PodMov Daily: Thursday, September 19

Episode 47: Your Thursday Podthoughts

Overdub for Descript: The Future Types Out Loud

Descript, the latest startup from Groupon founder Andrew Mason, has been building audio transcription and editing tools for podcasting. The company has announced $15 million in funding and acquisition of Lyrebird, another audio-tool startup out of Canada. That’s not all: Overdub, a new feature for Descript, allows people to “create ‘templates’ of their voices that they can in turn use to create audio based on words that they type.”

Ingrid Lunden reports for TechCrunch that the addition’s “non-technical emphasis” on “drag-and-drop tools” allows podcasters to engineer sound without the background training. Amidst today’s “fake news aided and abetted by technology,” Overdub’s voice-imitation capability evokes reasonable concern. Mason outlines the feature’s safeguards against foul play, adding, “Part of our role is to create awareness of the possibilities. Your voice is your identity, and you need to own that voice. It’s an issue of privacy, basically.”

Sound Up: Spotify's Immersive Program for WOC Podcasters Returns

Spotify’s Sound Up accelerator program has returned for its second year. Designed to “uplift and amplify the voices of women of color,” Sound Up addresses the problem of low representation in the space. Only 22% of American podcasts are hosted by women, and even fewer by minority women.

10 applicants were selected out of thousands for this year’s week-long class. Sessions concluded at Spotify’s New York offices with a competitive pitch session. At the end, “Christina Orlando, Janae Burris, Shayla Martin and SK” were awarded $10,000 each to fund their proposed podcasts, produced and featured on the platform.

“The women that come through these doors continue to amaze us with what they have to say,” reflected Spotify’s Natalie Tulloch. “The participants have unique backgrounds, personal stories, and pivotal experiences that others resonate with, and we’re thrilled to give them the chance to share it with the world.”

An Alternative to Patreon? Supercast's Case to PBJ

Supercast, a new platform “built specifically to help podcasters generate subscription revenue,” aims to rival Patreon within the podcasting industry. Podcast Business Journal spoke to founder Aidan Hornsby, who plans to simplify the process for creators to realize subscription revenue.

“As we dug into listener, download, and revenue numbers, we realized subscription podcasting is one of the best business models we’ve ever seen,” Hornsby explains. Find out why he thinks consumers will buy into the model, how it differs from Patreon, and exactly how podcasters will be paid in the interview.

Podbean Live: Stream Your Show, Engage Your Audience

Audience interaction is everything when it comes to expanding your show. Listeners want to feel engaged, so how are you building that connection?

Introducing Podbean Live: the free, easy-to-use platform for turning your podcast production into a live show. New opportunities for interaction are endless, transforming your podcast into a conversation. You and your co-hosts can take listener calls and get real-time comments for an instant community boost. Your listeners can even give you gifts during the show — Podbean’s virtual currency converts to real earnings for you.

Planning a live-streamed event? Generate excitement around your show and potentially earn revenue through ticket sales — no amphitheater required. Once the recording’s over, live shows keep on giving. Turn it into evergreen content as a podcast episode to show new listeners what you’re all about.

Run your show using Podbean’s intuitive desktop interface while listeners join using the free app. Get the streaming started with Podbean Live — enabled in beta for select Podbean users with wide release coming soon!

Here's what else is going on:

• SEO useful: Google has announced a new search feature to make videos more “skimmable.” Searchers will be shown query-related “key moments” within YouTube videos. Moments are based on “timestamps provided by content creators” to simplify discovery of relevant content.
• Things we won: Surer and Saredo Mohamed, hosts of On Things We Left Behind, are the winners of LaunchPod, the UK’s first podcast talent competition. They’ll have an “entire series professionally produced, launched and marketed” by sponsors Acast and Wisebuddah.
• Trophy tally: Bello Collective has refreshed “An Always Updated List of Podcast Award Programs.” The ongoing compilation features well-organized details for each program including years running, category descriptions, judging format, nomination fees, and prizes.
• Pocket change: The NPR-owned podcast app Pocket Casts will now be free to download on Android and iOS. A “Plus” subscription goes for $10 per year, but luckily the free version retains most existing features (e.g., dark themes, cross-platform playback sync, audio effects).