Captivate gains IAB certified compliant stats

• Exclusive: Podcast host Captivate will announce later today that they have achieved IAB Certification for their podcast analytics. The certification was achieved at an “unprecedented pace” according to CEO Mark Asquith, and podcasters will see no significant changes to their reported download numbers. The first UK company to undergo this work, Captivate joins another 10 retail hosts that are certified compliant. (Podnews’s Editor is on Captivate’s advisory board).

  
  Aug 24 2023: This broken link now points to the Internet Archive.

• Audacity has made v2.4.1 available for download. The new version of the audio editor contains a bunch of new features including LUFS normalisation, and it works properly on Mac OS again. (Here’s our article about LUFS).

  
  Aug 24 2023: This broken link now points to the Internet Archive.

• Apple is ramping up its push into original podcasts says Bloomberg. “The technology giant has begun acquiring two types of original podcasts, according to people familiar with the matter: one category is audio spinoffs of existing movies and programs on its Apple TV+ service, and the other is original programs that could eventually be adapted into future TV+ video content.”

• Zoom released Zoom 5.0 last month, but from May 30, only Zoom clients on v5 will work as they turn on encryption. That will break some third-party tools. (Jitsi Meet is open, free and records everything to your own Dropbox, incidentally).

• Here’s the latest on Wondery CEO Hernan Lopez’s court case. Writing in HotPod Insider, Nick Quah says: “Whenever I bring it up during my chats with other podcast execs, the broad sentiment seems to be a general befuddlement that Lopez hasn’t stepped down as Wondery CEO yet.”

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• Google haven’t responded to our questions about Podcast Addict’s removal. They’ve also not responded to The Register, a highly-regarded tech blog, so it’s not us, thankfully.

• There’s been enough time for the podcast world to formulate thoughts about Joe Rogan’s deal with Spotify.

  • In What Does Joe Rogan’s Exclusive Spotify Deal Signal for the Future of Podcasting?, RockWater suggests “a whole new precedent has been set for podcasting talent deals”.
  • Transistor shares their numbers (22% of listens for their podcasts are from Spotify) and concludes: “If we want to fight Spotify’s influence and control, we’re going to need to compete where it matters: improving the overall experience for creators and listeners.”
  • Ashley Carman writes, in The Verge, that the podcasting world is now Spotify vs everyone else
  • Is this good for podcasters? Yes, says Brett Johnson of Circle270Media.
  • “More money in podcasting is almost always a good thing, especially when it’s rewarding independent publishers” says Nick Hilton, in an imaginary chat with his podcast therapist.
  • The open podcast ecosystem is dying — here’s how to save it. writes Nathan Baschez. “It’s time to compete. Not complain,” he adds.
  
  Aug 24 2023: This broken link now points to the Internet Archive.
  • Matt Stoller claims that Spotify “want to become the gateway to streaming, so they can tax the ecosystem,” arguing that “regulators and policymakers can step in to protect [podcasting].”
  • Writing personally elsewhere, our Editor suggests that podcasting doesn’t have an open ecosystem to defend.

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