Luminary Media wants to be the Netflix of podcasts, will include shows from Trevor Noah and Lena Dunham
Aux Features PodcastThe reason why it may seem like everyone has a podcast is because it’s one of the most accessible forms of media out there. While producing a show is objectively hard work, the startup requires little more than a halfway decent microphone, a computer, and a mild opinion about deli etiquette and bam! You’ve fashioned a potential internet hit. Podcasting provides a bottomless well of possibilities for wide-ranging audiences full of money-spewing consumers, which is why companies like Spotify are urgently looking for ways to occupy the space, starting with their purchase of Gimlet Media.
A new contender, Luminary Media, has decided to step into the ring by announcing an initial slate of 40-plus creators, and the list includes a few familiar Hollywood names. Trevor Noah and Lena Dunham are among the inaugural class of hosts, for those who are somehow eager to hear them talk more. Luminary will also launch Anthem: Homunculus, John Cameron Mitchell’s followup to Hedwig and the Angry Inch, which will feature 31 original songs performed by 40 actors, including Broadway giant Patti LuPone. A handful of existing shows will be making the move to the burgeoning platform, such as Russell Brand’s Under the Skin and Hannibal Buress’ Handsome Rambler.
Podcast enthusiasts will have the option of continuing the free method of listening – which tends to be the main draw when committing hours of listen to strangers talk – or shelling out $8 per month for an ad-free experience.
[Via Deadline]
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Trevor Noah and Lena Dunham are among the inaugural class of hosts, for those who are somehow eager to hear them talk more.
https://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/weekly-ratings/late-night-ratings-feb-18-22-2019-daily-show-ticks-back-up/If The Daily Show ratings are any indication, this is very few people.
$8 a month is too much, especially when Stitcher Premium is $5, with deals where you can get an annual subscription for ~$25. None of the shows seem like essential listening to me either, except maybe the John Cameron Mitchell one.
Yeah, nobody is going to pay for podcasts. That ship left the dock without any passengers a long time ago. Not sure what the revenue model is supposed to be for these things but I’m guessing Blue Apron isn’t going to support the entire industry.
Well that’s not entirely true, lots of people contribute to Patreon campaigns or things like Stitcher Premium, but I think people like a more granular approach to paying for this sort of content. I think Stitcher works because Earwolf fans get a shit ton of ad-free content, but for everything else, they just want to support the shows they like best and get a little extra content in return. Something like this requires you to pay up front and then hope that you find something worthwhile, which is hardly guaranteed. .
Caveat emptor. Even at $5, I didn’t think Stitcher was a good value.
That’s fair, but I know quite a few people who do like it.
Trevor Noah AND Lena Dunham? What is this the Juicero of sound?
Netflix makes things people want.
Lena Dunham and Russell Brand! What a broad and diverse cross section of modern day intellectualism.
I don’t think that’s going to work. You can already skip the ads in a podcast if you want to, simply by hitting the 15 seconds forward icon repeatedly. There’s no reason to pay for a subscription unless they’re paywalling content you want to see.
That latter part is what concerns me the most. I could see a future where the number of podcast listening apps consolidates, and where a bunch of podcast networks get bought up by big companies that then put them behind paywalls.