Hello! I’m back in NYC after a whirlwind few days in Dallas last week. It was really great to meet so many people from the industry in person. My biggest takeaway from Podcast Movement week is how much the podcast format has evolved (for better or worse). Video podcasts were the hot topic, with much discussion about how to switch to video and whether it is necessary to do so. As one executive told me, video is not for everyone! It’s much easier to produce professional-quality audio than video, and many podcast genres don’t really lend themselves to video. I’ll be curious to see if it’s such a big topic next year – maybe by then, the creators will have tried and abandoned the practice.
After a big week of news last week, with Twitter launching its podcast feature and much ~~discourse about Ben Shapiro’s surprise appearance at Podcast Movement, it’s somewhat quieter this week. Everyone is in lazy mode at the end of the summer, and I’m not mad about it – except for James Van Der Beek, who is feeling controversial. Let’s get into it.
James Van Der Beek is suing Stitcher after podcast talks fall through
James Van Der Beek Not Happy About Ending His Podcast Deal With SiriusXM’s Stitcher; of Dawson’s Creek the star is suing the network for breach of contract. explosion first reported the lawsuit, which was filed Friday. The lawsuit claims his deal would have been worth a minimum of $700,000 for 40 episodes, plus 50 percent of net advertising revenue.
“[Van Der Beek] there were other offers and potential partners to choose from to develop this project,” the file states. “However, in reliance on the contractual agreement reached with the defendants, the plaintiff ceased negotiations with the other purchasers and affirmatively rejected those other offers (as well as other courses of action).”
According to the file, it does not appear that there was a formal contract. Van Der Beek sued based on terms agreed to by phone and email. It’s not clear what led to the deal falling apart, but I’m sure the (hopefully juicy!) details will emerge as the case continues. SiriusXM declined to comment.
Van Der Beek vendetta aside, I personally love being able to get a number on a successful celebrity podcast deal (even if they are becoming less common in the current economic climate).
Date deadline subscribe to Apple Podcasts
Dateline NBCwhich did true crime before it was cool, is launching an Apple Podcast subscription. Dateline Premiumwhich costs $2.99 per month or $29.99 per year, gives subscribers ad-free listening, early access to new episodes and exclusive bonus content.
It’s no wonder that Date deadline went with Apple for its premium service as its podcast performs particularly well on the platform (currently ranked #10, compared to #40 on Spotify). Last year, Apple launched podcast subscriptions (of which it takes a 30 percent cut in the first year), and they’re becoming more mainstream. The company reports that more than a quarter of the top 100 shows on the platform now offer subscriptions.
Fresh green beans
We’ve got a bunch of new shows coming out of Podcast Movement, and I wanted to highlight some of the highlights:
- Video game creator Hideo Kojima, who has a pretty massive following, is the latest Spotify podcast star. The structure of the brain it will be offered in English and Japanese and won’t be about games per se. The talk show will run the gamut from film and gaming to “art, philosophy and the social landscape.”
- NPR is also launching a new bilingual podcast. In partnership with Futuro Media, the studio that just won an audio Pulitzer Softfocused on football The Final Cup will debut later this fall ahead of the FIFA World Cup in English and Spanish. NPR host Jasmine Garsd will use soccer to explore topics like identity, race and class.
- Crooked Media is making a leap into lifestyle content. We dare saywhich debuted earlier this month, is hosted by Gen Z actresses Josie Totah, Alycia Pascual Peña, and Yasmine Hamady, who will delve into 20-something life, social media, LGBTQ issues, and a little politics (it’s still crooked, after all).
- Pushkin Industries and Sony Music’s Somethin’ Else are collaborating on an art-world look at true crime with Death of an artist, which will debut on September 8. The play is an exploration of the mysterious 1985 death of Cuban-born artist Ana Mendieta. This isn’t for me, but I’m sure it is for someone.
- Another true crime group! (Again, not for me). Tenderfoot and iHeart have partnered monster, a 10-episode series about Belgian serial killer Marc Dutroux. The first two episodes are out now.
- Björk having a podcast isn’t surprising at all, but I’ll admit I didn’t expect it to be sponsored by Mailchimp. She really does zig when you think she’s going to crawl. Björk: The Symbolism of Sound it will be released on thursday.
That’s all from me! Have a great holiday weekend and I’ll see you next week.