Hello and welcome to the first Casual Friday, an experimental divergence from our usual coverage. Thoughts on today’s issue? Hit reply.

PodMov Daily: Friday, July 22

Episode 687: Week Download Complete

Casual Friday: Podcast News & Commentary

• Podcast listening is on the upswing after the dip reported in March, according to Gabriel Soto of Edison Research. “We can’t say U.S. podcast listening will break through the ceiling … but what we can say is something my girlfriend always says with relief after checking in on her pets at dinner: The [pod] cats are doing alright.”

• The iconic Love+Radio has left Luminary. Previously paywalled, its eighth and ninth seasons are being released incrementally. Love+Radio began in 2005, became one of Radiotopia’s original shows in 2014, and moved to Luminary in 2019. Nick Quah covered the saga in Vulture this week.

• “Using your podcast as a direct to consumer vehicle” is a questionable strategy, muses Nick Hilton. His hypothetical product is inspired by Crooked Media’s new coffee line: “‘If you like coffee that’s been through the digestive tract of a lemur,’ Joe Rogan would say, ‘then you’ll love Lemur Anus Coffee.’” [Strong language.]

• This newsletter is “almost as good as Podnews”! We’ll take it. Thanks to our friend James Cridland for the birthday well-wishes in yesterday’s Podland. We also learned that there are more than 3,150 podcasts called Let’s Talk. The discovery curse strikes again.

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Here's what else is going on:

• Bad take of the week: “Podcasting will kill modern celebrities,” yet, at the same time, Hollywood is killing podcasts. (??) A popular Medium post has it all figured out: Before Gwyneth Paltrow came on the scene, podcasters used to show listeners their unfiltered lives, like on “MTV Cribs.”

• That’s what this podcast’s host looks like? In the style of The Onion, The Hard Times describes the disorienting experience of putting an attractive face to a familiar voice. [Very strong language.]

• Reader note of the week: “Please keep doing what you're doing! It’s the most important thing out there, for anyone who is serious about this medium and treating it as a profession not a hobby.” Thank you, Esther. (Just kidding about the weekly horn tootin.’)

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That’s all, folks. Event listings will begin next week. Because an absurd stock photo is worth a thousand words: We wish you…