Prepare for the end of the original Podshow contracts
The original Podshow contracts will be coming up for renewal in the coming months. If the rumour mill is accurate, we should expect a mass exodus of podcasters from the network. This will light up the ‘glass is half-empty’ folks, giving them something else to point to as being a sign of the end of podcasting.
The rumoured exodus of podcasters from Podshow speaks to the management style of the network and not the state of the medium. Many of the originals are still podcasting and, if the rumour mill is to be believed, those who aren’t have stopped because of their experiences. I’d guess that those who have put their podcasts on hold have done so to ride out restrictive and unrewarding contracts.
Podshow had great ideas and a lot of money to spend on them. There’s been a lot of opportunity for the company to innovate not only for itself, but for the podcast community at large. They used some of that money to develop the podshow site (which looks eerily like the manic sites of the mainstream media networks that Podshow was trying to distinguish itself from). There are many ways the money could have been spent (hindsight is 20-20 and it’s easy to be a critic, right?). From where I sit, Podshow’s single greatest asset is the Podsafe Music Network; a good resource that stemmed from a great idea. A little more thought, energy and money could have made it amazing.
Don’t be alarmed as news of an exodus from Podshow unfolds. Many companies make mistakes (think Apple before the second coming of Steve Jobs); many industries take their lumps (think the bursting of the dot com bubble in the late 90’s). That doesn’t mean the companies and the industries won’t thrive in the end.
Photo: ‘Mass Exodus’ by CheGleRN on Flickr
January 29th, 2008 at 9:47 pm
It’s a shame that the Podsafe Music Network has stagnated — still lots of cool new music going in, but the site design and interaction haven’t improved in ages. I wonder if those shows that leave Podshow are going to regret their current [whatever].podshow.com URLs. It will indeed be interesting to watch.
January 29th, 2008 at 9:52 pm
I can think of so many ways that the PMN could have been improved and made into a formidable resource. Like many pieces of technology there was a lot of front end energy to get to launch date, and then it became the forgotten child.
One can only wonder what would have become of the PMN if the energy, planning, community input and money had been put into it.
February 5th, 2008 at 2:06 pm
I’m one of those podcasters who is planning on leaving PodShow when my contract expires on March 1st. I have nothing bad to say about PodShow however, the people I was in contact with there were very pleasant, and they were always very responsive to my requests for promotional help, press releases etc. I personally think PodShow is a great company, and I trust that they will do really well (and hope they do).
My sole reason for leaving has more to do with my feeling that my show (a podcast about “running”) is not a good fit for them. My impression is that PodShow is a good fit for “showbiz” type producers who dream of becoming “rich and famous” (not that there’s anything wrong with that…it’s just not a goal of mine).
I really can’t speak for other PodShow contracted producers, nor can I speculate as to why they’d want to leave. Free Hosting? A nice interface to iTunes? Featured space on the PodShow front page? All in all, I’d have to say I had a really good experience with PodShow and would certainly recommend them to other podcasters.
Mostly, I really appreciate what the company has done for getting the word out about podcasting. There are some brilliant/talented people working for them who really are dedicating to making ALL podcasts popular and legitimate! I for one wish PodShow the greatest success!
- Steve Runner (host of “Phedippidations”: the PodCast for Runners at SteveRunner.com)
February 5th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
Thanks for your comment, Steve. It’s great to hear from someone attached to the situation.
Podshow deserves a lot of credit for its role in promoting podcasts and podcasting to the general public and to businesses. I also agree that Podshow, intentionally or not, marketed itself as a “showbiz” company and that may have led to some its unpopularity in the community. From the outside looking in, Podshow did a lot of the things it claimed to be against.
Okay… Podshow’s single greatest asset is the brilliant, talented and creative people that it brought together. I blew that call!