Which giant will be the podcast lead?
Barely a week passes without one of the big players launching a new audio service. After years with all going for the video – audio is now the focus! Big companies have started fighting for the lead pod position. Apple introduced paid podcast subscription and just a few days later, Facebook and Spotify announced a partnership to play music and podcasts directly from the social network’s iOS and Android apps.
Podcast had already started a boom prior to the pandemic but the attraction of pods has exploded during all lockdowns. Edison Research and Triton Digital estimate that more than 40% of US citizens older than twelve years are monthly pod consumers.
LIVE AUDIO ROOMS
Facebook recently said it planned to launch several audio products, including Clubhouse-style live audio rooms and a way for users to find and play podcasts.
The new joint forces with Spotify is rolling out in 27 markets, including the US and Canada, with additional markets to follow in the coming month, Spotify said in a press release.
ADVERTISING FREE
Spotify’s paid subscribers can access full playback without advertisements without leaving the Facebook app.
Apple recently said it will launch podcast subscriptions so users can pay to unlock new content and additional benefits like ad-free listening.
Perhaps is Clubhouse the most spectacular example of the craze for audio. The social audio chat has been on the market for a year, has no revenue but was recently valued to billion. sA funding round, led by venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, is said to have valued Clubhouse at USD 4 billion.
CELEBRITIES AND INVITATIONS
Clubhouse itself has just announced a payment system allowing creators and chat hosts to get paid by fans participating in chat rooms.
Clubhouse made the audio chat room a fashion with Facebook following the trend and so is Twitter with its new service Spaces allowing users to start instant chat rooms.
Clubhouse’s marketing has been spectacular. People like Tesla’s Elon Musk and even Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg have participated in Clubhouse chats.
And the exclusivity has been stressed by that only people lucky enough to be invited can participate. You can’t just register or pay an entrance fee – you must be invited! Each person that gets invited to the Clubhouse can invite maximum one more person giving it an air of celebrity club.
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