A reminder: The Daily will be off for the holidays starting Wednesday. We'll be back on Tuesday, January 4 with a new year of morning headlines, resources, and tips.

PodMov Daily: Monday, December 20

Episode 559: Your Monday Mix

Podcasting Predictions from Industry Leaders, Part Two

For the seventh year in a row, Pacific Content asked thought leaders and friends across the podcast industry: What’s next? Part two of the prediction post is out, covering more trends and themes that emerged. Over 75 experts offered their thoughts on what’s to come. Here are a few highlights:

• “Spotify will continue to grow, and become unarguably the most popular podcast app in most countries. To combat this, Apple Podcasts will launch an Android app, and become a champion of the open podcast ecosystem.” –James Cridland, Editor, the Podnews Network

• “…The lazy celebs will have their regular TV work to go back to soon, and the rest of us will continue creating adventurous, exciting shows that people love.” –Neil Cowling, Founder, Fresh Air Production

• “…More people will discover the pleasure of immersive, serialized audio fiction. If Dickens lived today, he’d be a podcaster! –Alex Schaffert, COO, APM Studios

• “As international TV hits like ‘Squid Game’ and ‘Money Heist’ take global audiences by a storm, so too will non-English storylines adapted from podcasts to TV and film become global sensations.” –Hebah Fisher, Co-Founder and CEO, and Bella Ibrahim, Marketing Director, Kerning Cultures

Spotify’s Vast LA Campus Has 18 Podcast Studios

Spotify has unveiled a “vast new campus” in the Arts District of downtown Los Angeles. Its centerpiece is ‘Pod City,’ reports Wendy Lee of the LA Times. The 150,000+ square-foot property has 18 podcast studios, a theater, an indoor stage, an echo chamber, and offices to accommodate 600 employees. 

“Beyond centralizing its podcasting business in one place, the new Los Angeles operation allows Spotify to reduce the costs of paying outside vendors, attract and nurture new talent, and produce more original shows that it can own and distribute,” Lee writes. The space is one of the largest leases in the Arts District.

Spotify saw a “massive opportunity” with podcast production that music streaming can never offer, explains Travis Dunlap, a digital media agent with WME. Instead of having to maintain major-label deals and pay out royalties, an operation like this gives the company ownership of the content from the beginning.

Keep Episodes Fresh with Dynamic Content

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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.

This innovative feature 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:

• Not alone: What do podcasters struggle with? Results are in from The Podcast Host’s Podcast Problems survey. “Over two hundred and fifty of you answered the call, and boy howdy, did you provide a lot of helpful information,” says Lindsay Harris Friel. Read on for tips, reflection, and resources.

• Sample size: Adobe has unveiled Project Shasta, an AI-powered, web-based audio editor. The software is “free for now” for early testers who request access through Adobe. It requires Google Chrome and enables remote recording, text-based audio editing, and AI filters for ‘um’ removal.

• Group chat: Captivate has been acquired by Global, reports Podnews. The podcast hosting, analytics, and monetization platform will be integrated into Global’s audio entertainment offering, and Captivate’s founders, Mark Asquith and Kieran McKeefery, will be staying with the business.

• Bright future: Applications for NPR’s summer internships will be accepted until Friday, January 14. A total of 42 internships (all paid, of course) are available to current college students and recent graduates, including on podcast teams for The Limits, Alt.Latino, Planet Money, Life Kit, and more.