In the June 3 edition of industry publication Podnews, editor James Cridland reported on the rumour of "a large podcast hosting company having an all-hands meeting with the news that they'd found a buyer for the company."

There's also industry rumours of at least three hosting companies either looking for buyers or open to buyer approaches. We've seen podcast hosting companies either close or be acquired before: Spotify bought Anchor and Megaphone, and Global acquired Captivate, as some examples.

So with the rumour mill around more acquisitions currently red-hot, does this mean podcast hosting is in a boom & bust period? Or is it just a sign of a medium continuing to mature and take advantage of good opportunities?

Join Danny and guest co-host Eric Silver, as they discuss what this means for hosting in general, and what the lay of the land might look like in 12 months time.

Our guest co-host this week is Eric Silver

Eric Silver is an award-winning podcast producer, game designer, and teacher based in the great state of New York. He's the Head of Development and co-founder of Multitude, an independent podcast collective and production studio in Brooklyn. He’s produced 11 podcasts that have racked up tens of millions of downloads, and developed many more, characterized by strong, original structures and thriving communities. He widely known as the Best Dungeon Master in Podcasting, running the actual play TTRPG show Join the Party for 7 years, and is a professor at Stony Brook University's Podcast Incubator

@el_silvero on Instagram

@el_silvero on Twitter

Eric's Website

Links to interesting things from this episode

• PABLO TORRE FINDS OUT - YouTube
• Our Plant Stories podcast with Sally Flatman
• PABLO TORRE FINDS OUT | Substack
• Rumours of a large hosting company finding a buyer

In & Around Podcasting is a podcast industry podcast brought to you by Mark Asquith and Danny Brown.

If you enjoy the show, we'd love for you to leave us a rating or review on your favourite podcast app!

If you're an independent creator who would like to co-host with us, please let us know via Twitter and we'll get you booked!

Please tell your friends that the show is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube, plus wherever else they may listen to their podcasts.

If you'd like your podcast trailer featuring in our "Wave File" segment, submit it via this quick contact form, please.

The podcast is also available at In & Around Podcasting.

At the end of March this year, industry publication Podnews published its annual Podnews Report Card. This asks podcasters to complete a scorecard on podcast platforms, and where they're doing well, and where they're doing not so well.

Across the board, all main platforms - Apple, Spotify, YouTube, and Amazon Music - had a lower score than last year when it came to helping listeners discover and follow a podcast.

The same happened when asked how easy it was to list a new podcast, with all main platforms suffering a drop in the previous year's score.

Join your usual hosts Mark Asquith and Danny Brown, with special guest co-host Genevieve Hassan, as they break down this report, and what the bigger podcast platforms need to do to when it comes to helping podcasters start and grow a podcast.

Our guest co-host this week is Genevieve Hassan

Genevieve is a former BBC News senior entertainment journalist who's interviewed hundreds of celebrities for more than a decade - including A-listers such as Chris Pratt, Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, Keanu Reeves, Mila Kunis, Justin Timberlake and Kristen Wiig. She also once interviewed comic book legend Stan Lee in a lift... She now hosts and produces celebrity interview podcast Celebrity Catch Up: Life After That Thing I Did - which won Podcast of the Year at the 2023 Independent Podcast Awards.

@celebritycatchuppodcast on Instagram

@CelebCatchUpPod on Twitter

Genevieve's Website

Links to interesting things from this episode

• Podnews report card - results for 2024

In & Around Podcasting is a podcast industry podcast brought to you by Mark Asquith and Danny Brown.

If you enjoy the show, we'd love for you to leave us a rating or review on your favourite podcast app!

If you're an independent creator who would like to co-host with us, please let us know via Twitter and we'll get you booked!

Please tell your friends that the show is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube, plus wherever else they may listen to their podcasts.

If you'd like your podcast trailer featuring in our "Wave File" segment, submit it via this quick contact form, please.

The podcast is also available at In & Around Podcasting.

Mentioned in this episode:

The #1 Place for Podcasting News - Podnews Newsletter

Podnews is our #1 place for podcasting news and is trusted by tens-of-thousands of indie creators, industry experts and curious creators every single day. Every week, James Cridland and Sam Sethi recap the week's podcasting news from the daily newsletter into an easily digestible weekly review. It's free and we highly recommend that you subscribe!

Podnews

Spotify recently announced they're no longer offering the option to easily record and edit within the platforms's hosting dashboard, a popular feature that was part of podcast host Anchor, before it was rebranded as Spotify for Podcasters.

Online communities on Reddit and Facebook are full of upset podcasters looking for alternatives, since many podcasters used the "all-in-one" recorder/editor/publisher.

So, should podcast hosting platforms continue down the tech stack path, or is this a sign that perhaps a "one size fits all" isn't a viable strategy in the long run? Join your regular hosts Mark and Danny, with guest co-host Neal Veglio, as they discuss what hosting looks like in 2024 and beyond.

Neal Veglio Founder of Podknows Podcasting, collaborating with Captivate to help brands and individuals to get the best possible return from branded podcasting. Neal's Website @realnealveglio on Twitter Neal on YouTube

Links to interesting things from this episode

• Evolving how you create on Spotify for Podcasters - Spotify
• Spotify for Podcasters discontinues the old editor - what now? : r/podcasting
• What's changing with Spotify for Podcasters? : r/podcasting
• Podcasters' Support Group | This might have been asked already re. Spotify
• Podcasters' Support Group | PSA to my fellow podcasters out there

In & Around Podcasting is a podcast industry podcast brought to you by Mark Asquith and Danny Brown.

If you enjoy the show, we'd love for you to leave us a rating or review on your favourite podcast app!

If you're an independent creator who would like to co-host with us, please let us know via Twitter and we'll get you booked!

Please tell your friends that the show is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube, plus wherever else they may listen to their podcasts.

If you'd like your podcast trailer featuring in our "Wave File" segment, submit it via this quick contact form, please.

The podcast is also available at In & Around Podcasting.

Mentioned in this episode:

A Breath of Fresh Air with Sandy Kaye

Join Sandy Kaye on A Breath of Fresh Air, a podcast that brings you intimate fireside chats with music legends of the 60s, 70s, and 80s. Note from Mark: as a rock fan... I mean... you HAVE to check out this podcast!!

A Breath of Fresh Air