PodMov Daily: Tuesday, July 21

Episode 246: Testing, One Two-sday

IP in Podcasting: Critical Conversations About Podcast Ownership

By any metric, the podcast Another Round was a success, writes Juliana Clark of Bello Collective. However, when the hit show was discontinued by BuzzFeed, neither Heben Nigatu nor her co-host, Tracy Clayton, were granted any rights for the back catalogue. How can creators manage their intellectual property?

“To better prepare podcasters for future self-advocacy, I spoke to a number of creators, media business executives, and lawyers who specialize in intellectual property,” Clark writes. These experts explain six aspects of podcast ownership many creators may not take into account when first offered a production deal.

“Although podcasting can be a fairly democratic medium, IP laws and practices can lead to disillusionment for creators,” Clark says. “For most creators, there is a tradeoff between the benefits and drawbacks of working with a well-resourced organization.” Being informed is the first step to effective negotiation.

SoundHER: Hermene Hartman on the Richness of Podcasting

With the monthly interview series SoundHER, Sounder is turning up the sound on female voices in the audio industry. Larell Scardelli interviews Hermene Hartman, one of the most influential Black women in American media and publishing, about her “tactful journey to audio success and her take on podcasting.”

Hartman grew N’DIGO, once a print magapaper, into the N’DIGO STUDIO PODCAST, N’DIGO STUDIO television talk show, and N’DIGO, the digital magazine. “Her motto then and now: deliver stories that have been mistold, gone untold, and need to be re-told,” writes Scardelli. Hartman shares wisdom from decades in the media business.

“One of the beauties of podcasting is that the format is what you make it. I think that has a richness to it,” Hartman said. “If you want to seriously build an audience, be precise with your distribution. Hold yourself accountable for episodes […] You can be spur of the moment. You have the freedom to choose.”

Memberful: Smarter Podcast Memberships

For podcasters, a strong community and stronger revenue are the dream. Memberful makes it easier than ever to have both. Used by the web’s biggest creators, Memberful is the convenient, safe, and intuitive way to sell memberships to your audience.

There are no hidden steps with Memberful: Just connect your Stripe account, add your podcast, and your listeners can subscribe immediately. Turn your content into sustainable, recurring revenue. Plus, Memberful integrates seamlessly with your favorite tools and works with your existing podcast hosting, so there's no need to change your workflow.

Your listeners already love your content. With Memberful’s features, like custom branding, gift subscriptions, Apple Pay, and free trials, you have even more tools to keep them tuned in.

Ready for deeper connections and revenue to match? Get started for free — no credit card required.

Here's what else is going on:

• Triple scoop: Justin, Travis, and Griffin McElroy, the creators of the hit comedy podcast My Brother, My Brother and Me, are releasing a book on the craft. Everybody Has a Podcast (Except You) “walks readers through the process of turning an idea into ear-candy.”

• Play ball: Podcasts should be so much more than repurposed radio, says Demetri Ravanos of Barrett Sports Media. “Too many sports brands, even some of the very biggest, limit their digital audience by thinking of them as identical to their broadcast audience.”

• Focus group: There are 52 radio stations in Savannah, Georgia. If there were just a few, says Tom Webster of Edison Research, a station “would sing the song of a city.” Radio is far from dying, but would do well to prioritize local audiences over competition.

• Measure up: Despite the huge growth of Irish podcasts, creators can’t demonstrate this popularity to potential sponsors, says Darach Ó Séaghdha. The Motherfoclóir host calls for Irish radio industry figures to begin including verifiable listenership data for podcasts.