Spotify For Podcasters is Changing (Again)

Spotify for Podcasters, or Anchor, as it used to be known, is a free platform for hosting your podcast.   But as we all know, nothing is TRULY free.

I've long said that Anchor, or now Spotify for Podcasters, is a great tool if you're dipping your toe into podcasting.  They won't charge you a monthly hosting fee, and you can kind of get the hang of your craft.  Because the hardest part about doing a podcast - is actually starting one.

Well some previously announced changes for the platform are about to take effect.  The first one probably won't affect you - the "Music and Talk" pilot that allowed you to do a podcast that included full licensed songs on the platform.  I played with this in an experiment called "The JAG Throwback Show" - mostly to scratch the itch that comes with being a former radio DJ.  But you couldn't talk over the intros of songs (what's the point of doing a radio show if you can't hit a post?) and only Spotify PREMIUM subscribers would hear the whole song.   Users on the free tier would only hear the begining and end.   So fun idea, but no big loss.  Here's a link to that show: https://open.spotify.com/show/2j6cYPd7dmiPDuMdT2PLHr?si=56b8fc13bd824c0b

On the podcast side, Spotify is eliminating their internal production tools, and beginning a partnership with Riverside, the podcast recording platform.   Riverside has some great tools, and you can read and watch the announcement from Spotify here: https://podcasters.spotify.com/resources/learn/create/updates-to-spotify-for-podcasters

So again, if you want to do a podcast as a hobby and have a very limited - or no - budget, great.  But if your aim is to really put time and effort into a show and grow it, this isn't the place for you.  You are putting all you eggs in the Spotify basket.  You're hosting with them, you're editing with them, and you're getting all of your analytics from them.    This means you are at their mercy if there's a service outage, or if they decide to make any changes.   And when it comes to the analytics side, Spotify has decided to no longer participate in IAB download metrics - an industry standard that the majority of hosts use to track the number of people listening to your show.   I'll spare you all the tech stuff, but Bryan Barletta of Sounds Profitable wrote a scathing open letter to Spotify - mentioning that they are no longer a podcasting peer - they are their own game.  You can read that here: https://soundsprofitable.com/article/of-mice-and-megaphone

Bottom line: If you live entirely in Spotify's ecosystem, they control everything.  It's like having your entire retirement portfolio invested in stock of your employer.  That's great when things are going well.  But what happens when they take a turn?

Here's my recommendation.  Host on a platform like Simplecast, Buzzsprout, or Libsyn.  Their plans start at around $15 per month, which if you're investing in your show, isn't much money.   Your metrics will be legit, you'll still be on Spotify independently, and you won't be beholdent to them.    And if you're recording remotely, use either Riverside (I've got a referral code in the show notes), or Squadcast.  Both are excellent quality, and have a number of bells and whistles.   It's just figuring out which of the two is more intutiive for you.   Squadcast was recently acquired by Descript, which is where most of their editing and tools have migrated to.  And they've got an announcement of new tools coming next week. https://lu.ma/descript-season-6

And as always, if you have any questions at all about your podcast or how