PodMov Daily: Wednesday, April 14

Episode 407: Your Midweek Update

Spotify’s Car Thing Drives New Behavioral Insights

Spotify’s first gadget, Car Thing, has launched in limited quantities to invited Premium users. The voice-controlled device works in sync with a smartphone, using Bluetooth to operate the Spotify app. Because there’s no speaker, Ashley Carman of The Verge thinks of the device as “essentially, a Spotify remote.”

One line from the product site stands out: “Let your phone do phone stuff. Car Thing has one job and does it awesomely.” As many drivers return to commuting, it’s the perfect time for Spotify to functionally separate ‘phone’ and ‘car’ listening. When and how the device is used could provide the company with valuable user patterns.

After a test drive, Carman considers if the Car Thing might be a success. “I guess it depends on how comfortable people are with a Spotify-owned microphone in their cars.” The waitlist is US-only, and the device is free except for shipping. For Spotify, the tradeoff is “another step in our larger ubiquity strategy.”

PM Update: Regional Meetups and Live Trainings

This week’s update announces a Podcast Movement regional community meetup tour. The PM team will host this June in Atlanta, GA; Birmingham, AL; Memphis, TN; and Nashville, TN. Of course all events will be small, held outdoors, and follow safety guidelines.

Throughout April Podcast Movement University will be hosting several live, free podcast training events. True Native Media founder Heather Osgood joins tomorrow at 1:00 pm ET to share her expertise on podcast advertising and preparing for sponsors.

In other news, the 28-Day Launch Challenge sponsored by Buzzsprout returns next month. Members of this free class will have access to daily tasks, private community discussions, and a chance to win a pass to PM 2021. Register by May 4 to start your engine.

Podpage: Launch a Beautiful Podcast Website in Minutes

In podcasting, first impressions are powerful. Podpage makes it easy to create a beautiful, listener-friendly site for your show with just a few clicks. There’s no need for technical knowledge — just an RSS feed and five minutes. (Seriously. See the magic in action.)

With Podpage, new episode pages are automatically added to your site. Each one is SEO-friendly, with show notes, a media player, transcripts, and more. Listener engagement is easy through your contact page, mailing list, voicemails, and comments. They’ll even see your best reviews from Apple Podcasts.

The Podcast Host says it best: “Podpage is perfect for podcasters who want the best possible podcast website, for the minimum amount of time, cost, and technical know-how.” Ready to turn explorers into fans? Join thousands worldwide and make your podcast shine.

Here's what else is going on:

• For keeps: What does podcasting’s intellectual property dynamic look like for well-known shows? Despite laying off creator John Moe in June, APM still owns The Hilarious World of Depression. Moe tells Hot Pod’s Nicholas Quah about negotiations and the process of starting over.

• Media rare: Oakland chef and podcaster Preeti Mistry started Loading Dock Talks against the largely white backdrop of food podcasting. They tell KQED about the show’s niche and what it’s like being known as “the avatar of a more outspoken, young, rebellious class of chef.”

• Booster pack: On Thursday at 5:30 pm PT, EarBuds Podcast Collective will host “How to get your indie podcast to the people.” Zach Mack (Greetings from Somewhere) will join to share how his narrative travel show earned coverage in Vulture and Outside Magazine. Held on Clubhouse.

• Long list(en): “If you listen to the credits at the end of a podcast — especially a heavily reported, serialized podcast — the number of people acknowledged is mind boggling,” writes Rob Rosenthal of HowSound. Three ‘names’ behind Norco 80 demystify their production credits.