The application of Podcasting Pocket Casts discovers a new story for the future of podcasts in a way that is almost difficult to believe. On Tuesday (March 1) Pocket Casts eradicated its basic subscription level for its web and office applications, which means that you can listen to all the best completely free podcasts, marking a fairly important evolution towards the creation of more accessible and, above all, more affordable podcasts.
Pocket Casts’ decision to return to a free access platform reflects its long-standing principles to maintain an open podcasting ecosystem which is not rejected by locking services, while eradicating the discovery features controlled by algorithms. “By putting our web reader available to everyone, we reinforce our conviction that podcasts belong to people, not to companies,” he said in his announcement.
This is a rather reassuring statement to read, and that I hope will arouse a more in -depth conversation on the place where we will trace the line with regard to the payment of audio content as podcasts. And it is difficult for me to believe that Pocket Casts draws our legs here, because it promises to offer features to which each podcast lover should be entitled, including the synchronization of multi -apparent reading, management of the penalty of Podcast without seam and the savings and preferences of the subscription – all simply by registering for free.
Even before being acquired by Automatiic in 2021, Pocket Casts existed as an open podcasting service (on its mobile version, at least), operating on open technology and allowing users to create, share and download podcasts on the content of their hearts. But as the podcasts have migrated to paid platforms such as Spotify and YouTube, we have seen a reduction in accessible podcasting. This is at least one reason why pocket molds have made this rare movement.
Pocket Casts has no shame in the Spotify shade
“The future of podcasting should not be locked up behind wall gardens. It must be free, open and accessible to everyone – on any device, without restrictions ”. Pocket Casts shared this declaration in their ad, and I can feel the resentment of Spotify to a mile distance.
It is clear that Pocket Casts is not too satisfied with the way other audio platforms have benefited from the profitability of podcasts, in particular with regard to restricted podcasts within these applications which require additional costs in addition to your monthly expensive spotify or youtube. In the past year, there has been a significant change in the way these other audio streaming services have changed their podcast strategies. It is not a surprise that Pocket Casts make such daring decisions.
Last summer, Apple opened the doors of its own enclosed garden, which allows non -applied users to more easily broadcast Apple podcasts from a web browser, and Spotify was meticulous with the commercial side of its podcasts by launching video podcasts without advertising in January. It will take a lot of pocket molds to build a popularity status which can match its competitors, but this rare movement will open not only more doors for access to the podcast, but it can run the heads of the faithful SPOTIFY subscribers and other main audio platforms.
