Apple Plans Podcasting Subscription Service in Threat To Spotify (theinformation.com) 20
Apple -- long considered the sleeping giant in the podcast space -- is waking up. The company, which runs the most widely used podcasting app in the industry, is discussing launching a new subscription service [Editor's note: the link may be paywalled; alternative source] that would charge people to listen to podcasts, The Information according to people familiar with the matter. From a report: Such a service could pose a threat to Spotify, SiriusXM, Amazon and other big companies that have in the past couple of years swallowed up podcasting production firms in an effort to gain more control of the podcast ad market. By charging for individual podcasts, Apple could potentially offer podcast creators a chance to make more money, drawing them to its orbit and away from rivals.
Is it really a threat. (Score:2)
If Apple opens the service to run on Non-Apple devices probably. However I don't think it would be enough to switch a non-Apple user.
the iPod/iTunes success Apple got was due to the fact that they had the first mover advantage in Legal Music Downloads. And Competitors like Microsoft were lagging so Apple was cooler.
Apple isn't cool anymore. We don't care if you have an iPhone or not. So why should I feel free to get stuck on an Apple only service, if that next Samsung device may seem appealing.
Re: (Score:2)
Apple TV is available on Roku. They got the rights to the Peanuts holiday specials to stream this year. People were angry because they didn't even want to install the app to watch it for free on the days it was available for free.
Podcasts are successful because they are free and because they're cheap enough to produce, have limited ads. And it's not a big market - I can barely keep up with 3 shows in a week since it's only useful to me in the car. None of what I listen to are big-money podcasts, and I'm
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I really haven't ever much listen to any podcasts, but if I didn't, I"d be damned if I'd want to PAY for them and then also listen to commercials?!?!
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If Apple opens the service to run on Non-Apple devices probably. However I don't think it would be enough to switch a non-Apple user.
They did this with Apple Music and Apple TV+.
"if apple opens" (Score:1)
If Apple opens the service to run on Non-Apple devices probably
Since Apple Music [google.com] already exists for Android that seem pretty certain.
the iPod/iTunes success Apple got was due to the fact that they had the first mover advantage in Legal Music Downloads.
That has zero to do with podcasts.
Apple had success by having a pretty nice place where podcast owners could host podcasts and subscribe to them, By usability.
Apple isn't cool anymore. We don't care if you have an iPhone or not
The truest sign of an Apple Hate
Good (Score:1)
The podcast creators make money, Apple makes money, our information isn't leaked, we don't have to endure ads and ad companies don't get any money.
It's a win-win-win-win situation. Fuck ads and fuck companies that sell our information for fractions of a hundredth of a cent.
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It's a win-win-win-win situation. Fuck ads and fuck companies that sell our information for fractions of a hundredth of a cent.
If my audience share only costs fractions of a hundredth of a cent to service, I'm not going to pay $9.99/mo. instead. Worse if it's force-bundled into an Apple One subscription. They need to stop acting like everything is a gold mine, because people aren't going to pay.
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I have nothing against their "Apple One" thing, as long as each service is available separately at a lower cost relative to the service.
I.E. don't make Apple One 9.99$USD and Apple PodCasts 4.99$USD, for example. I'm guessing 1.99$USD per month is worth never having to listen to ads?
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I'm guessing 1.99$USD per month is worth never having to listen to ads?
Just for a the few podcasts I listen to? The podcasters make maybe 1 cent per episode (divided over the entire subscriber base) for me to listen with ads (there's not many, and usually it's the host giving the ad). Paying 20 times that is just not worth it to me.
If podcasts weren't one of a hundred things I use it would be a little easier to stomach. But it adds up. I already pay $1.99/mo. for IFTTT solely to add items to my shopping list via Google Assistant. Used to be free and didn't realize I still
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Small crypto-currencies like Dogecoin, Reddcoin or Digibyte are perfect for that. Or at least they would be if it was easier to use them on your phone, on payment terminals and with online payment portals.
If it's not open, it's not a Podcast (Score:3)
Sorry, Apple. That applies to you too.
Three Apple Slashverts in a row FFS (Score:2)
Maybe spread your web wider than applefanz.com and takemymoneyforyouroverpricedbaubles.com ?
Not a Spotify fan (Score:2)
..And away from potential listeners (Score:3)
Apple could potentially offer podcast creators a chance to make more money, drawing them to its orbit and away from rivals.
I'm one of those that will never pay for a subscription for podcasts - not because I don't want to reward podcasters (I have several I donate to their patreons) - I simply don't want to
1. end up stuck in a walled garden for podcasts (as we've been stuck with for apps), and
2. don't need to have my privacy raped by maintainer of said walled garden.
So potential podcasters being lured into the RDF, beware the actual costs!
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I'll be honest, I don't know why Apple is doing this.
For Spotify, the benefit is clear: every minute you listen to a podcast on their service is a minute that you're not listening to licensed music that they have to pay someone for. So after the production costs, it's largely profit. Also, it's a fixed cost—they pay for an episode and they can stream it 5 years from now with no royalty cost.
Apple doesn't have to pay anything, but they ALSO have the biggest podcasting directory—the de facto maste
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I'd also say that I fear this type of thing will likely lead to the destruction of podcasts as we know them now, much like how the web got basically destroyed from what it was in the early days (with just a few behemoths controlling much of the content now).
Barn Door is already Open (Score:2)
People pay for podcasts? (Score:1)
TIL.