Matt May is a Web accessibility specialist, and has written on the interaction of people and technology since 1995. He keeps his own weblog at bestkungfu.com, and produces a podcast called Staccato, which features Creative Commons-licensed music.
Alex Williamsblogs, consults and produces unconference style events, where people immerse in DIY media. These are fun occasions, designed for people who want to get together with authors, artists, technologists and leading thinkers to converse, eat, listen to music, write, shoot photos and post podcasts and videoblogs. Alex also works with companies to establish DIY approaches, where writing, photography, voice and video come together to create new conversations and communities. Alex is currently fascinated with digital photography. His girlfriend calls him a Flickrholic. Send Alex a nice message: alexhwilliams at gmail.com.
Nicole Simon loves blogging and podcasting, dashed with an European view. As consultant she helps to facilitate such tools for business purposes or personal publishing empires. She can be found at cruel to be kind and on her private blog Useful Sounds.
Roland Tanglao is a well known podcasting enthusiast and a passionate advocate of blogs, RSS, and social software as a means of online expression for people, organizations and businesses. He is a prominent participant in the blogosphere and online communities and one of the founders of Bryght and as Bryght's Chief Blogging Officer reads hundreds of blogs daily. He graduated from the University of Waterloo, worked at Nortel Networks where he ran its first internal corporate blog, has has been blogging since 1999, and was the first business blogging consultant in Canada.
Podcastcon UK, held on September 17th 2005 in London, was Europe's first conference on podcasting. What was originally envisaged as a small meeting in a pub somewhere in England became, in the end, a conference with around 120 guests from countries all over the world. While many thought it was a great success, some have been keeping their thoughts quiet - me included.
It took me some days to reflect on why the weaknesses I found are in fact a clear sign of the conference's success: because it perfectly captured the current state of podcasting.
If you search for podcasting you get over 30 million hits on Google. It is barely a year old and has already entered the mainstream, thanks in part to Apple integrating podcasting into iTunes. Some say the growth period has just started, some say it has already peaked.
If you take a look at the list of speakers (and their topics), and those attending, you'll see many different directions and interests as well: from the very traditional BBC to single podcasters, from businesses exploring podcasting to educational usage, and from dedicated fans to "it is just another tool" users.
Exactly what can be seen in the podosphere: everyone is still trying to figure out what podcasting can or cannot do, what it should or should not be, whether to keep it pure or to make money from it.
Some feel disappointed when companies enter the cozy space, because it makes them feel as if podcasting has lost its innocence and from here on it is just business as usual. There are fights about it. Is it "just another tool" or a special something?
The conference reflected exactly that. It showed the dedicated community of the Britcasters, quite a few attendees who are somehow connected to the BBC, people working in education, the music business, or mainstream media, and business people who are interested in different aspects of podcasting. Be it "how do I" or just "what can I use it for", they were here.
The presentations were as different as the participants and reflected the same dilemma. A little bit of everything and nothing really deep. The one thing everybody was happy with was how well and professional the conference was organized: everything went smoothly, a 'posh venue', good service and working wifi.
It went well. Really well. Given that (a) this sort of thing hasn't been done before and (b) because of that nobody was really sure what would be good topics to cover, there was a "next year we know exactly what we need to do" to get it right [feeling].
It was a first attempt, and it was a good one. You missed something that day (and evening), if you did not attend. It was a good day to put some faces to the voices, and for starting with fresh energy and thoughts into year two of podcasting. And don't miss Podcastcon 2006.
Additional links:
(audio files will be available soon of the presentations)
The always enlightening Doug Kaye talked about the "value of free" and how podcasting and blogs work together. Essentially, you can't have a conversation about the podcast if there are no links to it. The thread just stops.
Why should businesses help citizen journalist create media? To help people reach their passion points. A passion point according to Michael Geoghegan is the place where a person is super happy doing what they love. In his example getting free pre-release movies on DVD. My passion point is seeing people make their own media that creates a loud voice against injustice.
Of intereast is Duke's initiatives, according to the Herald-Sun. They're piloting a podcasting initiative on the campus after it distributed free iPods last year to all incoming freshmen and this year to students whose professors opt to use the digital device in their classes.
Professors are seeing the possibilities. From the Herads-Sun:
Duke professor Daniel Foster told about his theater studies students' MP3ater Project, a conflation of "theater" and the MP3 audio file format. They re-create classic radio dramas, which since July have had 1,500 listeners.
Lynne O'Brien, director of the Center for Instructional Technology at Duke that oversees the new-media campus initiatives, said one professor has students listen to podcast lectures as homework, freeing class time for discussion.
"What we should be doing is using the media they're using: Instant Messaging, cell phones and iPods," said Tim Lenoir, a Duke professor who has used iPods in a class on the influence of new medical technology on the popular imagination.
If there's anything on the Web that's hotter than podcasting, it's sex. In fact, it's pretty safe to assume that if it's a new technology, one of its first applications will be pornography. Since Gutenberg's press, that's become axiomatic.
We talk all the time about the Adam Currys of the podcasting world, but almost never do we hear about the Violet Blues. Violet has been making Open Source Sex, an erotica and sex-ed podcast, since the beginning of the year. And a funny thing happened when the iTunes Music Store launched: Open Source Sex debuted in the top 10 most-subscribed podcasts. Months later, it continues to make frequent appearances on the list.
More recently, with the launch of Loomia, yet another podcast directory service (from now on abbreviated as YAPDS), there was more anecdotal evidence of the underground demand for podcasting in the prurient interest. Each time I've browsed their most popular searches since their launch, "sex" and variants thereof have proudly, and in big type, proclaimed their primacy among searchers. The demand for erotica on the go is bigger than anyone's willing to admit, and that underscores one of our greatest social mores: we won't talk openly with even our closest friends about it, and yet, it's one of the biggest things going.
But just who is listening? I will openly admit to listening to one or two shows that may subject me to some people's scorn (for example, I am known to ride the Bluegrass Express with surprising regularity). Each time I find out about a sex-oriented podcast, though, I'm wondering more and more when I see those white headphones on the bus: just what are they listening to?
" I am hearing all about this podcast stuff. And so, I checked out a few. There are podcasts on trout fishing in Los Angelese. There are podcasts where you can hear obituaries read. Who is listening to this stuff?"
Pointing out a free, Corante-hosted webcast series whose first installment will be taking place today at 1pm EST. Hosted by Stowe Boyd and Greg Narain, today's show provides an intro to podcasting on Windows with discussion of equipment, audio software and standards, formatting and editing, preparing for download, and promotion. Greg will also provide detailed examples from his well-known Beercasting show.
For more information on the show and info on how to tune in see this page. [Also, the show's sponsored by GoToMeeting - visit the page above and you'll find info on how to get a free trial for 30 days.]
Loomia offers podcast and videoblog search. Scoble checks it out. Each time he comes across a video search engine, he does a look for Channel 9. He says this one failed, too. Since his first post, he blogged that Loomia indexed Channel 9. I'm not so sure it fails. It lacks in blanket searches for different terms. For instance, I searched for KEXP, one of my favorite sources fro new music. Here are the results. I know for a fact that KEXP has podcasts that are far more recent.
But the real strength seems in their efforts to lay a foundation for a tag rich, recommendation engine. It's a classic example of the new, Web 2.0 applications we are seeing.
Their basis for their approach is summed up here:
Searching for media is trickier than searching for web pages. It's a process of browsing and discovery as well as filtering and personalization.
Exactly. What I really like about Loomia? It's people driven. It searches by tags. You can search across different categories and see other recommendations. It lists the most popular shows of the day, which I don't care about too much, but it is a good barometer in some respects.
I signed up, loaded my picture and was presented with other people who are similar to me. I can see their own preferences and who is in their community.
For recommendations, I can see what people like across different categories, audio and video. The more I rate, the better personal recommendations I get.
This is a big step for podcast search. It's comnmunity driven, Web 2.0 style. Loomia is a service I'll really use.
You, too, can move beyond static recordings, the ummms and uhhhs that plague your show. It's time to enter the world of voice over talent, sound engineers and professional recordings.
Welcome to the world of vanity podcasting!
Actually, these are the kinds of services that may be ideal for a company with an international presence or those that wish to enter a foreign market. Hire voice talent, have the recording produced and launch it in the market you are trying to reach.
It could be part of a whole series of audio shows that cover marketing, sales, customer service, etc.
Steve Jobs, at the Apple Expo in Paris, continues to downplay a video iPod. He just doesn't see the right model for it right now. What do you think of this statement?
"Whether people want to buy a device just to watch video is not clear - so far the answer's been no. Devices that do video... have not been successful yet. No-one's figured out the right formula."
However, he didn't shut the door on a video playing device. "One never knows," he added.
Is Steve just loving the mind game? We know Apple will do video someday. I got hammered a bit by saying there may be an opening in the market if Apple doesn't get on it.
But what happens if Apple pauses a bit too long? Better yet, what do we see happening after Apple offers video?
Podcasters are already innovating with images and video. We're at the early point in the game.
But are we years away from any real competition to the Apple iPod? Where does video fit into this equation? And if we are years away, what does that mean for competitors in the podcast aggregator space? In the post-podcast era, are we years from seeing any meaningful competition to Apple?
Business Week does a good job explaining why video is likely to show up on the iPod.
Really, Apple has no choice. Either adopt it or give rivals a chance to at least ungrip a bit of Apple's mythic hold on the minds of our digital society.
Not to offer video would also seem unlikely, especially as the Hollywood set seeks some sort of DRM digital salvation.
For years, Steve Jobs answered questions about a video iPod with a simple line of reasoning.
Watching video is consuming. Out on the road, you can't very well watch a video. Talking on the cell phone while behind the wheel is dangerous enough. But listening to rocking tunes is another matter.
But the issue may not be about video and it inherent distractions. Most people would not watch a video while driving. But what if you could move videos around really easily on your iPod? Your iPod now becomes a video storage device that you hook into the TV.
Your iPod is now in the living room. And Apple continues its reign over digital media.
The inner guts of the iPod don't require too much to make this occur. Business Week notes that chips for displaying video on mobile devices are becoming readily available, making it far easier to manufacture different types of video products. If Apple doesn't adopt some sort of video strategy then its rivals, companies like Archos and Creative, most likely will be using Texas Instrument's Davinci technology or similar chip technology from other manufacturers.
Business Week also notes how advancements in storage technology will make it viable to store huge video files on mobile players.
Just look at the Nano, iPod's new player. It uses flash memory chips. Just after Apple's Nano annoucement, Business Week notes that Samsung unveiled a new generation of flash technology that can hold up to 16 GB of data with the ability to stretch to 32 GB.
And here is more from Business Week:
Hard drives are improving too. Japan's Toshiba has announced it's building small hard drives that use a new storage technique known as Perpendicular Magnetic Recording, which allows data to be packed more tightly and over a smaller area of the disk. Toshiba says it will use the technology on its 1.8-inch hard drives. This could make an 80-gigabyte iPod a reality fairly soon. At 80 GB, you're starting to reach the kind of capacity that can store a sizable music library and still have room left over for plenty of standard-definition video, and even a few hours worth of HDTV-quality video.
So, we're possibly talking about 80 GB hard drives on an iPod.
The technology is there. Now, it's time for Hollywood to come up with a digital distribution model. That may be what is keeping Steve Jobs from making any commitments to a video iPod.
But how long should Jobs wait? As competition creeps, Jobs also faces the challenge of keeping iPod's star power strong.
If he can't do that, then the iPod living room may not be so mobile after all.
The US higher education system is hot for podcasting. The latest news comes from Classcaster, a blogging platform with podcasting built in.
From Classcaster:
The Classcaster system is designed to be provide course-related blogs with integrated podcasting to law faculty at CALI member schools. Bloggers on the Classcaster system can create podcasts using any telephone.
More money talk about podcasting, this time with an article in Forbes that talks about different approaches, including commercials. Do you see commercials? I think an approach that may be better suited is one that drives other revenues from a long tail of products and services. Maybe even ask customers to create their own mash ups from a selection of different products that are featured in the podcast?
I think that's what's missing. I don't' see any remix in these money making ideas. None try to get the listeners or viewers involved. People love the mixes and mashes. It's DIY. And that's the new way. DIY advertising networks. The companies who prosper will be the ones who are smart, honest, humble and embrace the new world. What could be better for a company than be talked about in the extended world of a mix up, mash? Some might say this is dangerous. I'm not so sure. Anyone can make a blog, podcast or videoblog. Why not embrace the medium in the advertising effort? Let people do what they want, when they want and how they want. Isn't that what this new DIY world is all about?
Conference Call Unlimited is offering podcasting services. For an indie, the prices seem steep. But how do these prices seem for a corporate customer? Is this in line with what they would pay? This may be a better solution, too, if you want to keep it simple, no downloading required.
But there are other options. Audioblog lets you record conference callls. There are free services that all you to have up to 100 peole on a call. You can record and then post as a podcast.
But it looks like Conference Call Unlimited is banking on offering pakaged services. And for the corporate customer, that may be just the ticket.
Is this the way corporate customers will go? Is the price right? What do you think?
Conference Call Unlimited Pricing....
BRONZE
Tollfree:
30 minute call with up to 3 callers: $40.00
60 minute call with up to 3 callers: $60.00
Toll*:
30 minute call with up to 3 callers: $25.00
60 minute call with up to 3 callers: $35.00
SILVER
Same as above plus $10.00 per month, 10 podcasts hosted.
1-10 podcasts: $10.00
11-20 podcasts: $20.00
GOLD
All the above plus: $25.00 per podcast to syndicate for maximum publicity.
Wednesday, Alex and I are at the Podcast Hotel, where we're working out some of the big issues currently in the podcast world. Chief among those is music licensing, and I was on a panel with Rumblefish CEO Paul Anthony, talking about the current state of things, and how to move forward in a way that mutually benefits performers, rightsholders, and the people creating music podcasts.
Paul's approach, named "Podcuts", is a flat-fee licensing system for Rumblefish artists. The terms:
Rumblefish clears the track for podcasting for a $5 fee;
No digital rights management (DRM) is attached;
The licensed file is 75% of the length of the track, then fading out to silence.
Artist attribution is required.
This is a step forward in terms of licensing compared to the chaos we now have. Podcasters would know that they're covered, wouldn't have to worry about a label or a performing rights organization suing or claiming license fees after the fact.
The problem that I have with this is that it is still tied to an increasingly antiquated model, in which music is the payload radio stations use to attract listeners to the stations' ads. We can prove that we have a better way.
What I said in our session is that every new technology in music has caused a change in how music is licensed. The advent of piano scrolls forced the creation of what is still known as mechanical licensing. Radio and webcasting each spawned royalty schemes for the performances. Certain fair-use constructs, like the American Home Recording Act and the Sony Betamax decision, have also made their presence known.
Now, it's our turn, and we have to make it count. Personally, I think that requirements of DRM or fractional play is unacceptable for a podcast licensing scheme. I also believe that the system has fundamentally shifted, and the old model of pay-to-play is no longer relevant when, unlike the indirect marketing opportunity of radio, podcasters have the ability to directly drive sales through legal means. It's reasonable for podcasters who aren't using music to sell other advertising to ask for a cut of the music sales instead.
Then there's the Long Tail -- the domain of the podcaster. Music podcasts don't sound like hit radio. Most of them don't even sound like each other. To many, that's the entire point of doing a podcast.
Piracy is a subject that comes up frequently when licensing talk arises, and unfortunately, nobody has stepped up to say that fear is overblown. Compared to the KaZaA and Morpheus users out there, the number of people who are actively downloading podcasts and extracting songs from them is minuscule, if it exists at all. So let's not acquiesce to the Long John Silver treatment. It doesn't make sense here.
The Portland License is as follows.
Content owners:
Offer royalty-free access to music in their catalog that is not in the Top n sales list for the month. (This number could be 100, 200, 500, we don't know.)
Full tracks may be used.
No DRM is required.
Podcasters:
Report, in a lightweight document, what songs are in their show's playlists.
Agree not to play more than 2 tracks from a given album per show. This would prevent a full-album spin, which could be disassembled.
Agree not to play pre-release music without permission.
Will give full attribution (artist, song title, album title, and label) in the body of the show.
Will link in the show notes to purchase information. This can be a link to the iTunes Music Store, Rhapsody, Amazon or a new service which tracks podcast-driven sales.
Attest that they have a legal copy of the music they're playing.
Will not run third-party advertisement, in exchange for a commission on sales generated.
I believe this is the foundation of a truly reasonable arrangement for podcasters. We can play music we enjoy, would have access to thousands upon thousands of titles, and give an audience to music which is not commercially viable to market, but is still worth buying. This is good for listeners, good for podcasters, and good for artists and labels. I would like to get some feedback from label representatives on what they think about this approach.
Audioblog has received funding from Transcosmos Investments , the US arm of Transcosmos Japan. As part of the deal, Audioblog will be in partnership with Transcosmos Japan and J-Stream, a Japanese media infrastructure provider.
Apple sued Think Secret the last time they broke news about an Apple announcement. Who knows what will happen this time.
Their scoop? They are reporting that Apple will announce a new Motorola, iTunes phone at the big press conference they have planned for this week.. The phones will work across the Cingular network.
The new phone will reportedly be available in two capacities, 256MB and 512MB, capable of storing about 70 and 140 songs, respectively. Users will not only be able to plug the phone into their computer to tap their iTunes Music Library for tunes, but will also have the ability of buying songs on the fly over Cingular's network, probably for about $2 a song, sources report.
Think Secret also reports that changes are in store for the iPod mini.
The music player will ditch its hard drive and move entirely to solid state, flash media, a move that sources familiar with the new design say will shave 20 to 25 percent off the size of the unit.
The new iPod mini, which will probably be introduced at Apple Expo Paris on September 20, will be available in three capacities: 4GB, 6GB, and 8GB. The iPod mini will sport dual NAND flash memory chips to achieve those higher capacities, and Apple has already locked in for the rest of the year a majority of Samsung's new 4GB flash modules.
PR Newswire gets into podcasting. I talked with a client about podcasting some breaking news they have coming up. I think it's a good idea to have a conversation with your senior executives about some news about your company. But PR Newswire is doing something a bit different. They are podcasting press releases they distribute through their network. A podcast of a press release is really not conversational, is it? It's a form of repurposed news. It's a bit like someone reading the newspaper to you over the phone. I'd prefer to read the newspaper or scan a press release. Now, if the news had a radio edge, meaning it carried some context, then it would seem to have some value.
But who knows, the service seems designed for radio and broadcast, though I wonder how much this matters as the idea behind podcasts is to listen to it on your mp3 player or on your desktop at your own convenience.
Alex Williams
Matt May
Nicole Simon
Roland Tanglao
