave on my podcast?

2006-05-17T10:12:00.000-07:00

Apple vs. Apple - (Corps vs. Computer)

If you're interested in the way the battle went between the two large Apples (Beatles and iTunes), check out this article and analysis - one of the more insightful that I've come across: Playlist: How Apple beat the Beatles.

More to come from all of this, the case is not over yet and each side is still strutting about a bit, with feathers ruffled.

WWJLS? What Would John Lennon Say about all of this???

2006-05-12T14:26:00.000-07:00

MP3 Players Going Way of Dial Telephones?

I don't know if I get it. I'm too old, methinks. And my fingers are too big. I mean, they're not gigantic or anything, but to find the right buttons to push on my cell phone takes more concentration than I want to put into it at 35MPH on Market Street.

According to this article from CRN.com, the MP3 players days are numbered as people switch over to devices that do much more. Telephones that multi-task as cell phones, cameras, web-access platforms, MP3 players, video players, and more.

As memory chips continue to downsize, these little phone-camera-camcorder-music-web devices will shrink in cost as well. Right now the Yankee group says a 2GB memory card retails for less than $80. (I bought a 1-gig card last month for $40, so that is certainly in line with the story). But if you want a 2-gig Apple iPod, it'll cost you $199.

But maybe the whole convergence thing makes sense. Why carry around an iPod, a cell phone and a Blackberry device if you can have it all in one little appliance that fits in your shorts and doesn't even give you the appearance of a woody? I mean, that's small (especially for me!).

Now if only we could shrink our fingers to be able to punch all of those miniature buttons and keys. Talk about M:I:III!!!

2006-05-12T10:09:00.000-07:00

Is Your Podcast Legal?

Want to know if it's okay to use a sample or snippet of a copyrighted recording? Want to know how to protect your own podcast from someone else's sampling or use? Check out the Podcasting Legal Guide:

Welcome To The Podcasting Legal Guide - CcWiki

Creative Commons, a nonprofit organization that offers flexible copyright licenses for creative works, has the legal guide posted on their website.

As Lawrence Lessig says in his introduction to the guide: "Federal law regulates creativity. That regulation is insanely complex. Indeed, the law is more complex today than at any point in our history. It seems the more the lawyers work on the law, the less useable the law becomes."

Lessig is a professor at Stanford Law School, and has written numerous articles and books relating to the 'net, copyright, creativity and more.

On my podcast, the Tim 'Gonzo' Gordon Show, I rarely stray into any gray areas - I'd rather not have to do that dance to determine if the copyright lawyers are going to eventually jump my bones and ask for their piece of the pie - which would probably put me out of business. But if you, as a podcaster, find yourself treading that path, the legal guide is a damn good thing to know about.

2006-05-08T09:01:00.000-07:00

Is it a Podcast Catcher or a Podcasting App?

The new mobile Nokia podcasting application got a little buzz over the past few days, and immediately drew contact fire from the folks who run the Gizmodo - Podcasting pages.

However, it wasn't long before Nokia Podcasting Product Manager Steven Stewart kindly responded to the post. He offered the news that it wouldn't be long before the app would actually be able to podcast, offering a "a full mobile Podcasting solution with higher quality recording capabilities (and smaller file size), editing, uploading capabilities, and more."

I'm all for podcasting on the run. But you can already do that with a telephone and an account at Audioblog.com. So I'm not sure what the big deal is. I think it's pretty damn cool to download podcasts through your phone and listen on the go. But unless Nokia offers another level of control and quality (without having to pony up for a separate account), you're still looking at only incremental change. Unless I'm missing something, which wouldn't be the first time..;-)

Even though most of us only listen to a podcast once, the quality of the production leaves a lasting impression. Do a crappy-sounding over-the-phone podcast and people will remember you that way. Sit down in front of a condenser microphone and the right software and you'll be publishing a high-quality podcast.

And people will remember that, too.

2006-05-04T10:46:00.000-07:00

Canucks Tuning Into Podcasting Expanding

The evidence keeps floating in that podcast audiences are growing, and podcast listeners keep adding to their list of fave podcasts: CBC Arts: More favourite CBC Radio shows move onto podcast from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation details how they're making more podcasts available.

What's worth noting is that the age of podcast listeners is still in the expected range of 18 - 39. Canadian listeners make up the majority of CBC podcast listeners as you would expect.

"CBC decided to expand its service because of huge demand for CBC podcasting and the results of a recent survey of podcast users, Bob Kerr, director of business development and digital programming at CBC," the story notes. I added the bold to the huge demand.

Are you podcasting? Have you considered it? If you're blogging, or have a website and are looking to make a few bucks online, podcasting is a great addition to your marketing toolkit.

Are you interesting in Podcasting for Profit? In the next few weeks I'm releasing a new e-book that details through a dozen case studies how small business folks are using podcasting to increase their bottom line, pull more viewers to their websites and open doors to profitable encounters - doors that they didn't even know existed until they sat down behind a mic and published their first podcasts.

If you'd like to be notified when the e-book comes out, just hop on over to PodcastingAdventuresOnline.com/reports, pick up a few free reports on podcasting and digital audio, and you'll be on my 'Podcast Info' mailing list, which means you will be on the list of people to be notified FIRST of the product's release.

2006-05-02T14:36:00.000-07:00

The Showdown at the iTunes Corral

iTunes Pricing To Hold At $.99

The record companies blinked first in the staredown. They wanted to install 'variable' pricing for the more popular digital downloads, but Steve Jobs said "uh-huh' (that means 'no').

Jobs had earlier called the record companies 'greedy.'

And when it comes down to it, iTunes and Apple are just like the corner record shop...only worldwide. So like any corner store, they should be able to set any price they want. The only thing the record companies control is the wholesale price. But apparently they didn't want to upset the apple cart. No pun intended.

As Jobs observed, "Customers think the price is really good where it is. If the price goes up a lot, they'll go back to piracy. Then everybody loses."

2006-04-28T23:01:00.000-07:00

No More Online Streaming MP3 Recording?

Time-shifting technologies that allow you to record streaming MP3 audio and listen to it later may be banned or heavily regulated under a bill introduced by Senators Feinstein (D-Cal.) and Graham (R-S.C.)and majority leader Bill Frist (R- Tenn.). This according to the Washington Post, which says that the bill is aiming to copyright holders as satellite stations move into digital music distribution: EFF: DeepLinks.

Damn. Could be that a lot of us who like to record streaming MP3 audio to listen to at a more convenient time will be shut out. The wild wild west of the internet is becoming fenced in, much like the wild west of the 1800s. It won't be long before we're being taxed for every little thing that we purchase online.

You'll never guess who's behind this push. Doh!

"Record industry executives want so-called "parity" among the different download platforms. They argue that the new devices XM Radio is bringing to the market that allow customers to save songs on the receivers without paying for the download rip off the copyright holder," the article states.

So if you're 'recording' a live streaming MP3, you're actually 'downloading' the song, which makes it theft. Listening to it doesn't. Recording it off the radio doesn't. Recording it from a friend's CD might. Or might not. Not too clear on all of this.

Lawyers and corporate mouthpieces are parsing language here, all in search of another snippet of the $$ that changes hands when popular music finds fandom. Is it 'downloading' or is it 'listening,' or is it 'enjoying a performance?'

No matter what you call it, the fans are ultimately in control. We choose what to listen to and pay for. We decide if we like something or not. We are the ones who fork out the dough for tunes. And the record companies are finding out that the more control we have (ie., being able to download favorite singles instead having to buy a whole CD), the less money they'll make. They're even trying to push the average cost of singles up past 99 cents.

Corporate record goons are losing control and are hounding around for any scrap they can pick up before it vanishes. They can dress it up in any language they want, but it's all about the money.

Go listen to Tom Petty's "Joe:"

my name's Joe I 'm the ceo
yeah, I 'm the man
makes the big wheels roll
I 'm the hand on
the green light switch
you get to be famous
I get to be rich

Well, listen to the whole damn "The Last DJ" album. It pretty much tells it like it is. I think it's actually a documentary.

2006-04-17T22:45:00.000-07:00

Podcasting Numbers Disputed

In a post at Geek News (Geek News Central Revealing Technical News and useful links) new research numbers from Forrester Research are called 'invalid' by Todd Cochrane. He backs up his claim with oodles of numbers from podcast listener tracking they've done.

Essentially, the new(disputed) report, according to Charlene Li, says that "survey showed that only 1% of online households in North America regularly download and listen to podcasts."

But the podcast world looks to disagree, saying the numbers are way too low.

Over the past year, there have been a number of well-publicized reports with wildly disparate numbers on the podcast audience.

Hell, it's the damn internet. You can track anything. Why is figuring out the number of regular podcast listeners a problem?

Maybe it's the term 'regular' that's throwing everyone.

Besides, we all know that when it comes to surveys, we Americans have been trained to fib a little. Hell, I remember Chicago columnist Mike Royko always urged his readers to lie to pollsters just to skew the results.

Nothing wrong with a little subversion.

I think I got off track on this post. Late at night; that's what I'll blame!

2006-04-04T16:55:00.000-07:00

Podcasting: Hot or Cold?

Is podcasting really cooling off? Or is it just maturing and evolving?

Is there going to be a big split between the 'hobbyist' independent podcasters (who started the whole enchilada) and the corporate podguys?

A short article from Red Herring - RED HERRING | Podcasting Cools Off - shows that venture capital to podcasting is on the downtick, but ad projections are rising significantly.

More to the point, Chris Pirillo of Lockergnome.com makes a good point when he comments that there is no 'Google' AdSense for podcasting. Yet.

So while podcasting grows into the stratosphere and the corporate bigwigs try and figure out what to do with this new medium and how to reach their audience, the venture capitalists are peering at podcasting with a careful eye. Where is the money to be made in podcasting?

Methinks it will come from the companies that help others make their podcasts work: from creating great content, professional sounding programs, tip-top search engine optimization, blogging and pinging and making it easy as pie for the end user to podcast.

2006-04-03T22:42:00.000-07:00

International Podcast Expo Set for April 21 - 23, 2006

Penny Haynes is promoting her International Podcasting Expo coming up in April. Yes, I'll be taking part. It's a place where you can meet other podcasters, learn more about podcasting and become part of a great community. And chances are good that I'll be offering a special deal on Podcasting Adventures Online during the expo. Mark it on your calendar - April 21 - 23, 2006.

Around the clock International Podcasting Expo, with a 24-hour-a-day Live Podcasting Marathon for 48 hours with your favorite podcasters, all at an ONLINE Virtual Expo Center!

Admission is just $10 and I am confident that you'll more than make that up with the great information on podcasting you'll get - not to mention several great deals that will come up during the course of the event. Take a look here...

2006-04-03T22:33:00.000-07:00

Podcasting Poised to Take Over World

Okay, not the entire world, but it's becoming apparent that podcasting is more than just a hobby and more than just a way to spread good content around. Podcasting is much, much more. I caught wind of a podcast presentation from the folks at iMedia Connection.

If you aren't hip to iMedia Connection, you should be:

http://www.imediaconnection.com

One of the top ranked sites for online multi-media, marketing, strategies, research, podcasting and industry issues, iMedia offers perspectives that will help you in your marketing efforts as well as keep you up to date with what's happening in the online media world.

And check out this podcast - a one-hour symposium on where podcasting is headed. If you want to keep abreast of the racing heartbeat of podcasting, you owe it to yourself to listen to this (opens new window):

http://www.imediaconnection.com/podcast/iMediaConnection_Podcast_048.mp3

If you are considering getting into podcasting now but are hesitating, sit down and listen to this presentation. It's about an hour long and worth every minute. I think you might even want to listen twice.

By then, you are probably going to want to get a podcast up and running right away. However, it's not necessarily that easy or quick. Not to say it's hard, but there are hurdles which you'll have to get by.

I can help. Podcasting Adventures Online is designed to help you get podcasting and get past the technical details in short order. But beyond that, PAO has a special module designed to help you create killer content. The Constant Killer Content System is a step-by-step method of corraling great content from a variety of sources. Check it out and learn more here.

2006-03-15T15:17:00.000-08:00

FMQB: the HD radio arrives!
Back in the early 80s a radio engineer told me that digital radio - which was on the horizon (in fact, he confided, the technology was already here!), would make the average AM station sound ten times better than today's FM stations.

I didn't hold my breath. Although I thought it cool that the technology was there. We daydreamed about going throughout the country and buying up a bunch of AM radio stations on the cheap so that when the switch came, we could make a ton of money. But since we had no money to invest, that was just a wispy dream.

Fast forward to 2006. You can now buy an HD radio. Many stations are broadcasting in HD with a 'second channel' (not sure what that's supposed to be and I'm too bored or busy to look it up), and if you can get the signal, it supposedly sounds great.

That's when I ran across this article in FMQB from a guy who'd actually bought one of the HD radios and took it home to test it out.

Apparently, the technology - or at least the execution of it as described by Paul Marszalek - is not ready for prime time, as he puts it.

Only the 'early adopters' will jump on this, and then only if the word of mouth is good.

So far, it's missing a few voices in the chorus.

2006-02-25T23:04:00.000-08:00

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.

2006-02-21T08:31:00.000-08:00

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...

2006-02-17T10:43:00.000-08:00

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...

2006-02-16T15:17:00.000-08:00

"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.

2006-02-04T21:44:00.000-08:00

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.

2006-01-24T22:02:00.000-08:00

PODCASTING FOR DOLLARS

Telegraph | Arts | Why podcasting could turn into a cash cow

From the UK a look at the issues the BBC is facing with an expensive but popular morning radio program. They're eventually going to have to look at the idea of charging for their podcast downloads. If it's that popular, charging seems like a good idea. I mean, if you're getting 413,000+ downloads in a month, that is pretty good distribution. As more and more podcasts float into the mainstream and consciousness of listeners, radio stations will have to make hard choices.

So will listeners. Would you pay a few bucks a month for a copy of your favorite radio program on MP3? If you'd pay for a podcast, what's your limit?

These are questions we have no answers for today, but I can see where they'll pop up in the not-too-distant future.

2006-01-10T16:34:00.000-08:00

The headline reads: Tories Embrace Podcasting to Woo British Voters

Politicians are warming up to using podcasting to get out the word about their agendas. This is just as I predicted a couple of short months ago - that podcasting could influence the next presidential race. Okay, so that's a bit of a stretch, but here is a political group in the UK that's using podcasting to editorialize against the powers that be.

I think this is cool. If you had a GREAT podcast and even achieved a viral spreading of its message, it could influence people to get more engaged or adjust their opinion.

Yeah, I know it sounds wacky, but weirder things have happened.

2006-01-08T18:37:00.000-08:00

Podcasting for Macs

If you've got a Mac and are ready to step up to podcasting with all the bells and whistles, take a look at Backbone Radio: Backbone Radio and TV for Direct Internet Streaming offers software compatible with OS 10.4. They can handle it all, including streaming and stats. THIS IS NOT AN AD :-) I just ran across the story and thought you might like a look at it!

2006-01-04T16:14:00.000-08:00

Podcasting: Transforming Middle Schoolers Into ‘Middle Scholars’ : December 2005 : THE Journal

Seventh graders dive into the podcasting pool and get wet. See, this is what I love about the medium of podcasting. Kids learn their subjects better by having to create a podcast around it. Plus, they learn about podcasting and the technical world surrounding it.

I hope more teachers get their kids into podcasting. What a great learning tool!

2005-12-30T16:07:00.000-08:00

Steve Jobs: Good for Radio?

MacNN | Jobs named "Radio Person of the Year"

I'm not all that sure of this. Podcasting has taken a certain amount of listeners away from radio. But the stations that have used podcasting as a way to re-package their radio programs may have seen a positive effect. So this sort of confuses me that Steve Jobs is names Radio Person of the Year. Kind of a double-edged sword if ya ask me. But you didn't, did you?

2005-12-29T19:04:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry, I thought that I got a lot of spam. But 4 million messages a DAY? That's what Bill Gates gets. And apparently it goes against one of his predictions from a couple of years ago: Bill Gates 2004 spam prediction - Spamfo.

Damn, that's almost like his prediction in the early 80's that '640K of memory is all anyone will every need.' How did this guy get so rich?

2005-12-27T17:36:00.000-08:00

Check out Paul Colligan's Podcasting Blog. Lots of news and chat about hardware, news, software, etc. I interviewed Paul on a recent Tim 'Gonzo' Gordon show - a fun, informative conversation, definitely worth the listen. On December 26, he posted his top ten predictions for podcasting in 2006. It doesn't look like a single one of them matched MY top predictions for podcasting for 2006! Sheesh, maybe one of us needs new batteries for the crystal ball.

2005-12-27T16:19:00.000-08:00

First Juice...

So now that iPodder has changed to Juice, it looks like iPodderX is going the way of the dodo bird, too. News coming in January on what the name change entails. Is it the big hammer of Apple and iPod that's busting balls? Or do they just want to differentiate themselves from the iPod?

2005-12-08T10:09:00.000-08:00

Word of the Year: Podcasting

So, the good folks at the New Oxford American Dictionary of English rejected the word 'podcasting' last year, saying that not enough people were using it. This year, it's the word of the year, according to a posting on CNET.com.

I just Googled 'podcast' and they came up with 72,700,000 pages that use the term. Just a month ago it was about 10,000,000 LESS. So yeah, I guess podcasting has come of age.

Are you podcasting yet?

2005-12-07T22:42:00.000-08:00

Digital Radio Moves Forward with Coalition

Looks like digital radio just got a kick in the ass. And it's about time. I remember years ago, when I was a young pup in radio in the 80s (early 80s!), a radio engineer told me that digital AM radio's technology at that point was already good enough to make AM radio sound better than FM. Ever since then, I've been waiting for digital radio to come along.

Of course, the problem now is that I'm no longer in radio (well, that's not the problem), and radio today sucks even worse than it did in the 80s. Radio was best in the 70s, or course...or even the 60s, when Top 40 BOSS JOCK radio was da bomb. (Here's a cool 70s radio site....)

2005-12-02T06:31:00.000-08:00

GarageBand.com Moves into Podcasting

The boys and girls at GarageBand.com have launched Gcast, which claims to be the most refined offering yet if you're looking to create, publish and distribute your podcast. I took a look at the service, and was underwhelmed. They do aim to offer free hosting, the ability to mix your playlists online, telephone recording (oooh! imagine the quality! count the listeners who will say - eeehh, no.), free podsafe music, a free flash player....hmm. Nothing about actually creating compelling content. I guess that's up to you?

Too bad it doesn't look all that appealing. I really like the GarageBand.com site and the concept. I'll be curious to see how its received by their audience.

Of course, here's the plug: for the Creating Killer Content System, there's always Podcasting Adventures Online.

2005-12-01T06:03:00.000-08:00

Searching for Podcasts

It looks like there are more entrants to the podcast-searching game, according to Wired Magazine. I took a quick look at Podzinger, and after registering my podcast there, they told me they'd send an email with code to insert on my podcast page so listeners can search my podcasts. Wow, pretty cool for sure!

Blinkx on the other hand is a TV / Video / podcast search engine. I easily found a number of my podcasts by using some search terms I had mentioned during the casts. Both are easy to use (thank you Google). In fact, as I was poking around the site I found the TV search page which displayed 100 thumbnails of tv screens. Many of them were live feeds and when you moused over them the thumbnail doubled in size and the audio track kicked on (on at least a few of them).

2005-11-29T16:58:00.000-08:00

RSS Feeds - user friendly or not?

In this post from earlier this month, John Moore of Brand Autopsy Blog complained that RSS feeds are too geeky for the masses to latch on to. True, true.

Oddly enough, that may be one (small) advantage that podcasting has over blogs. John's complaint is that for anyone to read an RSS feed, you have to fire up your RSS reader or whatever.

But with a podcast, once you subscribe it automatically shows up in iTunes or whatever podcast aggregator you're using (have to get rid of that word 'aggregator' too...it's really unwieldy)....time after time. Of course you still have to LISTEN to the damn podcast.

But that all boils down to content. How's your podcast (or blog or other) content? If you have compelling content, your listeners will come back. If not, well, you've got some work to do to create better content.

2005-11-21T14:16:00.000-08:00

More on the Busines of Podcasting

Business Week's Jon Fine took on the issue of the business of podcasting in a recent posting. Mr. Fine made the observation that some questions about the medium remain unsettled, especially advertising:

"But it's not clear if listeners will ultimately regard podcasts the way they do downloaded songs, in which case an ad is unwelcome, or as a form of radio, in which case it's acceptable."

Jon even mentions the recent release of Wordcast from Audible.com, a listener tracking service which is getting the old 'look-down-their-noses-at-such-insanity' reaction from many of the old-timer podcasters (old-timer, meaning anyone who has been podcasting for more than say, about 8 months).

For what its worth, I've been flip-flopping on the advertising issue, like any good politician. At first I thought people would rebel - "what, listen to ads on a PODCAST!??" But now, I think people will simply accept it as the cost of getting free unique content, which they're NOT getting on mass media.

The success of podcasting shows that those millions of iPod owners are starving for good content, whether its music, tech-talk, sex talk, wine talk, goof-ball talk, original music or interviews with cool people.

So we might as well give it to them, and let the sponsors pay for the freight, like any other medium.

2005-11-15T06:28:00.000-08:00

More Groups Chasing Advertising Dollars for Podcasters

From ClickZ News comes this headline: Podcast Ad Hype Spawns Many Upstarts. Apparently Audible.com is not the only company to come out with a plan to organize podcasters and ultimately get a piece of any revenue stream they create out of that.

Will this idea work? As Zachary Roberts put it in his article, it's 'so problematic, yet so promising.' Agreed. Lots of hurdles to overcome, yet if someone can figure out how to take hundreds or even thousands of podcasts that each have a few hundred listeners and organize them into some sort of conglomeration and run advertising, there is certainly a pot o' gold waiting at the end of the rainbow.

2005-11-14T15:26:00.000-08:00

Big Bucks Court Podcasting

Some interesting developments from Yahoo and Google regarding podcasting: Hosting and the Future of Podcasting With Yahoo!, Google and Audible. With the big boys stepping up with big bucks to grab onto the podcast pony, it's a pretty sure thing that podcasting will continue to grow. Not everybody's happy. But I would expect nothing less. Once big money starts moving in, the landscape suddenly gets rearranged.

As I read it, Yahoo! and Google and Audible.com want to make it super-easy for the neophytes to podcast. Don't know what that will entail - probably some web-based interface where you can fill in the blanks and easily upload your MP3 file as it creates the RSS feed while you're sitting there munching your Oreo's and peanut butter cookies.

The bottom line is this though: for you to create a high-quality podcast, you'll need a few basics: a good microphone, editing software, soundcard, mixer or audio interface and the chops to create great content time after time after time. One good idea does not make a continuing podcast. But if you keep filling your podcast time with scintillating and entertaining material you are on your way!

2005-11-14T14:55:00.000-08:00

Podcast Listeners Consume More Terrestrial Radio

Bridge Ratings just finished a ten-month study on how podcasting affects radio listening habits and - surprise! - podcasting actually increases radio station listening. A few of the details: listeners to commercial radio stations saw a seven percent rise in cume (?), and a fifteen percent bump in TSL (time spent listening) per week. Even public radio fared well in the survey.

Why the increase? It appears that the re-packaging of various radio shows as podcasts is a great branding tool. Not only does it give listeners a chance to hear some favorite personalities and shows again - or on their own schedule, it helps recycle the listeners back to the radio station. Podcasting also undoubtedly offers a chance for listeners to archive some of their favorite bits over time, and even burn CDs and share them.

I know that type of thing happens, because I do the same with a friend or two of mine, who don't have computers. I turned them on to Brian Ibbott's Coverville, but since they don't have an iPod or a PC, I have to burn them on to a disc.

2005-11-13T15:49:00.000-08:00

Finding Your Own Podcast Voice

By Tim ‘Gonzo’ Gordon

Have you found your own podcast voice?

If you’re new to the podcasting world, chances are you’ll have a bit of a stutter-start to your podcasting career. Unless you’re used to speaking into a microphone and discussing your business or personal life, it takes a bit of getting used to.

Even once you feel comfortable in front of a microphone, count on more time to find your unique ‘voice.’

What do I mean by finding your own unique voice?

Simply put, it means being yourself – and letting go of any self-imposed restraints you may be putting on yourself!

Sometimes finding your unique podcasting voice might mean shouting or laughing uncontrollably. Other times it might mean whispering into the microphone to tell a heartfelt story. Whatever it means, you won’t find your true voice until you follow a couple of principles.

First: talk about what you believe in. REALLY believe in. I know, this sounds easy. But it’s easy to take some other writer’s information, create a few bullets points and ad lib your own version of the information. If you were to do that, ask yourself: do I really believe what he’s saying? Have I EXPIERENCED it? Does it work for me?

Second: disclosure. This is different from what you really believe in, because belief is a principle or an idea. Disclosure is part confession and part discovery. Other people are hearing you confess things you have discovered about yourself. When you disclose things about yourself it makes you more attractive to the people who like you. But disclosure also does something else: it can make you less attractive to the people who are not like you and may not agree too much with you.

And there’s nothing wrong with that! If you’re in business and you talk candidly about your style of business, you’ll attract those people who feel the same. You’ll also tend to repel those who don’t feel that way – and chances are you would not have really wanted to do business with them anyway. Those are the people that tend to be difficult customers, always making you work extra hard for your commission or fee.

So as you begin your podcast career, learn how to use your microphone – and don’t skimp on getting a good microphone – so that you’ll really bring out your personality and deliver your own unique podcast voice.

Remember, as you talk into your microphone in your studio, you’re only talking to ONE person. You’re not on stage in front of 500 or 1000 people, you’re not in a room full of friends and neighbors. You’re speaking to your microphone, and whoever is listening will take it in as if you’re speaking just to them – like an old friend."

2005-11-13T15:48:00.000-08:00

The Future of Podcasting

By Tim ‘Gonzo’ Gordon

Anyone who predicts the future of podcasting - or the future of anything - is stepping out on a limb. The simple fact of trying to forecast what might happen invites trouble. What if you’re wrong? What if you’re so far off base that people will end up ridiculing you as time goes on?

Remember when Bill Gates said, “The most memory anyone will ever need is 640K”? See? Ridiculed. Of course he was much younger, and less wiser (and richer) than he is now. He certainly bounced back. But a lot of us remember his prediction that was woefully off base.

So in realizing the dangers inherent in making a podcasting predictions, I spent time recently looking at podcasting and how quickly it has attached itself to the mainstream of life on the internet. Of course, the ‘masses’ haven’t fully adapted to podcasting, or adopted it as a way of listening to online audio. But I think it’s not that far from becoming an everyday part of life for a lot of people.

The explosive growth of the iPod and other MP3 players is the main reason for the burgeoning adaptation of podcasting. It didn’t hurt that Apple quickly upgraded iTunes to be able to subscribe to podcasts.

Now, what about those predictions? I came up with a baker’s dozen plus one (okay, 14). I took a look at various aspects of how podcasting might affect the world, and broke them down into politics, business, the internet, education, and the music business.

In looking at politics, for example, I know that some high-profile politicians have moved into podcasting, most notably John Edwards, who was John Kerry’s running mate in 2004. Various other political entities have moved into podcasting as well, including Governor Schwarzenegger of California, The Republican National Committee and US Senator Debbie Stadenow of Michigan.

And that’s just the beginning.

So my predictions on politics and podcasting:

* Politicians and related political groups will move big time into podcasting for the 2006 mid-term elections, and even more so in the 2008 election. Podcasts will help sway the election of the next US president.
* In the next ten years, a third-party political group such as the Libertarians or the Green Party will emerge to become a party on par with the Democrats and Republicans in size and influence, thanks in large part to the viral spread of ideas through creative podcasting.

With the continuing disenchantment with both Republicans and Democrats, I see the groundswell of the ideas of third parties, in particular the Libertarians, moving more into the mainstream. And podcasting is a great way to spread ideas, explain political stances and interview the ‘stars’ of a movement. So with those two political predictions, podcasting is poised to have a huge impact on the spread of ideas that can influence how people vote.

The politicians who are going to win are going to embrace new technologies such as blogging and podcasting to get out their message and move their constituency to action.

Here are a couple of my predictions regarding the internet:

* Next year’s podcasting star is a person who today doesn't even know what podcasting is.
* Corporate podcasts will be so full of commercials that listeners will rebel and tune out, gravitating back to smaller and more independent podcasts.

With the speed of growth and change in the internet, I believe that in the next year or two one of the top podcasts will be created by a person who today doesn’t even know what a podcast is. But once they discover it, they’ll jump in with both feet and exploit the creativity o the medium to the max.

I also made predictions for business and podcasting: businesses will finally figure out how to make good money by using podcasting as a tool, even though most all podcasts will remain free. I think independent podcasters will become much more organized and figure out ways to sell their ‘podcast time’ to sponsors.

To check the complete list of podcast predictions, check them here: http://podcastingadventuresonline.com/predictions.

Here's the press release about the predictions.

2005-10-25T16:33:00.000-07:00

The New iPod Nano sells for about $299, but only costs about $151 for Apple to manufacture...so they're getting fat gross profit margins around 50%, according to Business Week.

2005-07-21T09:56:00.000-07:00

If you are a web surfer who takes feeds from RSS, can spot a phishing scam in an instant, and download a couple of podcasts a day - congratulations, you're in the MINORITY! Survey Results Show Most Americans Have No Clue About RSS is a new survey out. Even if you obsess over things like RSS feeds and podcasts, most Americans are barely aware of the terms and would be hard-pressed to try and explain them or even understand them.

So take it easy, podcaster, and slow down. The rest of the world still has to catch up with you!!