Are Podcasts Worth Paying For? [Episode 118]

Podcast Pontifications

Ask the pundits and you'll hear plenty of reasons why paid podcasting will never really take off in America. Most often cited is "the djinni is out of the bottle".

But they forget that other media (see: TV, radio) have plenty of success stories in doing just that, and now both have rich ecosystems where paid and free content exist in essentially the same form.

Recent moves such as Slate's Supporting Cast platform, Substack's new audio-centric paid newsletter offering, and Himalaya's $100M investment round are just the more recent moves that could signal changing attitudes around the concept of paid podcasting.

Will they be enough to get anywhere near the $7.3B that Chineses podcasters earn mostly through paid subscriptions? Maybe. If we're ready to commit to podcasts worth paying for.

That's what we'll discuss on this episode.

Mentioned in this episode:

Support For Abortion Rights

While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own decisions about abortion, unfortunately, that right is no longer protected everywhere in the U.S. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade on June 24th. Abortion is a basic healthcare need for the millions of people who can become pregnant. Everyone should have the freedom to decide what’s best for themselves and their families, including when it comes to ending a pregnancy. This decision has dire consequences for individual health and safety, and could have harsh repercussions for other landmark decisions. Restricting access to comprehensive reproductive care, including abortion, threatens the health and independence of all Americans. Even if you live in a state where abortion rights are upheld, access to safe medical procedures shouldn’t be determined by location, and it shouldn't be the privilege of a small few. You can help by donating to local abortion funds. To find out where to donate for each state, visit donations4abortion.com. If you or someone you know needs help, or if you want to get more involved, here are 5 resources: 1. ShoutYourAbortion.com is a campaign to normalize abortion. 2. DontBanEquality.com is a campaign for companies to take a stand against abortion restrictions. 3. Abortion.cafe has information about where to find clinics. 4. PlanCPills.org provides early at-home abortion pills that you can keep in your medicine cabinet. 5. Choice.CRD.co has a collection of these resources and more. We encourage you to speak up! And spread the word.

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
Podsights - https://podsights.com/privacy