New Apple Podcasts system: shows disappear, multiple bugs

• The launch of the new Apple Podcasts Connect tool has been plagued with bugs and technical issues; and has impacted other apps. We would recommend NOT logging in at this time.

• Many podcasters say their shows have completely gone missing within Apple Podcasts and third-party apps that use Apple’s API.

• The new Apple Podcasts Connect is unavailable for many - some seeing “We’re setting up your account” for over 24 hours.

• Apple Podcasts Connect has bugs, too. It’s currently impossible to submit a new show to Apple Podcasts, and it’s changing information about already existing shows. More below.

Sounds Profitable’s deep-dive of Omny Studio for enterprise has just gone live. Sharon Taylor from Triton Digital’s Omny Studio talks with Bryan Barletta and takes us through the entire system. Watch here.

Other podcasting news

• Bye, Himalaya: the company is “transitioning away from podcasts towards audio courses”. The company launched a $100m podcast platform in 2019, in a statement since claimed to be “partially false”.
• Hello, Deezer: podcasts in the Deezer music app are now available in Asia, Africa and Oceania. It’ll also be free for Globopay users in Brazil.
• Reddit has a Clubhouse clone now.
• The IAB Podcast Upfront will be hosted by SuChin Pak. More than 3,000 ad buyers have registered.

Sep 2 2023: This broken link now points to the Internet Archive.
• CuriousCast announced its Q2/21 slate, including two new fiction titles and an investigative politics series.
• TED is to join Podcast Radio: the UK station will feature some of TED’s most popular podcasts.
• The Westwood One Podcast Network has been rebranded to the Cumulus Podcast Network.
• Deals: Talkhouse and Osiris Media have created a new sales joint venture; meanwhile Crossover Media Group Sales will represent Counterpoint and Political Voices Network’s new multiplatform home for political humor.
• Awards: Nominees have been announced for The Webby Awards - you can vote for the peoples’ choice awards. Voting is also open for the Maryland Podcast Awards; and the winners for The Publisher Podcast Awards were announced.
• Hires: New hires at CNN Audio: Robert Mathers, Podcast Business Operations Manager; Jon Dianora, Director of Podcast Revenue Partnerships; and Rafeena Ahmad, Product Manager, was previously at Jazz at Lincoln Center, Wait, What?, and NPR.

This link is no longer available, as at Sep 2 2023

Tips and tricks - with Podcast Day 24

• Interviewing Podcast Guests: How To Turn Good Questions Into Great Questions - asking the same question but slightly differently, says David Hutchinson, might gain better results.
• There are three ways to write a good podcast script, says Nick Lai. The one that works for you is the right one.

Back to the botched Apple Podcasts update

• First - Apple Podcasts does not have a statement for us; and haven’t publicly acknowledged any issues.

• Our theory: All shows transferred to the new system appear to automatically have their RSS feed removed from Apple’s public API. Just logging in (and enabling your new account) appears to cause your show to disappear. This not only breaks third-party apps and websites who use Apple’s API, but appears to also break current Apple Podcast apps.

  • This option is bad for third party apps which rely on the Apple Podcasts API. It’s one effective way, though, to kill your competitors who rely on the API.

• One way for third party apps to continue operating is to use PodcastIndex, which includes iTunesIDs. After getting an API key, the /byitunesid endpoint gives you all the info you need, including the feedUrl.

  • Overcast has quickly integrated Podcast Index like this, so that users of that app should be unaffected.

• Transistor’s Justin Jackson shows on a Twitter thread that it’s almost impossible to submit a new show to Apple Podcasts at the moment. The process results in errors including a new requirement for a phone number for some reason. Spotify, has a one-click submission process from most podcast hosting platforms.

• Apple Podcasts Connect also changes your categories, too. Our categories are “Daily News”, “Technology”, “Business”. The new Apple Podcasts Connect has given our categories as “News”, “Technology” and “Daily News”, removing us from “Business” and assigning us to the top-level category of News. We’re also not alone in seeing this.

• Podcast hosting companies are fielding a high level of support queries. Many are privately frustrated at the lack of any notice, and are concerned about Apple’s unclear UX in the new Podcasts Connect, which appears to duplicate many features in podcast host dashboards. “Letting people edit their show details on Podcasts Connect is going to create tons of headaches, because the RSS feed will no longer be the main authority”, said one podcast host to us.

More Apple Opinions

• Castos welcomes Apple to the private podcasting movement.

• In his Stratechery email, Ben Thompson loves the product, but criticises Apple for not sharing subscriber details (even with permission) for the podcaster; saying it locks podcasters into Apple’s platform forever, and stops podcasters monetising across apps and experiences.

• Nick Hilton suggests that this may negatively impact independent publisher discoverability.