Quality and Content Will Reign Supreme

[WhiteRabbit]

I don't want this thread to turn into another slugfest like some of the other heated debates have become, so I'm not focusing on any specific shows here. I DO think the important thing for all of us to keep in mind is that being essentially a new method of delivery, Podcasting will continue to change shape and grow. There WILL be many more shows popping up that aren't necessarily the home grown variety, some of them quite large and professional. The beauty of the medium at this point is that ANYONE can access it, not only to create, but to listen as well. That being said, if you have a good, entertaining show, with quality content, PEOPLE WILL LISTEN. In the end, the content will always speak louder than promotion, budget, or how many listeners you already have. Podcasting DOES give the power back to the people as long as we keep creating the best shows possible, and listening to what we want to hear. Voting and Ratings don't mean much in the short term, it's the long term that will show what people want to hear.

Okay enough preaching to the converted.

[bob]

Well said!

...and your rabbit logo frightens me.

[Ian]

Agreed.

Nice to know someone else around here agrees that Podcasting is a medium, and not a definition of how content is created.

[dannywall]

In the end, the content will always speak louder than promotion, budget, or how many listeners you already have.

Actually, I'm not really all that sure that I agree with you.

In the end, promotion will pretty much always trump everything else.

VHS beat Beta. Microsoft pretty much beats everyone else at what ever they do and even they don't claim to create the best of anything.

Remember the Amiga?

Their whole "thing" was that they didn't advertise or market, saying that their computer was so far and away better than everyone else's that it would sell it self.

And the Amiga ABSOLUTELY WAS far and away better ... but that didn't stop their lack of marketing from effectively putting them out of businesses.

Of course podcasting doesn't come with the same sort of overhead as other things, and podcasts that are non-profit, or very low profit, will still draw listeners.

But don't think even for a second that someone ... and probably VERY soon ... won't put together a show with "professional" talent and tons of sponsors and advertisers that isn't half as good as some of the stuff we've already got ... and won't crack the 500,000 listener mark in short order and the 1,000,000 listener mark within six months to a year.

With that said, the "big budget" shows (that I can tell you absolutely are coming) will also draw people to the podcasting "medium" thereby making the listener numbers of even "small budget" shows (which pretty much all of ours are currently) bigger.

In other words, the big budget shows will draw audience to the rest of us.

Or at least it will to some. I'm just trying to figure out a way to prevent the marketing and promotion of the big budget folks from drowning the rest of us out with sheer noise.

Anyway, that's my opinion.

[Cookiepuss]

One of the main purposes of my site (http://undergroundmedia.org) is to help people imporve their podcasts so even a newbie could sound like a pro. So I am all for people editing and improving podcasting as a medium. Since people like to say that podcasting will compete with radio it would need production values first in order to even have a remote chance.

And WhiteRabbit. . .your logo reminds me of "Frank" from Donnie Darko (http://imdb.com/title/tt0246578/). I am torn if that is a good thing or bad thing. ;) (j/k)

[jawbone]

Man, that will be a sad day for the home podcaster. :(

Sounds like a bleak future.

[allthewhile]

I don't think I'll have to worry about the supposed demographic I would be trying to reach. Catholic am radio has a hard enough time getting by on their own. Who knows.

[Cookiepuss]

To clarify what I said I see podcasting as diversifying between the "record it and post it" podcaster. As well as the people who take the time to edit and dd SFX etc.

My foucs with my site is showing people how to use podcasting/vblogging/etc as a means of citizen journalism. Which is another means of diversity. Just as a lot of bloggers are taking a more journalistic approach and uncoverging news and reporting on it.

I just consider the unedited podcasts to be more like what I would call an "audioblog".

So nothing bleak about the future as you said. It looks to be very bright with more choices than ever. :)

[WhiteRabbit]

[quote=WhiteRabbit]In the end, the content will always speak louder than promotion, budget, or how many listeners you already have.

Okay, point taken. You ARE correct in that big budget publicity, and marketing will always win out over those that can't compete at the same level. If promotion didn't work, then advertising wouldn't be a multi billion dollar industry.

I guess my point was more that even though the "Big Dogs" can get the word out more easily to a much larger audience, content is still the key. If a show sucks, it sucks. Perhaps I'm too much of an idealist, but I still hold on to the hope that if you're doing something really great, people will listen and as more people listen, the word will spread.

The beauty of Podcasting is that it lets the little guys have a voice in an arena that was much more exclusive before. It's kind of like what the Print On Demand publishing phenomenon has done for the book world, or DV has done for independent films. Yes there is a lot of crap to sort through, and the odds of success aren't really in your favor, but there is a lot of good stuff that rises to the top. Stuff that would have otherwise remained buried or unmade.

I still think that big things will come from the Podcasting Revolution and will continue to champion the underdog though.

Thanks for the comment and making me think a bit more.

[WhiteRabbit]

Sorry, I didn't mean to quote myself, I was responding mostly to what DANNYWALL wrote,

"Actually, I'm not really all that sure that I agree with you.

In the end, promotion will pretty much always trump everything else. "

[Michael B]

Traditional media already exists and "competes" for listeners with podcasting. People have their media players on instead of radio. If traditional media begins sending their existing programming through podcast channels that isn't going to hurt those already in the game.

I don't think your average podcast listener is thinking "I'm only listening to this until The Fric And Frac show is available to me for download". I think that the existing media people will draw more people into the technology. Then some of those may end up finding some of the gems that are already out there more than current listeners will head the other direction.

Blogs exist despite professionals from existing media blogging the same as the podcast as we know it will still exist. Podcasts existed before podcasting. It's just the delivery method that got the handy slogan. Audio blogs, audio journals, whatever you want to call it - it's not something that Clear Channel is going to take over.

[radioclash]

Remember the Amiga?

Their whole "thing" was that they didn't advertise or market, saying that their computer was so far and away better than everyone else's that it would sell it self.

And the Amiga ABSOLUTELY WAS far and away better ... but that didn't stop their lack of marketing from effectively putting them out of businesses.

Actually what put the Amiga off the market wasn't lack of demand or marketing, it was the crap business model fo Commodore - it lost money elsewhere, the Amiga branch always made money, but the domestic division lost so much money it pulled the whole lot down. Then they sold the brand and technology to a few other companies who did very little with it and then the multimedia PC and console boom killed it off for good.

The machines were good and sold through word of mouth - several of my friends got them after I got mine and showed them.

Also the Amiga lasted longer than it's rival, Atari and the ST. A lot of people forget that...ST went off the market and Atari went phoom years before the Amiga did, and Atari and Jack Tramiel were the kings of marketing (and nicking other people's ideas for computers.....*cough*)