All hail the Podfather : Sydney Morning Herald
When I first heard about podcasting I did some initial research about what it was, how to get it and who was doing it. I got the drift that it was radio via the internet. So what? I could already do that. Podcasting sounded so complicated and so geeky I didn’t even bother to listen to a single show. Then I discovered it was “audio blogging”.
Oh great, now I can not only read but also actually hear all about some guy’s family road trip to Florida or why some Republican thinks George Dubya is the next Messiah and a Democrat believes him to be the Devil incarnate.
But then I realised the flip side to that quarter has a platypus on it - anybody can make a podcast.
That was 18 months ago and podcasting has come miles since then. At the time of writing, www.podnova.com, a database of podcasts, was tracking over 25,616 different podcasts.
That is not just episodes or shows but individual podcasts on a truly amazing range of topics aside from the purely technical and geeky podcasts.
If your interests lie in tattooing, body piercing, wine, food, films, cars, all facets of business, astrology, astronomy, sex of all different kinds, religion of all different kinds or something completely different there is a podcast for you.
Even Harry Potter fans, whose insatiable passion has elevated the Mugglecast to among the top ten most downloaded podcasts worldwide for January 2006.
But in those early days of 2004 there was just one podcast. The Daily Source Code, hosted by ex-MTV VJ Adam Curry, now has an audience of, according to Curry, 50,000 listeners a day.
A quick Google search brings up many pages about Adam Curry and one interesting term that is often associated with him; the podfather.
Curry and associate Dave Weiner, while not claiming responsibility themselves, are credited with inventing podcasting.
The Daily Source Code podcast is a mix of Curry’s opinions, which often turn into rants, about the problems with traditional terrestrial radio, the problems with the music industry and the problems with anything else that captures his mood for the day.
Curry also co-founded Podshow Ltd in 2005, a US company that has recently received $US8.5 million venture capital funding. That of course is another favourite topic of conversation as is the Podsafe Music Network, a website dedicate to promoting independent musicians, which is also owned and operated by Podshow.
Curry talks about his day-to-day activities and interests. His family is often featured, as is his purchase of a new car and desire to start producing bio-diesel.
He plays promos for other podcasts, and, harking back to his own ’80s radio days, plenty of big hair, tight pants, rock ballads from the Podsafe Music Network.
To his credit, Curry usually pumps out 4-5 shows a week of about 40 to 60 minutes done in the live format - no breaks and no retakes, unless his Blackberry, Skype or iChat goes off.
In the same genre as podcasts about podcasting is Podcast 411. The show’s website is full of information for anyone wanting to learn how to create their own podcast. Each show features an interview with a special guest from a well-known podcast.
To date, that list reads like a who’s who of the podcasting community and includes such luminaries as Dawn and Drew, Adam Curry (see above), Witchita Rutherford and PW Fenton to name but a few.
This podcast is a lounge-style conversation with host and guest discussing the world of podcasting in general, but specifically how the guest’s show is performing in the podcast directory rankings, the set-up used in production and other questions pertaining to the creation of and distribution of their podcast.
All very good information for podcasters or those considering starting their own program.
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