Amazon-Owned Wondery+ to Launch on Apple Podcasts Subscriptions

I've been podcasting for 16 years and it's now become a big mess.

I gave up trying to get advertisers a long long time ago, and I think my listeners like the idea of not having pre-show, post-show of even in-show ads.

You can't expect people to pay for the podcast, because they are quite ephemeral.
It's seldom I see stats of my podcast, of people listening to show 150, when a podcast is now over into the 1000 mark.

I’m not convinced Podcast subscriptions will work. I certainly would not pay. There are so many really good free Podcasts.

I tend to agree here. I usually just FF through the commercials on the podcasts that I listen to. With the streaming services I already pay for, I'm not about to add another subscription into the mix, but that's just me.

I would not pay for any Podcasts regardless of what platform they were on.

Me too. There are too many free podcasts (and too many podcasts period) too spend money on any of them. Podcasting really feels like it’s in a bubble right now, and that bubble is ready to burst. We have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to entertainment and media. I already feel like I pay too much in subscriptions as it is, let alone to add more when I can get by with the free stuff. Also, Podcasts are perfect for commuting, but many, many fewer people are commuting like they used to. The timing on monetizing podcasts just seems bad to me.

A lot of people already support their favorite podcasts on Patreon in exchange for an exclusive "Friends of the Show" RSS feed. I think this will do OK if podcasters get behind it. Apple takes a higher percentage of revenue than Patreon. BUT, Apple's way is easy and painless... Patreon you have to go to a whole other website.

I would not pay for any Podcasts regardless of what platform they were on.

<delete...why am I commenting on macrumors...haha>

Me too. There are too many free podcasts (and too many podcasts period) too spend money on any of them. Podcasting really feels like it’s in a bubble right now, and that bubble is ready to burst. We have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to entertainment and media. I already feel like I pay too much in subscriptions as it is, let alone to add more when I can get by with the free stuff. Also, Podcasts are perfect for commuting, but many, many fewer people are commuting like they used to. The timing on monetizing podcasts just seems bad to me.

The thing about podcasting is that it’s basically the evolution of talk radio. But talk radio was never well funded, unless you were Howard Stern. The idea that folks will fork over recurring costs for podcasts is ridiculous. Though I suppose we live in a world where you tip Tweets and buy digital pants on Fortnite.