PodMov Daily: Friday, July 30

Episode 473: Week Download Complete

It’s Not Just You: Coping With Podcasting Burnout

It’s not just the Olympics — burnout is everywhere. Yesterday, two podcasters offered practical, medium-specific advice that hardworking creators need to hear. Making the best show you possibly can, episode after episode, is a tall order. Plan, record, promote, and network your heart out, but remember to breathe.

Timber.fm co-founder Jon Christensen knows from experience: “the podcasting equivalent of going all-out in every workout” will destroy creative muscles. When a production schedule is so tight that you’re unable to incorporate feedback, the whole process is starved of oxygen. His guidance is on-point.

For beginners or those starting to gain traction, saying yes to everything may feel like the only smart move. In Podcast Pontifications, Evo Terra gives permission to escape the pressure cooker: “Occasionally, you may realize that passing up on an opportunity is as much of an opportunity as the opportunity itself.”

Podcast Moderation at Spotify Remains a Mystery

Spotify founder and CEO Daniel Ek put it plainly: He does not believe the company has editorial responsibility for its podcasts. When asked directly about Joe Rogan, Ek pointed out that Rogan is “one of 8 million creators” on the platform. Dan Primack of Axios pushed back: “But the best paid of all of those.”

Ek’s response defies debate. “We have a lot of really well-paid rappers on Spotify too, that make tens of millions of dollars, if not more, each year from Spotify. And we don't dictate what they're putting in their songs, either.” Exclusive contracts versus per-stream royalties aside, listeners are curious: Where's the line?

There is one, somewhere. Approximately 40 of Rogan’s episodes have been removed over time, wrote Paul Resnikoff in April. “Spotify has offered no explanations for its removals,” though neither has Rogan, who openly cares less than anyone else involved. From any angle, it’s a first-of-its-kind saga to watch.

Descript: Studio-Quality Podcasts, As Easy As Editing A Doc

Descript makes editing a podcast as easy as editing a doc. It gives you all the power of a professional-grade studio — no training or production skills required. It’s fast, powerful, and used by The New York Times, NPR, BBC News, and thousands of podcasters.

Transcription is instant, and editing your audio is as simple as tapping the backspace key. Remove ‘uhhhs’ and ‘ummms’ with a click, instantly eliminate background noise, and collaborate with your team in real time. You can even add spoken words to your audio or video, without re-recording, using the Overdub voice-cloning tool.

The bottom line: Descript frees you from the technical grind so you can focus on telling great stories. See for yourself: For a limited time, get a free month of Descript Pro with exclusive code PODMOV21. 

Here's what else is going on:

• Court date: Does listening to podcasts at 3x speed warp your brain? In character as the mighty Judge, comedian and podcaster John Hodgman renders a verdict: “While I agree that normal speed is the best way to listen, I will say that at half speed, all the people sound drunk, and it is hilarious.”

• Final answers: Any podcast recommendations? FullCast founder Harry Duran (Podcast Junkies) saw this question on Twitter for the thousandth time and had a bright idea. Still an “experiment” for now, a 7-day show listing on the site is currently $19 but “likely to go up” with demand.

• Toast proposed: Jam Street Media has been acquired by multi-network owner Amaze Media Labs. Jam Street founder Matty Staudt began on Stitcher’s start-up team in 2007 and served as iHeartRadio’s first VP of Podcast Programming. Who Owns Who In Podcasting? is keeping track.

• Patch test: iOS 14.7 should fix Apple Podcasts’ infamous auto-download bug. The company says that the update “resolves a known issue that prevented automatic downloads from completing in the background…which could impact downloads reported by third-party hosting providers.”