PodMov Daily: Thursday, April 8

Episode 403: Your Thursday Podthoughts

Podcast Unions Reach a Landmark Deal for the Industry

The Ringer and Gimlet Media unions have finalized a three-year contract with Spotify. “It’s a big step — not just for unionization in podcasting, but also for the tech industry overall, which has been slow to take up unionization and faced union-busting tactics when they do,” writes Ashley Carman of The Verge.

Bargaining agreements include increases to salary minimums, funding for diversity committees, and provisions against the exploitation of contract workers. However, management refused to give ground on one key issue. Companies will still retain the rights to, and proceeds derived from, podcasts that employees create.

“We began this process with the aim of improving working conditions and compensation at the company, especially for our lowest-paid members,” the Ringer Union said in a statement. “We’re thrilled to have achieved that goal with this contract.” After years of effort, a well-timed precedent for this young industry.

On Air Fest: Tomorrow’s Free Podcast Session Lineup

Today through Saturday, Brooklyn’s On Air Fest is streaming free for the first time. (Take a quick look at today’s events here.) Registration is à la carte, and streams begin one hour after start times. Tomorrow’s industry and creative sessions will be hosted by Alexandra DiPalma and Kenya Denise of Domino Sound. 

A glance at the morning: In “What Makes a Great Show Pitch,” the team from Audible will show what it takes to hook the interest of potential producers. This follows a live taping of Today, Explained. Sean Rameswaram will guide us through how to prepare for, and maybe even celebrate, Cicadapocalypse 2021.

Later in the day, Kenya Denise will lead an “anti-panel panel” on why diversity-in-audio panels don’t work. Wrapping up the evening, comedian Jenny Slate will present Terry Gross with the 2021 Audio Vanguard Award. Then, Jenny will flip the tables, interviewing the master interviewer herself. Check the full lineup here.

Dynamic Content: A Powerful New Tool from Buzzsprout

With Buzzsprout, it’s faster than ever to keep your podcast fresh — and your listeners up-to-date. The new Dynamic Content tool lets you easily add and remove short pre-roll (intro) and post-roll (outro) content to your episodes. It's the perfect solution for timely messaging.

Whether you’re promoting a virtual event or giving a special shout-out, Dynamic Content makes it simple to swap, automatically add content to new episodes, or apply it to your existing catalog with a click. Old files are removed and replaced, so there’s no clean-up.

For podcasters, this new tool offers more than flexibility. It benefits your audience in more ways than one: Buzzsprout respects your listeners’ privacy. Unlike most Dynamic Ad Insertion, the Dynamic Content tool includes no tracking or targeting. Ready to make the switch?

Here's what else is going on:

• R-E-S-P-E-C-T: Here’s how (and why) to study podcast audiences without creepin’ on listeners. Evo Terra explains, “There’s plenty of meaningful behavioral data to be shared that has nothing to do with an email address, user ID, or any other private data that should never be shared or leaked.”

• Canned heat: Facebook is beta testing Hotline, a Q&A-based mashup of Clubhouse and Instagram Live. Sarah Perez of TechCrunch notes significant Clubhouse overlap, but Hotline “has a different vibe because of its use of video, text-based questions, upvoting and because it’s recorded.”

• Group chat: On Tuesday, Steph Fuccio (Geopats Podcasting) will host the second Global Women Podcast Editors Panel. Hobbyists and professionals are invited to discuss topics from workflow to inclusivity. 12:00 pm CT/7:00 pm CEST, registration is free. The next panels are April 20 and 27.

• Two cents: From July 13-15, Radio Ink and Podcast Business Journal will host “How to Make Real Money Podcasting.” Speakers include Lore creator Aaron Mahnke, ShelettaMakesMeLaugh founder Sheletta Brundidge, and PM president Dan Franks. A single-day pass is $99, full event is $249.