Breaking In Line
Frankly, I'm beginning to wonder if podcasters -- and I speak mainly of Adam Curry and his partner, Ron Bloom -- have not made an arrangement that will be the undoing of their efforts up to this point. (Notice that I deliberately refrained from calling it a deal with the devil. I'll do my best to exhibit that same restraint hereafter.)
I write, of course, of the recent embrace by Apple of podcasting, at the urging of Mssrs. Curry and Bloom. Before the release of iTunes 4.9, which added podcatching features to the mix, podcasters, good and bad, pro and am, were predominantly of the independent variety.
Now that the Podcasting Party has grown in size and scope to a point that it has reached a critical mass that can't be ignored, the big boys in broadcasting are breaking in line because it's the cool thing to do, it's the scene to be seen and heard in.
And, disappointingly, Apple is saving them a place in line and pushing its newfound friends -- the pioneers of podcasting -- to the rear. Not since the first couple of days after the release of iTunes 4.9, you'll no doubt have noted, have the "Indie" podcasters (all eight of them) been featured as a distinct category.
Oh, sure, you'll still find a few on the Top 100 list but they're fading fast as new listeners come onstream to check out this "podcast thing." Why? Because as new listeners who have no point of reference begin checking out the podcasts available, they're more likely to gravitate to names they already know and with whom they are familiar: e.g., Disney, ABC, Nightline, ESPN, Public Radio stations, etc. It's a natural thing to do, so you can't blame the listeners.
On the other hand, I do point a dirty, nailbitten finger at Steve Jobs. For the first time that I can remember, Steve just doesn't "get it." The reason is, in my opinion, that Apple has arrived late to their own party. I get the distinct impression that they didn't even want to come to the party, except it was being named after one of their own. How could they turn it down, right?
So, instead of recognizing that this was a grassroots thing started by and for "the rest of us," SJ got on the horn and invited some of his top-down friends to meet him at the party. "We'll bring the iPods! Free subscriptions for everybody! Woo-hoooooo!!!"
Don't get me wrong: I'm no Apple-basher. Hell, I bleed in six colors when cut. But Apple forgets: They're just the roastee at this party. The event was planned long ago -- okay, less than a year -- and the event planners were planning to "dance with the ones that brung 'em." Now, it looks as though Apple has not only invited their own friends, but they've changed bands and now they're calling the (i)Tunes.
It's still early. Stay subscribed. This could get very interesting.
I write, of course, of the recent embrace by Apple of podcasting, at the urging of Mssrs. Curry and Bloom. Before the release of iTunes 4.9, which added podcatching features to the mix, podcasters, good and bad, pro and am, were predominantly of the independent variety.
Now that the Podcasting Party has grown in size and scope to a point that it has reached a critical mass that can't be ignored, the big boys in broadcasting are breaking in line because it's the cool thing to do, it's the scene to be seen and heard in.
And, disappointingly, Apple is saving them a place in line and pushing its newfound friends -- the pioneers of podcasting -- to the rear. Not since the first couple of days after the release of iTunes 4.9, you'll no doubt have noted, have the "Indie" podcasters (all eight of them) been featured as a distinct category.
Oh, sure, you'll still find a few on the Top 100 list but they're fading fast as new listeners come onstream to check out this "podcast thing." Why? Because as new listeners who have no point of reference begin checking out the podcasts available, they're more likely to gravitate to names they already know and with whom they are familiar: e.g., Disney, ABC, Nightline, ESPN, Public Radio stations, etc. It's a natural thing to do, so you can't blame the listeners.
On the other hand, I do point a dirty, nailbitten finger at Steve Jobs. For the first time that I can remember, Steve just doesn't "get it." The reason is, in my opinion, that Apple has arrived late to their own party. I get the distinct impression that they didn't even want to come to the party, except it was being named after one of their own. How could they turn it down, right?
So, instead of recognizing that this was a grassroots thing started by and for "the rest of us," SJ got on the horn and invited some of his top-down friends to meet him at the party. "We'll bring the iPods! Free subscriptions for everybody! Woo-hoooooo!!!"
Don't get me wrong: I'm no Apple-basher. Hell, I bleed in six colors when cut. But Apple forgets: They're just the roastee at this party. The event was planned long ago -- okay, less than a year -- and the event planners were planning to "dance with the ones that brung 'em." Now, it looks as though Apple has not only invited their own friends, but they've changed bands and now they're calling the (i)Tunes.
It's still early. Stay subscribed. This could get very interesting.
posted by Tanguero at 2:44 AM
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