If you look at Chris and Rosie Ramsey, who make their podcast at home in South Shields, they are now one of the biggest podcasts in the UK and had live tours and a book deal on the back of their show. Podcasts come in all different shapes and sizes and are really good at dealing with complex stories, long form interviews, niche topics, or documentaries. Their UK study puts that figure at 71%, so most people have heard of podcasting and 59% have listened to one.Īs we have seen this past week there are big names in podcasting like Joe Rogan, who command huge audiences and paycheques from platforms like Spotify. The Infinite Dial study (America’s longest-running survey of digital media consumer behavior) shows that in 2006 22% of the US population had heard of podcasting. The thing that drove it was all the shows were free and used open tools, so anyone could make one. In the couple of years that followed some great podcasts were started and money was invested, and it started to take off from there. This just made the whole process really easy and so when Apple added the Podcast app to iPhones in 2012, people started to explore it and see what was there.

When podcasts first appeared it did look like they would become really popular, but interest waned after a few years and they almost disappeared and this was all about technology, as you needed to listen on an iPod (remember them?) or a computer and people soon got bored of that. I think there are lots of reasons behind this. How has podcasting grown to become a mainstream media outlet and what impact is it having?Ī. Richard Berry, an expert in live programming and digital content at the University of Sunderland, discusses the evolution and impact of podcasting, and what the future holds for the platform. This week, Spotify said it was working to add advisory warnings to any podcast discussing COVID-19. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who have lucrative deal with Spotify, have also expressed their concerns but will continue to work with the platform. Musicians, including Neil Young and Joni Mitchell, asked for their music to be removed from the streaming giant after criticism that the US broadcaster Joe Rogan has helped to spread COVID misinformation on his show The Joe Rogan Experience.

It’s been a controversial start to the year for Spotify.

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