PodMov Daily: Thursday, January 7

Episode 345: Your Thursday Podthoughts

(Briefly) On Amazon: Free RSS Podcasts for $8.95

On Tuesday, Switched on Pop host Charlie Harding found his show on Amazon for $8.95. It was “marked as a ‘limited deal’ with the suggestion to buy an Audible subscription to get a discount.” According to Ashley Carman of The Verge, “For some reason, Amazon had started advertising the show as paid content.”

The Verge found widespread podcast pricing across Amazon’s website (not mobile). Carman says that the tags disappeared yesterday morning. “This seems more than likely to be a bug given that the shows’ prices were raised instead of lowered as part of this ‘limited deal,’ but still, it’s not a great look for Amazon.”

First added to Audible’s platform in October, freely available shows “add value to a costly subscription and bulk up its catalog, which might entice people to pay every month for access,” Carman points out. “It’s worth remembering, though, that most podcasts are available for free through RSS, not when you pay Audible.”

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Megaphone is on Ad-Block Lists for Tracking Listeners

Megaphone is now on multiple ad-block lists for tracking podcast listeners. As Darknet Diaries creator Jack Rhysider explains, the Megaphone Targeted Marketplace (MTM) service gathers listener data in order to serve targeted ads. “The problem is, listener data is now being collected by an advertising agency.”

For that reason, a number of anti-tracking privacy tools are blocking all podcasts hosted on the platform. There are some big names on the list, like Reply All (Gimlet), Slow Burn (Slate), and Stuff You Should Know (iHeart). Unless they whitelist Megaphone, users of AdBlockPlus, uBlock Origin, and others can’t freely listen.

Rhysider, who hosts on Megaphone, explains that it’s simply not necessary to share listener data with big ad tech like Nielsen. Other hosting platforms run successful ads without violating privacy, he says. “This whole listener tracking thing is not something anyone wants or benefits from except the advertisers.”

Watch, Learn, Sound Great: Jason Levine’s Audio 101 Playlist

For podcasters, nothing beats quality audio and world-class tools. Jason Levine, Principal Worldwide Evangelist for Adobe, is passionate about teaching creators to sound incredible. Jason’s tutorials are famous for their enthusiastic, in-depth approach to technical skills at every level.

Formerly a full-time recording engineer, Jason has a ton of practical know-how. His 18-part learning series Audio 101 dives into multitrack recording, batch processing, Spectral Display editing, and more. Whether you pick a quick topic or enjoy the whole playlist, these videos will power up your podcast.

Adobe’s Creative Cloud is the ultimate choice for quality sound. Making sure podcasters get the most out of every feature? That’s what Jason does best. Audio 101 builds the foundations for your best work yet. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube for live streams and expert advice.

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Here's what else is going on:

• Class act: Hot Docs Podcast Festival is on virtually from January 27-29. Check the full schedule and lineup for deep dives with talent like Roxane Gay, Radiolab, 1619, 99% Invisible. Use promo code PODMOV for 25% off a Festival Pass, including all 25+ events and a month of streaming.

• Please no: Ryan Fan still cringes at the sound of his voice in recordings. Why do so many of us have the same problem? Psychologists and linguists agree: “Because our voices in our heads sound so different from what we expect, we tend not to like it.” Fan explores the only solution.

• Fresh take: The BBC World Service has launched a competition to discover new podcast talents in Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa. Pitches should appeal to listeners in Africa, particularly women, reports Steve Dede of Pulse Nigeria. The winner will be turned into a full World Service series.

• True story: Prompted by OZY CEO Carlos Watson, The Daily podcast host Michael Barbaro admits, “When it comes to an organization like the Times, we are not diverse enough, we’re just not. And when you’re not diverse enough, you don’t understand stories, you don’t tell them properly.”