PodMov Daily: Wednesday, July 31

Episode 12: Your Wednesday Happenings

Limited Tech Knowledge? Dave J Shows You the Way

This Wednesday, our guest article comes from Academy of Podcasters Hall of Fame inductee and School of Podcasting founder Dave Jackson. He’s an award-winning podcaster and teacher who has helped thousands of new and experienced podcasters launch their shows and become better hosts. His article is about approaching podcasting with limited tech knowledge, and the anxiety that so often comes with learning a new medium.

With humor, warmth, and reassurance, he points out that “you got this.” Skills like editing, recording remote interviews, and sound mixing are more intuitive than they may seem. By comparing these components to everyday actions, he explains how adaptation can be possible (and fun) for anyone.

Whether you’re beginning yourself or would like to help a friend take the plunge, Dave’s wise words will boost any prospective podcaster’s confidence. If you’re experienced with audio technology, this article still has plenty to offer. A story about his grandmother’s reaction to early cars made us laugh out loud, and if we need more of anything, it’s that.

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Language Podcasts Expand with Duolingo French Storytelling

Language education and learning podcasts have exploded in popularity in the past few years, with Duolingo’s English-Spanish program topping 13 million downloads. The success of these shows makes perfect sense — to immerse oneself in teachable conversations at a pace designed for learning follows what we know about vocabulary acquisition. Another reason behind their popularity, according to Alex Ledsom in Forbes, is that they engage with the “global trend of cultural diversity in broadcasting.”

Duolingo’s new French-English podcast tells stories by native French speakers with narration by an English-speaking host. “The podcasts are not intended as language lessons but instead offer true stories from the diverse range of French native speakers around the world,” explains Ledsom. The first episode tells the story of Mahmoud M’Seddi, “the son of Tunisian immigrants and the youngest winner of France’s Grand Prize for Best Parisian Baguette in 2018.” C’est magnifique!

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Amplifi(ed) Voice: A Dispatch from the Summit

Last week, the annual Voice Summit was held in Newark, NJ. The event gathers developers, marketers, and entrepreneurs to discuss the role of voice in technology and commerce. Steven Goldstein, CEO of audio innovation firm Amplifi Media, delivered some key takeaways in a blog post.

“It is a nascent business and that generally means there are wondrous experiments and foolish expectations,” Goldstein writes. These “wondrous experiments” explore how consumers interact with voice technology and where users’ limits lie. A large focus of the Summit was on smart speakers like Amazon’s Alexa. Podcasting seems to have changed the way we consume media, and media crossover isn’t far behind.

Goldstein notes that “the music services such as Pandora and Spotify have tremendous targeting capabilities for both music, podcast recommendations and marketing.” A goal frontier in smart speakers and assistants is creating the impression of “natural conversation.” That an electronic voice listens to a user’s voice to in turn recommend the voice of a particular podcast is nothing short of remarkable.

Last Day for Value PM19 Passes!

Today. This day. Wednesday. It’s the very last before ticket prices for Podcast Movement 2019 go up! If you haven’t yet decided to attend, well, there are so many reasons to join us in Orlando.

Check out the event site for any and all information you’ll need and to grab your ticket. If you’re unable to celebrate podcasting amongst the palm trees, no worries. Virtual Passes are available, which include hundreds of high-quality videos you can keep and enjoy forever.

See you alligators later!

Love

Team PM

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Here's what else is going on:

• WOC podcast wins Patreon grant: At the Outlier Podcast Festival on July 19, Ariel Britt’s show Beauty in the Grit won a $5,000 grant from Patreon. Britt, a graduate of the From the Margins to the Center WOC incubator program, works in addiction recovery. Beauty “tackles addiction and recovery, relationships, personal growth, and spirituality.”

• Pop-up studio in Toronto: TalkShoe, a free podcast platform, has a pop-up podcast studio inside a shipping container. Visitors to Stackt Market can try the mic to express themselves. It’s outfitted with a soundboard, headphones, speakers and computer system. Remenyi and Electrovoice provided equipment. **If you’ll be at PM19, Talkshoe and Electrovoice have teamed up to bring you a pop-up studio on-site in Orlando! SIGN UP NOW!

• New Cambridge education podcast: Cambridge University Press has started the Brighter Thinking Pod, which brings together “educational experts to discuss topics affecting teachers around the world.” The podcast is designed for teachers to discuss new ideas and share their own: Listeners can submit questions for guests.

• 1.3 million UAE listeners: A data preview from a markettiers and 4DC report shows that 1.3 million people regularly listen to podcasts in the United Arab Emirates. That’s 16% of adults tuning in at least once a week. Mobile connectivity and pricing has increased access and enthusiasm, according to Sony Music Entertainment Middle East.