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 « March 2005 | Main | May 2005 » April 29, 2005Tiger Direct Sues Apple Over OS X "Tiger"
Tiger Direct has asked for a temporary restraining order and injunction against Apple Computer. The lawsuit focuses on the release of Apple's OS X 10.4 operating system. Apple has been running a large multi-media marketing campaign, promoting OS X 10.4 "Tiger". According to Tiger Direct, Apple's promotions use the term "Tiger" in relationship to "products from manufacturers and product categories which are basically the same as the offerings by Tiger Direct." A preliminary injunction hearing has been scheduled for Tuesday, May 3, 2005. Posted by jlewin at 08:10 AM | Comments (6) April 28, 2005RSS|vp Intros Branded News and Podcasting ReadersRSS|vp, a company that specializes in RSS services and consulting, has introduced a "branded" news reader and podcast client. The new offering provides companies with the ability to offer their own RSS newsreaders. The benefit of offering a custom news reader is that companies can put not only their feeds, but also their brand on the end-user's desktop. RSS|vp’s customized version allows companies to pre-populate RSS feeds so subscribers can start accessing content more quickly and easily. The reader being offered by RSS|vp has all the standard news reader features, including the ability to receive attachments such as video and audio. About RSS|vp Posted by jlewin at 08:03 AM | Comments (0) CastFire Intros Podcast Advertising Service
"The traditional advertising models, that are extremely successful on the internet, are not directly applicable, as many are focused on text and images," says Brian Walsh, one of the CastFire founders. "CastFire automatically assembles podcasts with intros, outros and interstitials, focusing on generating revenue for producers, ROI for advertisers, and seamless experiences for the end user." For the content producer, CastFire hosts and distributes the media with little or no additional steps in the publishing process. For the advertiser, campaigns are based on categorization, keywords and channels that are easily established and tracked. For the consumer, relevant and unobtrusive promotions are integrated into the content. In addition, consumers can use CastFire tools to find and subscribe to content. CastFire is actively looking for podcasters to join the network. Interested podcasters can fill out an application at the CastFire site. After a review of content and approval into the network, CastFire will immediately start serving the media and generating revenue for the producer. Posted by jlewin at 07:24 AM | Comments (0) Guerrilla Marketing International Intros "Nanocasting" AllianceGuerrilla Marketing International has announced the launch of the International Nanocasting Alliance (INA). The INA is an organization dedicated to promoting Nanocasting. Nanocasting is Guerrilla Marketing's trademarked term for streaming sound and audio-visual content via the Internet. "To successfully move from vanity radio to Nanocasting is going to require extraordinary expertise," said Guerrilla Marketing's Errol Smith. "The caliber of people that have agreed to come together and support this initiative are all clearly extraordinary." The INA's annual membership fee will be waived for "Charter Members" that register in the first 30 days. Posted by jlewin at 12:21 AM | Comments (4) April 27, 2005NewsMac Pro software supports podcastsThinkMac software has released NewsMac Pro 1.0, a new RSS aggregator with support for podcasting, atom, smart folders, headline searching, iPod and Palm headline synchronization. It includes nearly 900 built-in news channels, both channel and news headline searching (including the ability to find similar headlines), iPod sync, stylish themes using CSS, and easy migration from NetNewsWire and NewsFire. The software retails for $25US; a demo is available from http://www.thinkmac.co.uk/ Posted by elisabeth at 09:39 PM | Comments (0) RealNetworks' Rhapsody Unveils Free Music ServiceRealNetworks, of Real Audio fame, has introduced an updated Rhapsody service, touting "free, legal access to a library of more than a million songs to anyone in the U.S. for the first time." The new Rhapsody lets any listener in the United States to listen to and legally share songs, of their choosing, every month. Consumers simply download the Rhapsody jukebox software from www.rhapsody.com. Once downloaded, customers can listen to 25 tracks from Rhapsody's library of over one million songs each month, and enjoy unlimited access to the jukebox's other features at no additional cost. In addition, Real also announced significant enhancements to its Rhapsody Unlimited service, and added a new tier called Rhapsody To Go, designed to provide customers the ultimate experience in portable digital music. "With the new Rhapsody, millions of people can now experience and share digital music -- legally, and with no strings attached," said Rob Glaser, chairman and CEO of RealNetworks. "We think the new Rhapsody will transform digital music." Glaser expressed hope that, once consumers try Rhapsody, many people will upgrade to one of the "premium" Rhapsody tiers. In developing this new music delivery service, Real worked closely with the music industry to create a more flexible model for consumers to try Rhapsody for free. As part of this arrangement, the music industry is paid for each song at a rate that is generally comparable to full on-demand subscription services. Real and the music industry believe that the new Rhapsody will drive significant increases in consumer usage, subscriptions and purchases of music. Real's business relationship with Google and new sponsorship relationship with Chrysler will also help offset the music licensing costs. The New Rhapsody: Rhapsody 25, Rhapsody Unlimited, Rhapsody To Go The three tiers of the new Rhapsody, Rhapsody 25, Rhapsody Unlimited, and Rhapsody To Go, all enable consumers to customize their online music experience. Rhapsody's interface allows users to choose from more than a million songs, share playlists with others, manage the user's music collection, gain unlimited access to commercial internet radio stations, and so on. Rhapsody's music download store offers music in 192 kbps RealAudio 10 with AAC. In addition, consumers can also choose to purchase two, new premium tiers of Rhapsody services: Rhapsody Unlimited Rhapsody Unlimited is an enhanced version of the Rhapsody service. In addition to streaming an unlimited amount of music, Rhapsody Unlimited subscribers can now download an unlimited number of songs to their PC's hard drive from Rhapsody's library of more than one million songs, and enjoy them offline for as long as they remain subscribers. For their $9.99/month subscription fee, Rhapsody Unlimited subscribers can also create custom internet radio stations based on their favorite artists, access over 50,000 artist based radio stations or nearly 100 free pre-programmed Internet radio stations, and view more than 1,500 music videos within the application. In addition, Rhapsody Unlimited subscribers get a 10% discount on purchased downloads through the integrated music store. Rhapsody Unlimited is available for download at www.rhapsody.com. Rhapsody To Go The Rhapsody To Go subscription service will give subscribers the option of transferring an unlimited number of downloads to compatible portable music players. The Rhapsody To Go service costs $14.99 per month. Real recommends the iriver H10 and the Creative Zen Micro portable music players for use with Rhapsody To Go. Real is committed to providing consumers choice and will continue to add support for additional devices. The company recently announced that it has more than one million subscribers for its Rhapsody and premium Internet radio services, giving the company a solid lead in the overall market for music subscription services. Real is celebrating the launch of the new Rhapsody with a public concert at Radio City Music Hall featuring multi-platinum recording artists Good Charlotte. Tickets to the concert are being distributed to New Yorkers through a variety of local promotional activities. Posted by elisabeth at 06:22 PM | Comments (3) Texas firm launches retail wine podcastCentennial Fine Wine and Spirits has launched the podcast, "How to Find the Right Wine," the first retail wine podcast in North America. Centennial's wine program joins Grape Radio, Screwtops, Winecast, WineFix, WineGeek and other vino-afficionado podcasts. Listeners "can listen to Centennial consultants and sommeliers share their wine knowledge and experiences," said Roger Voss, Centennial's executive vice president. "Whether it is in a car, during a workout, or at home, our customers can listen to our informational podcasts 'on demand.' This will help educate consumers and make the wine-buying process much less intimidating." In the podcast, James Moll, Centennial's corporate wine buyer, discusses important wine buying tips as well as stories of his recent wine-buying trip to Australia. The podcast is now available for download from Centennial's Web site, www.centennialwines.com. Future podcasts will be posted on the site as well. Moll also discusses everything from fine wine to backyard wines that go great with barbeque to wines in a box. He even discusses the importance of finding a consultant at a fine wine store to help match personal tastes with food rather than randomly picking wines off a shelf. Centennial, a Dallas-Fort Worth-based chain of 26 stores, sees podcasting as a great way to provide customers with helpful tips and interesting stories to make their wine experience more enjoyable all at the consumer's convenience. Centennial Wines Podcast Details Posted by elisabeth at 06:03 PM | Comments (0) San Francisco Radio Station Going All PodcastsSan Francisco's 1550 KYCY, an AM station, is becoming KYOURadio and will be the first podcast-based station in the world. The Infinity Broadcasting station is inviting podcasters to submit content for broadcasting. The station plans to get all its programming from podcasts. The station will be broadcast in the San Francisco area on 1550 KYCY-AM, and streamed worldwide via KYOURADIO.COM. "We envision KYOURADIO as a station for the people. We think you have something to say and we want to hear it," notes the announcement at the site. "You're out there creating, riffing, ranting and raving and Infinity is going to give voice to your vision." KYOU Radio will not be podcasting, according to the site, just rebroadcasting podcasts. "You cannot download Podcasts on kyouradio.com. Instead tune in to 1550 KYCY-AM or click Listen Live." Posted by jlewin at 08:05 AM | Comments (7) Red Square Launches Podifier All-In-One Podcast Publishing ToolRed Square, an Australian Internet agency, has announced the release of Podifier, an all-in-one tool designed to simplify the publishing side of podcasts. The Windows-based tool is free, and available for download at the Podifier website. Podifier is a Flash-based application that automates the creation of an RSS feed, the association of one or more MP3 files, and FTPing the files to a server. "We've watched with interest the increasing topicality of podcasting and the phenomenal growth of the MP3 delivery devices market sector," said Tony Redhead, co-founder and principal of Red Square. "We wanted to take the complexity out of the podcasting publishing process and offer it to the Internet community at large." "The potential for podcasting is enormous," said Mr Redhead. "It's more than just storing music or favourite broadcasts on an MP3 device. It's a potentially revolutionary tool and we are actively discussing a number of podcasting options with our national and international clients as a way to provide their mobile client base with relevant information, delivered via their MP3 devices and tailored to meet the specific needs of the individual." Mr Redhead cites the travel industry as an example. "Here we have websites that provide detailed information on locations, airports, travel warnings but as soon as you leave the ground, in most situations, that information is no longer available." "One solution is to provide targeted podcasts specific to the travel plans that your client is about to undertake and the destinations they will visit. For example, before departure the traveller indicates the itinerary and destinations, and a podcast containing information relevant to the choices is created from a content pool of recorded information. The traveller subscribes to the podcast knowing that any changes or updates will automatically be downloaded to their MP3 device right up to the second they pick up their player and walk out the door to start their journey."
Key to the publishing of a podcast is the creation of the podcast feed. This is an RSS 2.0 feed that lets you enclose an MP3 file. Podifier includes a number of error-checking options to ensure that the feed is capable of delivering the MP3 files accurately. The Red Square development team created Podifier with Macromedia's Flash MX 2004. "Podifier is an extremely clever and innovative tool and very easy to use," said John Biviano, Macromedia's Managing Director, Australia/New Zealand. "The first time I saw it I could see how it alone could expand the podcasting phenomenon." Posted by jlewin at 07:17 AM | Comments (1) April 25, 2005Wichita Rutherford Takes His Podcast to Sirius
Podcasting News contacted Rutherford to ask how he managed to put Wichita into space. Here's what he had to say about it: Wichita's comments were so much fun that we asked him if he minded if we put them up on the site. Here's what he had to say: 5 Minutes with Wichita is broadcast on Sirius every Wednesday at 11 a.m. Eastern time. Note to Wichita: This is podcasting - so we don't have to bleep nothing! Watch out for Porter Wagner! 5 Minutes with Wichita Podcast Details Posted by jlewin at 08:24 PM | Comments (1) New Podcast Reveals Mysteries of Shakespeare
Sir Derek Jacobi, a world-renowned Shakespearean actor, recommends the book as "full of enlightened and reasoned research in the quest to provide material for a rational and honest debate in the Shakespeare authorship question." Author Anderson thinks podcasting is a great opportunity for authors. "Despite the fact that not many authors are doing it today, it seems to me that providing free audio excerpts of one's book is a great way to get potential readers interested in the story. I'm no marketing person, but podcasting seems tailor-made for the book business." "Shakespeare" by Another Name Podcast Details About the Book: Centuries after they were written, Shakespeare’s plays continue to mystify scholars regarding their authorship. The author has long been assumed to be William Shakspere of Stratford-on-Avon, actor and theatrical entrepreneur; yet as Mark Anderson points out in “SHAKESPEARE” BY ANOTHER NAME: The Life of Edward de Vere, Earl of Oxford, the Man Who Was Shakespeare, there’s no evidence that Shakspere attended school or owned a single book, though the plays are filled with literary allusions. Moreover, no manuscripts have ever surfaced that could definitively link him to the plays he is said to have written. Mark Twain, Henry James, Sigmund Freud, and Walt Whitman are a few of the celebrated writers and thinkers who have voiced serious doubt that the Bard was the man from Stratford. On the other hand, the parallels between the Shake-speare plays and poems and the life of Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, are too numerous to ignore. De Vere was educated by a famed translator of Ovid’s Metamorphoses (a favorite source of Shake-speare), de Vere joined a military campaign against rebellious nobles in Scotland (gaining material for Henry IV, Parts 1 & 2 and Macbeth), he traveled throughout Italy and went into debt with Venetian money lenders (The Merchant of Venice), a duplicitous servant convinced him that his wife was unfaithful (as in Othello), and he had a romantic affair which led to street warfare between de Vere’s clan and his mistress’s kinsmen (Romeo and Juliet). De Vere was praised in his lifetime as a highly capable playwright as well as an author whose works were diverted from the public’s eye—and ultimately published under another name, “William Shakespeare.” Reporter and scholar Anderson relates in detail the astounding life of de Vere and the many instances when that life and Shakespeare’s plays overlapped in “SHAKESPEARE” BY ANOTHER NAME. Anderson makes a very strong case that the satire and topical allusions in the Shakespeare canon swirl around de Vere—praising and flattering de Vere’s courtly favorites (such as the Earls of Sussex and Southampton) and lambasting his rivals (such as Sir Philip Sidney and Sir Christopher Hatton). Yet these highly charged plays revealed scandalous details about the powerful men, and one very powerful woman, that comprised the Elizabethan power structure. Thus de Vere used an alias that became confused with a similarly-named actor. Even after de Vere’s death, his children kept the truth buried to protect their family’s reputation and status at court, and Shakspere of Stratford-on-Avon gladly took credit when no one else would. About the Author: Mark Anderson spent over a decade researching the life of Edward de Vere, Earl of Oxford and has written on the subject for Harper’s, the Boston Globe, and PBS.org. His journalism has also been published in Wired, Rolling Stone, and Science. He lives in Massachusetts. Posted by jlewin at 07:53 PM | Comments (4) Ecast to Podcast From Ad Tech Conference
"For those who couldn't make it to Ad:Tech, this is a chance to hear what the keynote speakers and session panelists had to say on-demand," said Chris Scott, senior director of advertising business development, Ecast Inc. "By making these interviews available on our Web site, we hope to introduce interactive media planners and advertising executives to our Location-Based Broadband Network, which currently generates close to two million unique transactions each month." Experts will discuss such topics as audience fragmentation, new media channels in the digital age and the shift from a traditional "push" system, where broadcasters of distribute content and set schedules, to a system where consumers "pull" their preferred content to variety of devices. Experts expected include: Mon., Apr. 25 John Costello, executive vice president, merchandising and marketing, The Home Depot - leads the company's merchandising, branding, advertising, visual merchandising, public affairs, e-business and global sourcing initiatives Tues., Apr. 26 Dr. Jeffrey I. Cole, director of the Annenberg School Center for the Digital Future at USC's Annenberg School of Communication - founder and director of the World Internet Project, which studies the effects of the computer and Internet technology on society The programs are available free of charge, but registration is required. Posted by jlewin at 07:32 PM | Comments (1) San Diego Station Joins Public Radio Podcast RevolutionSan Diego station KPBS has introduced a podcast version of These Days, its signature local program. The public station, a broadcast service of San Diego State University, is the first news station in San Diego to podcast local content. There are only a handful of public radio stations in the country that are podcasting any of their local programming. "We are opening up the content of These Days and making it available to listeners at their convenience," said John Decker, KPBS-FM program director. "It breaks open a whole new way of listening to local radio." By podcasting "These Days," the latest interviews and news stories will be downloaded so that subscribers can tune in at a time that's convenient for them. The subscription is free. KPBS These Days Podcast Details Posted by jlewin at 07:11 AM | Comments (0) Microsoft Introduces Podcast for Mobile/Embedded Developers
The podcasts will feature Microsoft's Mike Hall, who also authors a web log on Windows CE and Windows XP Embedded. Hall will be onsite in Las Vegas hosting interviews and demos with MVPs, speakers and attendees. More information on the podcast is available at the Microsoft Mobile & Embedded DevCon blog. Posted by jlewin at 06:56 AM | Comments (0) April 24, 2005Podcast Directory iPod mini Giveaway
Podcasting News is giving away a 4 GB iPod mini to thank people for contributing to its Podcast Directory, the only major podcast directory that lets you add and edit your own links. To participate, podcasters and podcast fans just add a podcast to the Podcast Directory between now and April 30th, 2005. Up to ten podcasts per user will qualify. Podcasters that have added their podcast previously can enter by becoming a featured podcast. The winner will be selected randomly from podcast links and featured podcasts added between March 29th & April 30th, 2005. Free iPod mini Contest Details Posted by jlewin at 07:59 PM | Comments (3) Star Trek Boldly Goes Into PodcastingStarTrek.com is making its first foray into podcasting with its In a Mirror, Darkly episode audio commentary. The podcast features episode writer Mike Sussman and the site's editorial director Tim Gaskill.
The Star Trek podcast is designed to be played alongside the episode In a Mirror, Darkly. How it Works 1. Tape or TiVo the episode on UPN this Friday night. It's recommended that you watch the episode first. StarTrek.com is looking for feedback on its podcasts, at editor@startrek.com. Posted by jlewin at 08:16 AM | Comments (4) April 23, 2005SuccessTALK Channels Re-Launch as Podcast HostSuccess Media Group has announced a re-launch of their SuccessTALK Channel websites to take place on May 2, 2005. The company has reconfigured their existing SuccessTALK Channels and content management system to serve and accommodate podcasters. The company has expanded their offerings to 53 topic-specific channels. Currently, SuccessTALK Channels hosts over 80 radio hosts/podcasters and 1,600 hours of audio content, which is available for streaming and download. Its fourteen sites have been active since 1999 and have established audiences. "Reconfiguring for new podcasting markets provided the opportunity to improve and update both our front end websites and back office systems" notes Allan Hunkin, president of the company. The Success Media offers a set of services to podcasters, including recording and editing (pre- and post- production), coaching and consulting, as well as a comprehensive revenue share model from subscriptions and advertising. "We handle all hosting, bandwidth, subscriptions, listener mailing lists for the podcaster and share the resulting revenue generated" says Hunkin. Success Media Group limits the number of podcasters on each channel to give the podcaster maximum exposure, profile, and revenue generating opportunities. “I can see the day fast approaching when podcasters, with the right combination of tools, business model and marketing, will make more than full-time incomes from their podcasts” says Hunkin. Posted by jlewin at 05:09 AM | Comments (0) April 22, 2005BlogMatrix Introduces Free Browser-Based Podcasting SolutionBlogMatrix has announced that it is offering a free, browser-based podcast publishing solution. "Everyone can start podcasting and videocasting today", states David Janes, founder of BlogMatrix. "We've made it even easier to share video and audio files - just create an account and start uploading; it's all in your browser". BlogMatrix supports uploading most video and audio formats directly to its website. All the user needs to do is create an account and have content to share. Everything else - a weblog, feeds, account management and statistics are all created and managed by BlogMatrix. "We are moving beyond podcasting and focusing on rich media in general" says Janes. "BlogMatrix allows you to create find and listen to podcasts. It allows you to upload and share video. It is approaching a one-stop media solution." "BlogMatrix's unique bandwidth and storage solutions allow us to charge prices that range from free to cheap. We still recommend that users download Sparks! as their podder software to simplify recording and sharing. However, anyone wanting to upload videos or podcasts can now simply take advantage of our online solution. The great thing about the BlogMatrix Service is that we make everything, from recording to formatting to sharing either extremely easy or automatic." Posted by jlewin at 01:41 PM | Comments (0) NewsFire Adds Podcasting Support to Mac News ReaderNewsFire, a Mac OS X news reader, has added an integrated podcast client. NewsFire emphasizes style and usability. According to the NewsFire sight, the application "snubs complexity for a minimalist interface that is intuitive, unobtrusive, and a total joy to use."
Mac360's Tera Patricks calls NewsFire "the best RSS reader, hands down. Simple interface, just the features you need." NewsFire lets you search for podcasts using its as-you-type search feature. Once you've found something interesting, you can download and listen to podcasts within NewsFire using the download player window - there's no need to switch to another application. If you want to keep a podcast around for later listening, one click is all it takes to export the audio to iTunes. Posted by jlewin at 01:16 PM | Comments (1) Australia's ABC Radio National Announces Podcasting TrialsIn May 2005, Australia's Radio National will begin providing selected programs and segments as downloadable MP3 files. The podcasting trial will feature eight of ABC's programs. "Radio listeners and Internet users will hear great radio when and how they want it through this exciting new delivery platform," notes ABC's Mark Collier. "They're hungry to supplement their music mp3s with entertaining alternatives - we want to encourage them in a trial of this whole new set of listening options." They are running an online survey to get input on podcasting. Posted by jlewin at 08:34 AM | Comments (0) April 21, 2005Salt Lake Station KSL Intros PodcastsKSL Newsradio 1160, a Salt Lake City, Utah, radio station has announced that it is presenting news and talk programs as podcasts. The podcasts let users have KSL Radio programming downloaded automatically to an iPod or MP3 player. KSL Radio is currently offering on-air programming in its podcasts, but plans to present speciality programs as well. The KSL Podcasts include: Posted by jlewin at 07:32 AM | Comments (0) April 20, 2005iPodder Updated; New Version Lets You Create a Custom Podcast Client
iPodder lets users select and automatically download podcasts to play on-demand on iPods, portable digital media players, or computers. "This new version lowers the barrier to entry," said Martijn Venrooy, the team's user interface designer. "It's so easy to use now, first time listeners only have to download the software, install it and they're ready to rock." Custom iPodder clients can be created via the iPodder Lemon Store, with a recommended price of $50. You can pay more or less according to your means, with a minimum of $25 and a maximum of $100. Recently the Lemon team created a unique iPodder client for Warner Bros.' forthcoming movie The House of Wax, which features podcasts by Paris Hilton counting down to the movie's release day. iPodder has evolved from its basic beginnings as the world's first podcasting software to a mature application. iPodder has been downloaded over 250,000 times since its debut early last fall, making it the world's most popular podcast client. The application is based on open source software and is licensed under the GPL (General Public License), so users may distribute as many copies of their branded iPodder as they like. Information on creating a custom iPodder client is available at the iPodder Lemon Store. Posted by jlewin at 06:28 PM | Comments (1) April 19, 2005EarthCore AudioBook Podcast Makes Impressive Debut
The novel, written by Scott Sigler, is a available as a free action/suspense audiobook, launched on March 24. Listeners tune in to EarthCore in two ways: subscription to the RSS feed, and by clicking on the chapter links to manually download the MP3 files. "Despite the rising popularity of podcasting, most listeners get their weekly fix the old-fashioned way," Sigler said. "Direct-click downloads outnumber podcast subscribers 4-to-1. You don't have to know what 'podcasting' is to enjoy the book." EarthCore currently has 1,400 subscribers to the RSS feed, with another manually 4,500 downloading each chapter. Sigler's goal is to reach 10,000 subscribers, and use that momentum to land a publishing deal for a print version of EarthCore. "I'm thrilled so many people are entertained by the novel," Sigler said. "Listeners want more and more. The demand is so great I'm releasing two episodes a week starting in May." EarthCore has a total of 30 episodes, and is only available in weekly episodic format. Posted by jlewin at 09:34 PM | Comments (0) PodcastGuests.com to Connect Podcasters with GuestsPodcastGuests.com, a new site designed to help connect podcasters with people looking for exposure, has announced that it is offering free site registration through May 30th. According to PodcastGuests' Corey Deitz, "It’s a simple concept: podcasters and potential guests simply register to be included in the online database. Then, either can browse by podcast or guest category to contact and arrange appearances."
The site lets users register as podcasters or guests. Podcasters can provide information on their podcast, while guests can include their areas of expertise and interests. During the initial registration period, all registrations are free. After the initial free registration period, PodcastGuests.com plans to charge users $30 per year. More information is available at the PodcastGuests.com site. Posted by jlewin at 09:17 PM | Comments (0) April 18, 2005Podscope Beta Searches Podcast Audio ContentPodscope, a new podcast search engine that indexes the audio content of podcasts, is now in beta. The site uses proprietary technology crawl the web, searching for podcasts, and then creates an index of the podcast content. Users can search on a term, choose the most relevant podcast and click to play or download.
Podscope describes its site as "the first search engine that actually allows you to search for spoken words within any audio or video file." While the site has started by indexing podcasts, it plans to add other types of multimedia in the future. According to Dave Seltzer, Podscope Systems Architect, "The beta is to evaluate the system under load to determine areas needing improvement. Believe me when I say, we are very interested in feedback. So if you’re a listener or a podcaster, please, tell us what you like and what you think should be changed." Posted by jlewin at 10:34 PM | Comments (2) Free SciFi/Fantasy Audiobook Podcast Announced
"There really aren"t a lot of free MP3 audiobooks out there," said Jeffrey, "which really surprises me. It"s a great way to promote paperback and hardback novels, as well as give your existing audience a new way to experience the book." Asked if he thought he was cannibalizing sales, Jeffrey said, "Absolutely not. We"re already seeing thousands of downloads each week, and new listeners are emailing me that they are purchasing paperback copies on Amazon as a direct result of listening to the podcasts." DragonPage.com is currently featuring three free podcast audiobooks, or "podiobooks": Morevi by Tee Morris, Earthcore by Scott Sigler and The Pocket and the Pendant by Mark Jeffrey. New episodes for each – usually a chapter or two – are released each week. So far, five chapters of "Pocket" have been released, with nine more to go. The free podcast is available from DragonPage.com. Podcast Details: The Pocket and the Pendant Posted by jlewin at 10:17 PM | Comments (1) New York City podcasting group holds first meetingThe inaugural meeting of the New York City Podcasting Association will be held on April 20, 2005 at Kamen Entertainment Group Recording Studios in Times Square at 7PM. Press is invited. The meeting location houses 5 recording studios where commercials, music and podcasts are produced on a daily basis, including the Marinas workout podcast. Kamen Studios' address is 701 Seventh Ave., 6th Floor (on 47th Street – between 6th and 7th Ave.). Posted by elisabeth at 09:31 PM | Comments (0) Pink Floyd Podcast InterviewThe Fake Science Lab Report, a podcast that reports on the music industry in the digital age, is featuring an interview with Nick Mason, drummer for the seminal rock band Pink Floyd. Mason made time on his press tour to have a candid chat about his new book, Inside Out: A Personal History of Pink Floyd, and the future of the music industry. Mason is one of the first major music industry figures to give an interview on an independent podcast. "It was a great opportunity for me to meet one of my personal heroes as well as a step towards legitimizing the medium to an audience outside of the podcasting community" stated Chris Walcott, also known to listeners as 'Cedub'. The Fake Science Lab Report is a bi-weekly podcast that covers current topics in the digital music industry and features new and exciting artists from all genres. The Lab Report focuses on giving the indie artist tips, tricks and the tools of the trade to be successful in the new music economy. Every show features a different guest sharing their experience, expertise and insights into the future of music. Posted by jlewin at 08:12 AM | Comments (0) April 16, 2005New Podcasting Application - PropagandaMixMeister Technology has introduced Propaganda, a Windows program designed to include everything needed to record, assemble and publish high-quality podcasts. The application includes tools for recording, mixing, previewing and publishing podcasts. "Our research showed that the current podcasting landscape falls into two categories: (1) high-quality podcasts made by technically adept people, who use half a dozen different software programs just to record, edit and publish a show, and (2) lots of people who feel the urge to get into podcasting but don't know how to get started, or have made attempts they aren't satisfied with," notes MixMeister's Dave Sampson. "We developed Propaganda to help the first group achieve a much better workflow using a single tool, and to provide an emerging group of podcasters an easy path to start producing professional-quality shows.
Features: Minimum system requirements are: Propaganda costs $49.95, and runs on Windows XP only. Detailed product information is available at the Propaganda website. Posted by jlewin at 08:56 AM | Comments (0) April 14, 2005ZDNet Auctioning Podcast Advertising: Proceeds to go to Charity
ZDNet's involvement in the new medium of podcasting is largely experimental. 100 percent of the proceeds from the auctions will be contributed to the Save the Children: 2004 Tsunami Relief Fund. For each of the ZDNet ad space auctions, the winning bidder will be entitled to the sole sponsorship of five separate editions of ZDNet's IT Matters (Information Technology Matters) series of audio podcasts, hosted by executive editor David Berlind. Sole sponsorship equates to the exclusive placement of one audio advertisement (or "spot") of up to 60 seconds in length plus a "brought to you by" mention of the sponsor at the conclusion of each edition. The winning bidder may furnish ZDNet with one spot for all five placements, five spots (one for each placement), or some configuration in between. Winning bidders are also entitled to assistance from ZDNet in producing the audio spots in our San Francisco-based audio production facilities. IT professionals are the intended target of IT Matters podcasts. While advertisements do not have to be IT related, they should contain messages that are some way consistent with the targeted demographic. ZDNet's podcasts are encoded in MP3 standard format and they can be copied to and played back by any MP3-compatible device. Through podcasting, IT Matters audio programs can be automatically downloaded to digital audio devices by way of a free subscription. Instructions on how to subscribe for automatic download are available on ZDNet's Web site (see ZDNet's Podcasts: How to tune in). Auctions for ad space are listed at on the ZDNet Podcast eBay page. Proceeds from this auction will go to Save the Children. Buyers are encouraged to consult with their own tax accountant to best understand the tax consequences and advantages of participating in a charitable auction. Posted by jlewin at 11:28 PM | Comments (0) BBC Leads the Way, Adding 20 More Podcasts
Speaking at Music Radio 2005, Simon Nelson, Controller of BBC Radio and Music Interactive, revealed that more programs will be available to download and podcast at bbc.co.uk/radio until the end of the year, following the popularity of the BBC's previous downloading trial. "The BBC was the first British broadcaster to podcast when we made In Our Time available last year and this trial will enable us to further explore the editorial, technical and distribution issues involved," said Mr Nelson. "These technologies can transform the value we deliver to audiences and make our programmes more accessible for both new and existing audiences." The BBC hopes that the project will offer a more detailed picture of audiences' appetite for downloads and their preferred content. The trial means the BBC will offer its first daily podcasts, the Today programme's 8.10am interview, along with weekly titles and speech highlights from Radio 1 programmes for listeners to download and transfer to portable audio players. The programmes announced are: Today (Radio 4, daily) - 8.10am interview In Business (Radio 4, weekly) - Peter Day examines trends and developments in industry and the world of work From Our Own Correspondent (Radio 4, weekly/twice weekly) – personal reflections by BBC correspondents around the world In Our Time (Radio 4, weekly) - Melvyn Bragg and guests explore the history of ideas Reith Lectures (Radio 4, run of six) - Lord Broers on The Triumph of Technology Sportsweek (Radio Five Live, weekly) - get under the skin of the week's big sports stories Fighting Talk (Radio Five Live, weekly) - sparky sports debate with points for punditry Rumour Mill - (Radio Five Live, weekly) Mark Kermode film review slot (Radio Five Live, weekly) Radio 1 speech highlights - to be confirmed Go Digital (World Service, weekly) - how technology is changing our lives Documentary archive (World Service, twice weekly) TX documentaries (1Xtra, weekly) – various subjects Gaelic Letter (BBC Radio Nan Gaidheal, weekly). The BBC first offered mp3 downloads of last year's Reith Lectures, followed by In Our Time and Fighting Talk (also podcast) and selected 1Xtra documentaries. The three programmes taking part in the first mp3 download trial were downloaded 270,000 times in the first four months of the trial. Posted by jlewin at 10:09 PM | Comments (0) PhoneRanger Targets Podcasting With New Wireless HeadsetPhoneRanger has announced the release of PhoneRanger 2.0, a wireless headset designed for VOIP/softphone, podcasting and Internet radio applications on personal computers. PhoneRanger 2.0 was designed to meet the need for affordable wireless headsets that can fit within the typical work environment. PhoneRanger 2.0 consists of a lightweight rechargeable headset the rests on a docking station for recharging while not in use. Using the 47-49 MHz band, the PhoneRanger2.0 has a range of up to 10 meters and a single charged life of three hours. Installation is straightforward. Plug in the power line to any USB port and connect the voice lines to the PC's soundcard. The PhoneRanger 2.0 is priced at $69.99 (US) through the Phone Ranger site. Posted by jlewin at 07:09 AM | Comments (0) April 13, 2005iPod Sales Push Apple Income Up 500%
Apple shipped 1,070,000 Macintosh units and 5,311,000 iPods during the quarter, representing a 43 percent increase in CPU units and a 558 percent increase in iPods over the year-ago quarter. “We are delighted to report a record second quarter for Apple in both revenue and earnings,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “Apple is firing on all cylinders and we have some incredible new products in the pipeline for the coming year, starting with Mac OS X Tiger later this month.” Revenue for the quarter was $3.24 billion, up 70 percent from the year-ago quarter. Gross margin was 29.8 percent, up from 27.8 percent in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 40 percent of the quarter’s revenue. “We’re very pleased to report 70 percent revenue growth and a 530 percent increase in net income,” said Peter Oppenheimer, Apple’s CFO. “Looking ahead to the third quarter of fiscal 2005, we expect revenue of about $3.25 billion and earnings per diluted share of about $.28.” Posted by jlewin at 06:46 PM | Comments (0) April 12, 2005Forrester Calls Podcasting "The Future of Digital Audio"Forrester Research has released a new report, The Future Of Digital Audio, that focuses on podcasting and satellite radio. According to the report, 20.1 million U.S. households will listen to satellite radio and 12.3 million U.S. households will use their MP3 players to listen to audio podcasts by the end of the decade. "Consumers want to listen to what they want, when they want, on the device of their choosing. New formats like online radio and podcasting, where downloadable content is sent directly to an MP3 player, give consumers more programming and ultimate flexibility," says Forrester Research Vice President Ted Schadler. "If radio and music executives can successfully shift their thinking to embrace new audio delivery methods, both industries will benefit from new revenue streams and increased consumer loyalty over the next several years." According to Forrester, music and radio executives must adopt subscription-based models, on-demand delivery, and ad targeting strategies for radio to successfully maximize its new formats. For example, in addition to rolling out high-definition (HD) radio, broadcasters like Clear Channel and Infinity Broadcasting should move quickly to both ad- and subscription-supported online delivery and subscription-based programming and services to HD receivers to accommodate varied consumer demand. The radio industry will also contend with increased ad skipping as the adoption of TiVo-like digital radio recorders (DRR) increases. Improved ad measurement capabilities online and offline will ease some of the ad industry's concerns by enabling it to target specific listeners. The Future Of Digital Audio includes a forecast of US digital audio adoption 2004 to 2010. Sample data points and analysis include: Satellite radio reached 4.5 million subscribers by the end of 2004, up more than 150 percent from 2003. In order to grow steadily beyond 2010, when satellite's prime market segment (higher-income, entertainment-oriented, technology-optimistic households) will become saturated, satellite radio providers should consider offering multi-tier subscriptions, to reach the more than 85 percent of US households that fall outside this wealthier, early-adopter segment. Online radio (streaming audio) will continue to grow as portals like AOL, Yahoo!, and MSN increase programming and traditional broadcasters move portions of their programming online, reaching 30 percent of all US households and close to 50 percent of US households with broadband by 2010. Podcasting, which is the newest entrant into the digital audio mix, will see significant growth by 2010 -- reaching 12.3 million households, as MP3 adoption climbs and broadband reaches 62 percent of households. HD radio will bring high-definition broadcasting to AM/FM radio, offering additional programming and features like traffic information integrated with onboard navigation systems and program guides that give DVR-like control to radio. HD radio growth will lag satellite but will pick up speed as broadcasters embrace the technology and HD receivers drop in price. Forrester estimates that HD radio will reach 9.7 million US households by 2010. Posted by jlewin at 10:14 PM | Comments (2) Open Source Podcast Application Loudblog Released
"Loudblog is Podcasting for everyone", notes van Aaken. "It is the perfect choice for those who want to concentrate on content and are tired of struggling with technical issues." Creating an efficient podcast and a related website can be a complex process. Although conventional weblog-systems can be modified with special extensions, importing and managing audio files remains laborious. Loudblog was conceived as a simplified weblog-CMS which offers some handy features for uploading and managing audio files. The user interface focuses on the most important features for podcasting. A podcast feed is generated automatically, as well as a fully skinnable website. Visitors can try a Loudblog site's audio content without using any podcasting-technology. Loudblog-users can download pre-designed layout templates from the official website loudblog.com and adapt them to their needs. Posted by jlewin at 09:33 PM | Comments (0) iPressroom Adds PodcastingiPressroom, a service which helps organizations extend the impact of their public relations, corporate communications and marketing programs, has added podcasting functionality to their application. The expanded capabilities are available to all organizations that currently use iPressroom to power their online media centers. "This new technology gives corporate communicators a way to bypass mainstream media filtration to take their message directly to market," says Eric Schwartzman, founder and president of iPressroom Corporation. iPressroom's new podcasting service makes it easy for non-technical personnel to upload, promote and RSS enable MP3 files that can be downloaded and played on popular devices including Apple's iPod, as well as other portable media players Live Bookmarks have also been enabled, allowing podcasters and bloggers to syndicate headlines to Web browser applications via the popular XML computer mark-up schema for news, known as Really Simple Syndication or RSS. The Live Bookmarks feature ensures favorites and bookmarks in popular browsers will always reflect the latest RSS headlines in all iPressroom powered blogs and podcasts. Posted by jlewin at 01:02 AM | Comments (0) April 11, 2005Electronic Frontier Foundation Says "Blog without fear"The Electronic Frontier Foundation has come up with a prescription that should let Internet writers "Blog without fear." They offer a set of suggestions for bloggers for retaining privacy and guarding against embarassment or "just plain weirdness" in front of friends and coworkers. EFF sums up their recommendations: "You can no longer safely assume that people in your offline life won't find out about your blog, if you ever could. New RSS tools and services mean that it's even easier than ever search and aggregate blog entries. As long as you blog anonymously and in a work-safe way, what you say online is far less likely to come back to hurt you." Blog Anonymously EFF offers recommendations for blogging anonymously: By some estimates, dozens of people have been fired for blogging, and the numbers are growing every day. One way to make sure your blog doesn't earn you a pink slip is to make sure that you write about certain protected topics. 1. Political Opinions Posted by jlewin at 11:59 PM | Comments (0) TVEyes Announces Podscope Tool to Search Podcast AudioTVEyes has announced Podscope, which it calls "the first search engine to search within a Podcast". According to TVEyes, Podscope makes every word searchable within a podcast, enabling the audio indexing of podcast content. The process is equally applicable to video blogs and personal videos. TVEyes, which has been indexing television and radio broadcasts since 1999, crawls the web with Podscope looking for podcasts and creates an index against every word, thereby making the contents searchable. The user can search on a term, generate a list of results ranked by a variety of methods to find the most relevant podcast and click to play or click to download. “With a looming explosion in such user generated rich content as Podcasts and video blogs, there is a growing need to empower consumers to find and subscribe to programs that meet their diverse interests,” commented Allen Weiner, Vice President and Research Director at Gartner. “Searching and indexing these varied audio and video programs will not only benefit content-hungry consumers, it also adds legitimacy and velocity to this burgeoning space.” Posted by jlewin at 11:51 PM | Comments (1) Association of Music Podcasting Site Goes LiveThe Association of Music Podcasting (AMP) website has gone live at http://www.musicpodcasting.org/. AMP was formed in January 2005 to unite podcasters who play legally available independent music. The podcasters feature independent music and provide an alternative to traditional radio. The music played is all legal and safe to download. Each AMP member has a unique podcast show, but they all share a passion for getting great new music heard. The site features links to each member podcast, profiles on member shows, and tools for connecting musicians with podcasters. The Association of Music Podcasting Posted by jlewin at 11:39 PM | Comments (0) Podcasts Collaborate on Sideways Giveaway
The two shows have teamed up to produce a Sideways Roundtable Discussion, covering the film both from a cinematic perspective as well as its impact on the world of wine. In addition, they are holding a drawing to giveaway five Sideways DVDs provided courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures. Reel Reviews' Michael W. Geoghegan notes "I got together with the guys from Grape Radio for a great roundtable discussion of the film Sideways. We had a blast discussing the film and its impact on Merlot, Pinot Noir and the beautiful wine country of Santa Barbara, California." Sideways is a critically acclaimed movie that follows two college buddies that set off on a road trip through wine country. Reel Reviews features the views of a "life long film fanatic" on quality films available on DVD. Grape Radio is a podcast discussing wine-related topics. More information on the podcast and promotion is available at the Reel Reviews site. Posted by jlewin at 10:20 PM | Comments (2) Broadcaster Dumps Radio Stations for PodcastingAmerican broadcast company Christus Broadcasting, Inc. has announced the sale of its company owned radio stations and is concentrating its efforts in the area of podcasting. Christus has announced the launch of the American Podcasting Network. Paul Montoya, CEO and a 31 year veteran of the broadcast industry stated, “I was there when FM radio came into its own and saw the impact on AM radio. I have also seen the impact satellite radio has had on FM radio. I can now see the incredible possibilities that Podcasting can have globally on the way people listen to content. Now they can listen to programs they want to listen to, when they want to listen to it.” Montoya added, “Podcasting is the ultimate form of reaching people through audio. Podcasting is not tied down to the availability of frequencies, or the physical distance constraints of a broadcast signal or the tremendous expense of the erecting towers or launching satellites. Podcasting is now about content. And the listener will now decide what content is successful.” APN will be working with broadcast professionals from throughout the world who have been unhappy with the “conglomerate style” of broadcast that has developed since the mid 1990’s. APN will also work with developing new talent that has a passion for interests in their life that they’d like to share with the world through the new technologies afforded through podcasting. All programs on the American Podcasting Network are downloaded free of charge to the listener. “Podcast programming should be free to the listener. Commercial broadcast radio has been an excellent business model for over 60 years. People are used to receiving their content at no charge.” according to Montoya. Podcasting revenue will be generated by advertising within the programs similar to traditional radio broadcasting. The American Podcasting Network is launching with 5 new programs ranging from news and information to niche musical programming. Montoya commented, “One program, The Bluegrass Express, is the perfect example of a program that would be hard pressed to generate a large enough audience to be presented on traditional radio, but through the world-wide distribution capabilities of podcasting, can be a viably successful program.” APN’s goal is to have over 50 programs available online at americanpodcasting.net by the middle of this year. Posted by jlewin at 09:48 PM | Comments (2) April 09, 2005Pew Tells Critics of Podcast Report, "Read the Data Memo"Pew Internet's recent Data Memo on podcasting has generated considerable controversy about both its accuracy and Pew's methodology. The Pew podcasting memo reported that 6 million people in the US had tried podcasting. News reports in The Washington Post, Engadget and other publications have called into question the 6 million figure, and accused Pew of backtracking on their statements. As a result, Pew is taking the unusual step of seeking corrections to stories which appeared in the Washington Post and Newsfactor. Credible Numbers? The most frequently quoted aspect of Pew's Memo, the summary "More than 6 million American adults have listened to podcasts", has also proven to be its most controversial. The figure has struck many members of the podcasting community as grossly inflated. Respected podcaster Craig Patchett (The Godcast Network) stated in a post to the Podcasting News site "This survey is a bad survey, plain and simple, and is also being mis-reported all over the place." He expanded on his thoughts in a post at his site: "No matter how much you manipulate the known numbers within the realm of reason, it is impossible to come up with anything that comes close to supporting what Pew is reporting." Engadget fanned the flames with its April 5 entry, "Pew backtracks on podcasting survey numbers". The article suggests that "Pew’s research director is engaging in a little backtracking, saying that even they don’t believe that 6 million Americans are listening to podcasts, and has admitted that the question they asked (if people had 'ever downloaded a podcast or radio Internet program') was a little overly broad since it could easily encompass all sorts of things besides podcasts. " "Read the data memo" Pew is standing by their figures. Their idea of a podcast is much broader than that of most in the podcasting community. To podcasters, a podcast is a collection of MP3 files represented by an RSS 2.0 newsfeed. For the purposes of the survey, Pew included any Internet audio downloads that the user intended to listen to at a later date. According to Pew: As we crafted this question, we debated the wording and decided not to be very technical in our description of podcasting because technical language often creates its own problems and misunderstandings in phone surveys like ours. Our intention was to see how many people had done something that could be functionally defined as podcasting, even though it didn't specifically use all the technical specifications that some people use to download podcasts. Thus, we decided we did not want to limit the question only to those who use RSS to learn about and capture the files. It was more useful, we thought, to learn about people time-shifting the consumption of audio files in the way they use their MP3 players, rather than risk confusion with a question that was pretty technical. Technically Correct, Yet Still Misleading? Pew's point is clearly supported by the data memo itself, which includes the questions used in their survey. Nevertheless, Pew's decision to define podcasting in very broad terms has resulted in confusion over the information contained in the memo, and helped create an unrealistic picture of the current state of podcasting. Many news sources (including Podcasting News) contributed to this confusion by failing to clearly highlight Pew's broad definition. Podcasting News has edited its original report on the Data Memo to make the distinction that the numbers reflect Pew's broad concept of podcasting, rather than the focused concept of the podcasting community. Pew says "We Stand By Our Data" Posted by jlewin at 08:53 AM | Comments (0) Podcatch.com - New Site from Podcast PioneerPodcasting guru Dave Winer has introduced a new site devoted to podcasting, Podcatch.com. "It's going to be my place for podcasting stuff, kind of like reallysimplesyndication.com and thetwowayweb.com," said Winer. "If I write an essay about podcasting it'll go there." Winer, along with Adam Curry, helped pioneer podcasting. Winer wrote the specification, RSS 2.0, that podcasting is based on. His Morning Coffee Notes podcast helped demonstrate both the capability and usefulness of referencing audio files as enclosures to RSS news feeds. In a post introducing the site, Winer describes it as a "directory of resources, programming and tools for people who love podcasts, whether you create them, listen to them, or create technology for podcasters."
Posted by jlewin at 08:23 AM | Comments (0) April 08, 2005K-AMP Player Adds Podcasting FeaturesK-Amp has added podcasting features to K-Amp Player, a web-based service that lets website owners and administrators to audiocast their own web-based audio player. K-Amp now allows for single tracks to be embedded on any web page. A track from an existing playlist in a subscriber's Media Manager can be displayed on any web page or blog post so that visitors can listen to audio within the context of a website. Audio can be posted in blogs, lists, and articles. K-AMP Player’s web-based audio service lets users hear audio through a web browser, without the need for desktop media players. With this added single-track play feature, website owners who subscribe to the K-AMP’s audiocasting service can add a branded player skin which can be a set-up as a pop-up or embedded player on any website. For bloggers who subscribe to Blogamp or any of the other K-AMP service plans, single audio posts can be embedded (using provided) html code to posts so that their audience can connect to the audio via RSS feeds. For those bloggers offering Podcasts, the single-play feature lets the visitor sample the audio before downloading it. Another add-value is a viral component that gives the subscriber the ability to post audio on other blogs or bulletin boards. Other possible uses for the single-track feature would be websites wishing to list multiple audio tracks such as music playlists, trainings, lectures, sales pitches or just plain talk. Posted by jlewin at 10:32 AM | Comments (0) Sports Podcast Network Announces Play-By-Play PodcastThe MSR Sports Podcast Network has announced that it is releasing the first 162 game play-by-play podcast. Gill Alexander and Sam Coutin plan to podcast the "words eye" view of each game of the Washington Nationals' inaugural season, starting with opening day. Alexander, a Washington D.C. native and radio veteran, is the voice of the podcast. He's relishing the Washington Nationals, and to prove it, is podcasting 162 Nationals games from his living room. According to Alexander, "My friends and I always wished announcers could say things that the average fan says on his or her couch. Now we'll do it ourselves." Sports fans can listen to the podcasts on-demand, taking in the games during their drive to work, or on their home/work computers. Sam Coutin, CEO Of MSR, notes "Time-shifted media is a perfect fit for sporting events, and podcasting brings more flavor to broadcasts than ever before. The Genie's out of the bottle." MSR plans to add more play-by-play podcasts in the coming weeks. Coutin launched The Sports Pod podcast in October, 2004, and founded MSR Sports Podcast Network in February, 2005. Alexander's other podcasts include: Beating the Books - A Sports Wagering Podcast; and The Skinny On The Skins - A Washington Redskins Podcast. MSR currently provides more than 3 hours of sports radio content per day in all areas of sports. The Nationals Play-By-Play is not affiliated with the Washington Nationals or Major League Baseball. Posted by jlewin at 08:16 AM | Comments (3) You Subscribe: RSS Turns Outlook Into a Podcasting ClientYou Software has annoounced an upgrade to You Subscribe: RSS, an RSS news aggregator for Microsoft Outlook. It integrates with Outlook and lets users get podcast audio content into iTunes and Windows Media Player playlists.
You Subscribe: RSS is a free download. Posted by jlewin at 08:07 AM | Comments (0) April 06, 2005New Site Takes On Podcast AwardsAvericom, an Internet solutions development company, has introduced Topcast, a podcasting awards site. The site joins PodcastAwards.com and several expos and conventions that plan awards relating to podcasting. "A media market such as Podcasting deserves its own event to recognize industry pioneers, leaders and top program talent," said TopCast awards event founder Peter W. Bowman. "The online podcasting audience will select their nominations for the individual awards directly at the topcast.org website." The TopCast Awards feature categories such as Best Podcast Host, Best Co-Host, the Pioneer Award for industry leadership, many general category awards such as Best News, Sports and Entertainment Podcast and even categories for Best Kids and Best Local Podcast. In all, over thirty category nominations are included in this year's TopCast Awards program. According to Bowman, online TopCast nominations will end on June 15, 2005, and finalists will be announced in early September with a live awards event to be held in New York City on November 5, 2005. "We are excited at the immediate response we have received online with nominations, and we will continue to expand the program as additional interest evolves," concluded Bowman. Posted by jlewin at 01:21 PM | Comments (3) jPodder .9 ReleasedjPodder Podcasting Software has announced the release of jPodder 0.9. The multi-platform podcasting application includes features for producing and listening to podcasts. The new version adds additional support for podcast production and ID3 tag rewriting, along with player plug-in support and download improvements. Separate downloads are available for Win32 and Linux. New Features: Podcast production - Create a podcast, from creating an RSS feed, recording the podcast, adding enclosures and uploading the file to an FTP server. ID3 rewriting (Hot tags) - Rewrite ID3 tags with the values you select to create smart-lists. You can re-write on per file, feed and generically for all feeds. Player plugin support - Developers can build plugins for their favorite media player. Download improvements - Automatic retry of a timed-out connection and configurable HTTP timeout value. Redirects are also better handled with support for the re-directed file name. AAC transfers are now also supported. Feed Manager - A new feed manager allows you to easily add/edit feeds changing it's properties and behavior (Like ID3 overwriting). Improved Scheduling - Hour of day based scheduling is now supported. The software is available for download via the jPodder.com site. Posted by jlewin at 08:21 AM | Comments (0) FeedBurner Raises Funds For Further ExpansionFeedBurner, a free "feed enhancement service", has announced that it has completed a $7 million dollar second round of financing for the company. The need for additional financing coincides with a rapid growth in the service, which now has over 40,000 active feeds. In FeedBurner's announcement, they noted that "All of the free publisher services that we now offer will remain free, and we will continue to expand our suite of free publisher services." FeedBurner's Vision They also described their vision for their service. "Of course, we handle feed transformations and format conversions, but these are relatively well understood and straightforward mappings. More importantly, we manage the spiraling complexity of a growing and disparate number of feed extensions on the publishing side along with an exploding number of clients and syndication bots that have markedly different capabilities and characteristics across the spectrum of endpoints. We believe this complexity will continue to increase in ways that cannot be predicted. Indeed, we certainly could not have anticipated podcasting even last summer, and yet, today there are a growing number of podcasting specific clients, growing belief that the devices themselves will become readers, etc. We will see the same thing happen for video, photos, products for sale, and more." FeedBurner plans to provide publishers opportunities for making money from their content in syndication. They plan new fee-based premium publisher services, along with bulk feed management services for "small, medium, large, and humungous commercial publishers". The new services are already in development. Posted by jlewin at 07:30 AM | Comments (0) Interest in Podcasting JumpsAccording to the Yahoo! Buzz Index, interest in podcasting has jumped. Searches related to podcasting have risen on the heels of a recent report on podcasting by Pew Internet. "The latest wave in online music is beginning to cut through the static and into the mainstream," notes the Buzz Index report for April 5th, 2005. "Podcasting, a way of making broadcasts available via RSS feeds, is taking off with both individual small-scale broadcasters and austere old-school organizations such as NASA and public radio."
Searches on "podcasts" were up 337% yesterday following a Pew Internet survey documenting podcasting's rising popularity. Yahoo! also recorded an uptick in queries on "Podcast" (+197%). Posted by jlewin at 07:16 AM | Comments (0) April 04, 2005Top 10 Podcasts for March: NASA Still in Orbit
"The Top 10 demonstrates the quality and diversity of content available through podcasting," notes Podcasting News' Elle Webb. "Podcast listeners can enjoy news, comedy, storytelling and a variety of music shows, whenever and wherever they want to." New to the Top 10 Podcast list are: The Dorktones Selection, which features vintage and obscure soul, ska, surf, power pop and rock; Podcasting News ranks the popularity of podcasts based on the activity of visitors using the site's directory of podcasts. The Podcasting News Podcast Directory is a user-edited collection of the best podcasts available. Visitors can preview podcasts within their web browser, and then add the podcasts that they like to a podcast client. Top 10 Podcasts for FebruaryScience@NASA Current Stories About the Podcasting News Top 10"The Podcasting News Top 10 ranking is based on the number of requests each podcast in our directory receives," said Podcasting News' Elle Webb. "To the extent that Podcasting News visitors reflect podcast listeners as a whole, the Top 10 should be an accurate reflection of what podcasts people are most interested in." Top 10 Podcasts for March 2005 Posted by jlewin at 08:21 AM | Comments (0) April 03, 2005Voxmedia Building Media CommunityVoxmedia.org is a new site that looks to foster conversation and collaboratively build a resource for blogging, podcasting, and videoblogging - media that allow individuals to speak out and connect with the world. Voxmedia.org is now available as a place where people who share a passion for expression can easily interact with each other, and together collect and share information on what they do and how they do it, in the hopes of helping others join them in the exploding universe of "masses media," or media by and for the masses. "Text, audio and video are different media, and at first blush it might look like people are doing very different things with each of them," notes Voxmedia founder Ryan Ozawa. "How do you reconcile the grandma in Austin who blogs pictures of her cats with the pundit in D.C. who tracks scandals and takes on congress? Rather than looking at what divides, I'm really inspired by what's common to it all: using your voice, reaching out, and making connections." Voxmedia.org spans the natural trio of narrative forms -- words, sounds, and moving pictures -- and has only three simple offerings directed at each: A message board, or forum, for discussion and debate, a wiki, or publicly and collaboratively edited information resource, and a newswire that tracks noteworthy articles or essays on what it all might mean. "Voxmedia.org is certainly nothing revolutionary, and it's not like the world needs another discussion board," Ozawa concedes. "But I think online communities that span different arts and tools, but share fundamental and natural interests like personal expression, can do wonderful things -- or at the very least, have a hell of a great time." He notes that while bloggers number in the millions and already obsessively interact, podcasters and videobloggers are relatively scarce and are often scattered among different sites. The latter two groups, Ozawa figured, might benefit from an open and unaffiliated venue. "At least until there are enough of them to have the inevitable identity crisis and split off into factions," he says. The wiki, meanwhile, could grow into something great, Ozawa says. "Like many others, I started off trying to create this great encyclopedia of podcasting... but I found early on that one person really couldn't do it," he explains. "A wiki lets anyone add their little piece of the puzzle, their specific expertise, to benefit the whole. If you know about bitrates and encoding, you can just fix the article yourself." Voxmedia.org launched April 1, but is not an April Fool's prank. The forum can be accessed at voxmedia.org/forum, the wiki at voxmedia.org/wiki, and the news blog at voxmedia.org/wire. There are RSS feeds for the forum and blog -- for everything, as well as for each individual track: text, audio, and video. Ozawa is a web developer and obsessive community builder in Honolulu who got his start in dial-up BBSes in the '80s and USENET in the '90s and hasn't stopped since. He's kept an online journal since 1996, and started podcasting earlier this year. He very much enjoyed writing this press release in the third person. Posted by jlewin at 09:34 PM | Comments (0) "Podcast" Audience More Than 6 Million
More than 22 million American adults own iPods or MP3 players and 29% of them have downloaded podcasts from the Web so that they could listen to audio files at a time of their choosing. That amounts to more than 6 million adults who have tried this new feature that allows internet “broadcasts” to be downloaded onto their portable listening device. For the purpose of the survey, Pew included podcasts & other audio files downloaded for listening to on a portable media player at a later time. iPod and MP3 Player ownership Podcast listeners The new findings come from a national phone survey of adults by the Pew Internet & American Life Project conducted between February 21 and March 21, 2005. In all, 2,201 people were interviewed, including 208 owners of iPods or MP3 players. The margin of error on the full sample is plus or minus two points and on the MP3 player sample is plus or minus 7.5 points. Those under age 18 were not part of this survey. Posted by jlewin at 06:09 PM | Comments (4) Paris Hilton To Podcast
In a tie-in with the upcoming movie, House of Wax, Paris Hilton will be doing a podcast. According to the movie site, "listeners will be able to join Paris and friends as she shops, parties, poses and publicizes in the days leading up to the May 6 opening of House of Wax." It remains to be seen how interesting it will be to listen to Paris Hilton pose, but the podcast is sure to make podcasting hotter than ever. The podcast will be available beginning on April 29 via the House of Wax Movie site. A custom House of Wax Podcatcher is available for Windows or Mac. The House of Wax Podcatcher lets you find, subscribe to and download podcasts onto your portable media player. Using RSS technology, podcasts are audio distributed in the MP3 format and will play back on any portable media player. The House of Wax Podcatcher comes pre-loaded with "The Paris Hilton Podcast." Posted by jlewin at 05:00 AM | Comments (8) Podcast & Portable Media Expo Announces Podcast Award CategoriesPodcast and Portable Media Expo, a new trade show focusing on podcasting and portable digital audio and video, will be giving awards in various categories to individuals, teams, and companies in several categories during the event later this year. The awards will be chosen by a committee of influential press, podcasters, bloggers, and technologists. The Best of Show awards are given to companies with products that have been recently introduced, or are making their public debut, at Podcast & Portable Media Expo, in the following categories: The Podcast of the Year award is given to an individual or team of individuals producing a podcast, on average, once per week in the previous 6 months. The committee considers the quality of the content only, and not the size of the audience or popularity ranking of the podcast. The Most Unique Application of Podcasting award is given to an individual or team of individuals using podcasting in a unique way to reach an audience in the previous 6 months. The committee considers the creativity and effectiveness of the use of podcasting in ways that further the growth of the medium. The Portable Content of the Year award is given to an individual or team of individuals producing compelling audio or video content, on average, once per week in the previous 6 months. The committee considers the quality of the content only, and not the size of the audience or popularity ranking of the podcast. The Person of the Year in Podcasting award recognizes the person having the most positive influence on the growth and popularity of podcasting in the previous 12 months. The Person of the Year in Portable Media award recognizes the person having the most positive influence on the growth and popularity of portable media in the previous 12 months. Exhibit Hall To Bring Together “Tools of the Trade” for Podcast and Portable Content Creators. The exhibit hall at Podcast and Portable Media Expo will showcase the latest software tools, audio and video hardware, digital players and devices, and other useful resources for independent podcasters and digital media companies. Individual podcasters are a new and rapidly-growing market for pro audio hardware and software. In an effort to produce professional-sounding talk and music shows, many podcasters are spending a significant amount of money on studio-quality microphones, mixers and editing software. Companies that have traditionally sold professional tools, mainly to recording studios and musicians, now have a new base of customers looking for solutions. While the majority of podcasters have focused on audio, video programs are surely close behind. The growing number of portable media devices has added fuel to the fire of portable audio and video. Companies are beginning to offer downloadable content that can then be transferred to portable devices with software. As more content becomes available, an increasing number of devices will find their way into the hands of consumers thirsty for niche content. Devices that are web-enabled eliminate the computer altogether, and are able to download content right to the player. Podcast and Portable Media Expo will also offer two days of educational sessions. The conference program will feature tutorials on business models, content creation, promotion, licensing, syndication, and distribution. Posted by jlewin at 04:51 AM | Comments (0) April 02, 2005Tiki Bar TV Mixes Drinks Lounge Style
Characters include Lala, the cocktail babe; Johnny Johnny, mixer of 'forbidden drinks'; and Doctor Tiki, who is a PhD and MD in Tiki. The video podcast is part bartending show with loosely ad libbed sketches, but mostly just a party. As Johnny Johnny puts it in the first episode, "It turns out we're all raging alcoholics, and this is a justified excuse for drinking." "While he's tossing the ice in, why don't we watch a monkey smoke?" Tiki Bar TV is a great example of what can be done with today's technology, completely outside the world of traditional broadcast television. According to Tiki Bar TV's Reginald Hornstein, "When we came across video podcasting, we found much of it strange, some funny, some inspiring and a good deal total crap. We said to ourselves, 'We certainly fit one of these categories'." Tiki Bar TV is set in a faux 1950's-1960's Tiki lounge, is largely improvised and centers around drinking. "Tiki" refers to the Polynesian pop culture of yesteryear that's recently been embraced for its cheesiness. Each show features bartender Johnny Johnny mixing up something wild and wonderful. "Within hours of having seen a video podcast we were planning a show of our own," notes Hornstein. "We would have died for this technology as kids. In those days we spliced into my building’s cablevision to feed our own channel of us reading the news from my bedroom studio," adds Hornstein. "We later tried to boost the power of a short-range TV transmitter we acquired in an attempt to broadcast our station through the neighbourhood. It was blatantly illegal idea but we figured they wouldn’t do much to underage kids." Feed URL: http://feeds.feedburner.com/tikibartv Posted by jlewin at 08:12 AM | Comments (0) April 01, 2005Podcasting Hot Down UnderThe Podcast Network, an Australian new media company, has announced a boom in demand for its audio programming. In March, the Network saw a show being downloaded every 44 seconds. Over 60,000 mp3 files were downloaded, with a new listener being added every 1.7 minutes. Cameron Reilly, co-founder of The Podcast Network, said the rapid growth was evidence that podcasting would be the buzzword for 2005. “We expected fast growth when we launched the business, but this overwhelming response has exceeded even our expectations. “If we can maintain this momentum, within seven months we’ll have half a million listeners, which is equivalent of the top radio stations in any Australian city. That’s when the podcasting business model will come into its own.” The Podcast Network has established an eclectic collection of channels. Current programs on The Podcast Network include: Early corporate adopters of podcasting already include Australia’s Triple J, Britain’s BBC and New York City's WNYC public radio station. Austereo also acknowledged this week it has been conducting podcasting trials. Mr Reilly said The Podcasting Network viewed podcasting efforts by radio networks as helping legitimise the medium. “While it’s great to see mainstream recognition of the value of podcasting, it’s important to understand that podcasting is much more than a new delivery channel,” he said. “This is the start of a significant shift away from mass media towards consumer generated niche programming." Posted by jlewin at 03:59 AM | Comments (0) Radio Broadcasting Association Buys Podcasting
"It's all about respect," said Winter in a statement. "The Organization was prepared to offer me a lot of respect, and I couldn't really refuse the offer." Curry noted "Podcasting plus commercial radio - it's the ultimate mashup! This deal is going to provide us with enough capital that we can fix a lot of the problems that have emerged in the podcasting space." Top of Curry's list is confusion over licensing. "We're working with the RIAA and Apple to come up with a DRM-enabled podcasting solution. We've got some top artists on board, so be prepared for an explosion of great podcasts!" The Broadcasting Organization's move comes as podcasting has emerged as an viable alternative to traditional radio. By purchasing the rights to podcasting, traditional broadcasters can have a turnkey solution for putting broadcast content onto portable media players. Podcasting to Fork? The Broadcasting Organization's move may prove to be controversial, because it involves forking one of the basic podcasting standards. "The Organization did a focus group on podcasting and found out that RSS was just too complicated for people to figure out," noted Winter. Winter's solution was to come up with a new XML-based format, Really Really Simple Syndication, or RRSS. "I call it arse," jokes Winter, "because an arse can figure it out!" RRSS is a simplified derivitive of of RSS 0.92. "RDF is back in, but we've figured out a way to make it easy!" notes Winter. "That should make the RDF folks happy." RRSS is already generating its share of controversy, though. According to Mark Puritan, one of the gurus behind a competing syndication format, "When Winter announced RRSS, I was completely open-minded about it. Unfortunately, RRSS is a mish-mash of a spec, and the mother of all forks for content syndication. This is one format I'm not diving into!" Winter responded to the criticism, "He called me a mother forker! How can you have a dialog with somebody like that?" For Your iPods Only The new syndication format isn't the only controversy associated with the purchase. The Broadcasting Organization has cut a deal with Apple to make iPods the official platform for podcasting. "The first question people always have about podcasting is whether they need an iPod." notes Curry. "They ask, 'I've got a iRiver, can I use that?', or 'What about a Creative Zen - can I use that?'" "The answer is now officially 'No!'" Curry adds. "We decided that we should just get rid of that problem and standardize on iPods." Plans are also in place to use a proprietary alternative to MP3 that will support digital rights management. This should address concerns raised by the major labels about podcasters running wild and using copyrighted material in illegitimate ways. Apple's new ForePlay technology is a likely candidate. Apple had no comment. "Just one more thing," noted Apple in a statement. "We never comment on unreleased products. If we see anything in the blogs about this, we can get real user-unfriendly, real quick!" New Image for Podcasting To go along with the transition from the anything-goes, "wild-west" attitude of podcasting's early days to a more professional culture, the Broadcasting Organization is considering new branding for podcasting. According to founder Hilary Ricin, the name 'podcasting' comes with some liabilities. "We ran the Armitron numbers on it, and it was clear that it was time for a new name for podcasting." said Ricin. "Since Curry's the most famous player in the podcasting arena, we're re-branding it as spiceCasting." "It's spiceCasting now, baby, because it's so damn hot!" added Curry. Ricin says that U2's already on board. "Uno, dos, tres, catorce... Bam! They're ready to spiceCast!" The re-branding efforts go beyond simplying renaming podcasting. Plans are in place for a deep-penetration marketing effort, spearheaded by Curry. Curry was visibly excited when he announced their new marketing catch-phrase, "Is het besmettelijk?". Curry explained the intriguing play on words. "It's a Dutch phrase that translates roughly into 'Is it contagious?' When I heard that phrase, I thought it was perfect for podcasting, because podcasting is catching, and you can't make it go away!" "It's like VW's "Fahrvergnügen!" added Curry. "People will be asking 'What the f### does THAT mean?' And when they find out, they won't be able to forget it!" Will Podcasters Make the Jump? The biggest obstacle facing the Broadcasting Organization is the inertia of podcasting itself. It remains to be seen whether or not podcasters will take to spiceCasting. Dru Minnelli, of the popular D'n'D (Don and Dru) show, is excited about the changes. "It's awesome - we're thinking about changing our show name, too!" "People seem to think our show's about fantasy gaming, or some shit like that. Then they listen to our podcast and they're totally like "What this?"" Minnelli added, "Don wants to call it ' The Don and that Crazy Beeaatch Show', but that AIN'T gonna happen!" She whispers, "Don't tell Don, but I've already vetoed all his ideas." Podcast Road's Chris McGiver was unimpressed with the announcement. "They can call it Spice Girl Casting, for all I care. As long as people can vote on it, I'm cool with it." Podcasting News' own Elle Webb is resigned to the change. "We're checking into the spiceCastingNews domain. Maybe people won't complain about the orange color at our site so much, if we can come up with a cool spiceCasting logo. We're thinking about a Southwest, 'Kokopele' sort of look." Webb added, "This B.O.G.U.S. news really took us by surprise, but at least we got story before the mainstream media picked up on it." Posted by jlewin at 02:16 AM | Comments (3) |
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Copyright 2004-5 Podcasting News
Tiger Direct, an online computer retailer, today filed a lawsuit against Apple Computer in the United States District Court for the District of Florida. The suit alleges Apple Computer engaged in trademark infringement and unfair trade practices in connection with its recent marketing campaign for the latest version of its MAC OS X operating system, which Apple has named "Tiger."
CastFire has launched a podcast advertising network that allows podcasters to generate advertising revenue by connecting them with media buyers and consumers. Whether the content is entertainment, sports, news, knowledge, religion, stories or talk shows, the CastFire engine can automatically add relevant advertising.
Podcaster Wichita Rutherford has taken his podcast, 5 Minutes With Wichita, to the Sirius satellite network. Rutherford's shows feature humorous interviews with bluegrass stars like Ricky Skaggs, Doc Watson and Charlie Daniels.
Ecast Inc. has announced that it will underwrite more than a dozen audio podcasts live from the Ad:Tech 05 conference in San Francisco, to give thought leaders a virtual forum to discuss how new media channels and interactive technologies are impacting the media business.
Microsoft has announced that it will be podcasting from the the Mobile & Embedded DevCon (MEDC). The MEDC 2005 Podcast will be available daily Monday through Thursday during the convention. 
Through the end of April, Podcast News is offering podcasters and podcast listeners a unique opportunity to win an iPod shuffle.
The iPodder Lemon team has announced the release of a custom version of its podcast client. Now users can create their own podcatcher, preload it with favorite podcasts, and make it available for download from their websites.
EarthCore, one of the world's first podcast-only novels, has made an impressive debut. After four weeks and five episodes, the free audiobook is already receiving over over 5,500 listeners per episode.
Author Mark Jeffrey and DragonPage.com, a science fiction/fantasy website, have announced that they will be podcasting Jeffrey's first novel, The Pocket and the Pendant. The book is read by the author, accompanied by soundtrack music by composer 
The BBC has announced that it will be podcasting up to 20 more radio shows, including sections of the Today program and selected Radio 1 speech content.
Apple has announced financial results for its fiscal 2005 second quarter ended March 26, 2005. For the quarter, the Company posted a net profit of $290 million, or $.34 per diluted share. This compares to a net profit of $46 million, or $.06 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter.
German designer Gerrit van Aaken has introduced Loudblog, an open source application designed to make publishing audio content easy. Loudblog is a Content Management System (CMS) for publishing audio content on the web. The software is available for free and is released under a Creative Commons License.
Two podcasts, Reel Reviews and Grape Radio, are working with Fox Searchlight Pictures on a unique podcasting event and Sideways promotion.
Science@NASA kept its position as the most popular podcast in March 2005, according to Podcasting News, a leading source of information about podcasts and the podcasting community. The NASA podcast discusses everything from the weather on Saturn to going to the bathroom in space. The NASA podcast led What's on Tonight?, a look at the future of media, and The Seanachai, a weekly show of off-center storytelling and commenty, to get the top spot.
Paris Hilton's Internet escapades are notorious. Now she's set to bring her unique brand of celebrity to podcasting. 
Tiki Bar TV is a new weekly video cast that features barflies, lounge lizards and swingers that meet in a Tiki Bar. Each episode is themed around a new beverage, qualifying the show as edutainment.
In a surprise move, the Broadcasting Organization of the Greater United States has purchased the rights to the technology underlying podcasting for an undisclosed sum. As part of the deal, two of the pioneers of podcasting, Dave Winter & Alan Curry, have agreed to join the organization with the title of podcasting evangelists.