Podcasting singularity? Nevermore.

In previous posts, I’ve written about Amazon/Audible’s new entry into podcasting-style programming, Audible Channels [July 17]; about streaming music service Pandora picking up podcasts to distribute to its users [May 5]; and about the emergence of podcast aggregators, and their future [April 7].

Thinking about these different developments in spoken word audio and podcast distribution makes one wonder if these various distribution outlets will ever come together. Or to re-direct that thought, if content will ever become totally agnostic and non-exclusive to any one platform. That is now the case in television, with networks and channels making themselves available through cable; satellite; online; and devices such as Roku, Apple TV and Chromecast. HBO Now and Showtime streaming through Hulu or Amazon services can now be accessed using computers, smartphones or the previously mentioned streaming boxes.

Back to the podcasting landscape -- Audible Channels has a few exclusive shows, as previously noted, but also many shows that appear in numerous other outlets. Pandora has picked up two of NPR’s biggest hits and is said to be after more, but doesn’t have its own original podcast content yet. Howl, the service closest to Audible Channels in price point and inclusion of exclusive content, doesn’t have the breadth of subject matter that Audible Channels can offer. Its value may be that it does cost less than Audible Channels, for subscribers who are only interested in the comedy-centric content it offers.

Podcasting distribution may never have a “singularity” – meaning there won’t ever be one way to get all major podcasting content, just as some cable packages or systems would be missing an obscure channel or two, in the past. But podcasts may have to make sure they are on all available outlets, pursuing deals or licensing with Pandora, Audible Channels, Howl and more. The burden does fall on the podcasters themselves to find income, whether from sponsors or licensing. It’s less likely right now for distributors to commission more than a handful of podcasts – although the potential for more of that is there, if distributors think it will help them compete.

Podcast of the week

Episodes 11 & 12 of “Criminal” [“I’m About To Save Your Life” and “Break the Internet”] from fall 2014 – the first one is like one of those astounding stories you sometimes hear about someone who was so sadly gullible that they pay a fortune teller hundreds of thousands of dollars over time. In this case, a man was extorted by a criminal for over two decades, repeatedly, with a combination of tales of woe and threats – and his extorter was eventually put on trial even after the victim died, because the court admitted testimony the victim recorded. The second one is about a teenager who hacked AOL in its early days, just to get free time to use the service, when it was still charging hourly or monthly fees.