Join Peter Kosmal, Senior Audio Manager at Imagination, as he chronicles the history of podcasts and notes the resilience of audio over the past century.
Join Peter Kosmal, Senior Audio Manager at Imagination, as he chronicles the history of podcasts and notes the resilience of audio over the past century.
Devashree Thaker (00:02):
From the days when families would gather around the radio at night to hear The Lone Ranger, to talking to your co-workers about the latest episode of [Siro 00:00:09], audio has been a compelling medium, delivering information and entertainment to the masses. What makes audio so enthralling? And why have podcasts made such an impression in our lives in the era of streaming video, theater, VR technology and video gaming?
Peter Kosmal (00:27):
Hello and welcome to the first episode of Imaginations miniseries on audio and podcasts. I'm your host, Peter Kosmal, the senior audio manager here at Imagination. It's safe to say a good amount of people have heard at least one podcast episode. According to Edison Research, it's estimated that in the United States alone, 155 million people have heard a podcast, that's 37% of the U.S. population and up from 24% in 2017. There are a staggering number of podcasts out there as well.
Peter Kosmal (01:00):
Podcast analytics company chartable.com reports that more than 885,000 podcasts were started in 2020 alone.
Devashree Thaker (01:09):
With streaming services like Netflix and HBO Max demanding our attention and VR headsets like the Oculus Quest 2 becoming more affordable every year, how are podcast continuing to see an uptick in creation, distribution and listenership year over year?
Peter Kosmal (01:25):
Let's take a trip back in time to the 1930s. Radio is not only the dominant form of entertainment, it was the first and only broadcast medium. Families would gather around their radios at night to tune into their favorite shows, and new forms of content were literally created from scratch. Among the most popular broadcasts were musical shows featuring big band and jazz groups, comedy shows featuring the likes of Abbott and Costello and Bob Hope, radio plays that were both dramatic and comedic in nature, children's shows, and serialized shows such as The Lone Ranger and Perry Mason. Listening to these shows required attention, yes, but they also forced their audiences to visualize the stories in their minds. Each family member might have a completely different interpretation of what their favorite radio hero looked like. Radio remained the only form of broadcast medium until the mid 1940s, and then came television.
Peter Kosmal (02:30):
Television permanently altered information and entertainment as we know it. Many popular radio shows were reimagined as TV shows, so gone were the made up images of beloved radio heroes. Each character was now cast by a studio and forced upon viewers. Radio slowly lost its audience. And audio-only story experiences were sidelined as radio became mainly a way to listen to music, talk shows and sports broadcasts. The Buggles memorialize the death of the medium in their 1979 song, Video Killed the Radio Star. The Golden Age of audio storytelling was over.
Peter Kosmal (03:07):
Then in 2001 came the iPod. Now the iPod certainly wasn't the first digital audio player ever created, but it's hard to underestimate the popularity and the effect the device had on the way we consume audio. For the first time ever, audio became truly portable. Yes, the Sony Walkman existed in the 80s, and portable CD players were readily available in the 90s and the 2000s. But never had anyone been able to store that much audio on a single device and bring it everywhere. Audio is now available not only at home and in cars, but on trains, on walks, while cleaning, literally any activity could be enhanced by audio and a pair of headphones. And then came the smartphone.
Peter Kosmal (04:00):
With both the internet readily available around much of the world and a device that could be stored in your pocket, you no longer needed a computer to transfer audio files to your portable device. Audio could be played and downloaded almost anywhere and consumed nearly everywhere. Although internet radio predated smartphones, there was no easy way to push episodic audio to people on the go until the smartphone.
Devashree Thaker (04:24):
Ben Hammersley of The Guardian coined the word 'podcasting' in an article about online radio in 2004, where he referenced how simple it was for people to receive audio via their iPod, and how easy it was to create audio with relatively inexpensive audio creation software. In June 2005, Apple's iTunes 4.9 added formal support for podcasts and within a year, the format took off.
Peter Kosmal (04:48):
Edison Research states that back in 2013, just 7% of the U.S. population was listening to a podcast per week. Then numbers jumped to 24% in 2020. With recording equipment and online meeting services such as Zoom becoming commonplace during the COVID-19 pandemic, it's no surprise that podcast creation has significantly ramped up. And listeners are following the trend with chartable.com tracking 1.2 billion downloads a month from 13,000 podcasts. The United States alone saw podcast traffic grow 190% in 2020.
Devashree Thaker (05:23):
So it's clear from a technological standpoint why podcasts are here to stay. But let's come back to our proposed question. In an age where visual mediums are becoming more immersive and more diverse, why is audio still vying for attention from consumers?
Peter Kosmal (05:38):
First, it's incredibly easy to digest. Watching Netflix, Amazon Prime or YouTube require sitting down in front of your TV, your computer, or your mobile device, eyes glued to the screen. VR headsets are even more immersive, requiring you to strap on a device to your head. You're locked in that moment with just yourself and the experience, but not so with audio.
Peter Kosmal (06:00):
As we discussed, the advent of the iPod and smartphone made audio a completely portable experience, in your home, on your commute, on a run, literally any activity can be supplemented with an audio experience. It's easily accessible, requires less internet bandwidth and video, and really requires little to no interaction.
Peter Kosmal (06:18):
Second, it's incredibly easy to create. As I stated before, there were 885,000 podcasts created in 2020 alone. Yes, many of these podcasts simply peter out after an episode or two, but the fact remains that podcast creation and distribution is incredibly easy. Now let's consider the impact of COVID forcing us all to work from home. Microphones and video conferencing equipment became standard for many consumers. Along with this access and familiarity with technology came the possibility of creation. That same chartable.com report I mentioned before tells us that though audio podcast listening was down in the first quarter of 2020 due to up ended routines and commutes, downloads quickly surpassed 2019 levels by 180%, and podcast creation had a 280% increase from 2019 to 2020.
Peter Kosmal (07:10):
Third, audio stimulates the imagination. Unlike a visual medium such as television, audio forces a listener to create images in their head. Thinking back to those radio shows of the 1930s, listeners created their own visions of each story in their mind's eye. In today's podcast force their audiences to conjure up mental images as they listen. Whether it's a comedy podcast where three friends try to make each other laugh, or a sci-fi audio journey filled with conspiracy theories, listeners are constantly creating visualizations of what they hear. You're even doing it right now listening to me.
Peter Kosmal (07:44):
Lastly, it can be about anything. Even though podcasts and audio stories are growing at an exponential rate, there's still room for more. With that low barrier for entry and anyone having the ability to host a podcast, there are numerous opportunities for businesses to enter the podcast space. Even something as niche as woodworking or wealth management, or open source software can be turned into an exciting journey if the right success standards are in place.
Peter Kosmal (08:10):
Open source software company Red Hat, for example, created a narrative-style podcast called Open Source Heroes. It struck a great balance between informative and entertaining, and the show was nominated for two Shorty Awards in 2019. Check out the link in the podcast transcript to give it a listen.
Devashree Thaker (08:29):
So, with audio being easy to digest, easy to create, able to stimulate the imagination, and the potential to be about any topic with limitless formats, what's stopping you from creating your own podcast? In the next episode, we'll take a look at how a podcast should be a part of your content marketing strategy.