prediction for tma2 that is 99.999% not going to come true: the whole thing is set in a parallel universe, one of the ones the fears spread into (but not the one where og universe jmart ended up, the ambiguous ending of mag200 should stay that way imo). we follow either a completely new cast of characters or (some of?) the alternate universe versions of the tma main characters as they deal with the arrival of the fears and try to prevent another apocalypse

Explaining the tabs.

Brief summary: Let me talk about what's in my Magnus Institute binder! :D<

As I am listening to The Magnus Archives I will be taking notes! Honestly it is because Jonny boy here has a quiet and calming voice. I either had to sit still and risk falling asleep, or go about my day missing whatever important info he is dropping.

So my next conclusion is that I take notes. Keep my hands and brain busy, y'know. I am very logical and not at all being extra about this podcast experience.

Take heed that the labels were given spur in the moment. It’s bound to change or have more folders added. I have a feeling this is going to get messy... :|

BEHOLD THE TABS:

Rough Notes: Scramble for information.

These will be the notes I take while listening to the podcast. I've written names, dates, and places down. Brief descriptions of said persons and the gist of what they went through. It looks very messy. But hey, they call it rough for a reason. Notes will be written in episodic order.

Refined Notes: So posh and clean!

Taking a look at my rough notes and annotating transcripts if I can find them I can write my findings in a organized manner! The structure will likely go as followed;

Title. Statement code(?) assigned by Gertrude Robinson. Statement Giver. Intro description given by Jonathan Sims.

Overview of events. Dates, places, and people appearing in the episode (both in the statement and recording).

Personal commentary.

Dates: This will take a long, long time.

There are many statements given over 200 years I assume. Bit by bit I will record the chronological events that take place in the show. This will take a long, long time.

Names: I will have a page for everyone

I will have a page for everyone who ever shows up or is even mentioned in The Magnus Archives. Who they are, what episode(s) they show up in, and what they have done.

This tab will also be...extensive...and very full. Perhaps I'll have them be in alphabetical order? I'm also thinking to have the institute employees and statement givers in their own sub-categories. Main cast privileges I guess?

Places: A long record of places.

When they were mentioned and what happened there. I may add maps! :D<

Goners: Originally going to be "Missing/Dead".

but I think "Goners" is the best description. The Goners tab will consist of three (3) sub-categories: Missing, Dead, and...Something Else.

Descriptions will include: Name of person. What happened. Date of being a Goner. Assigned sub-category.

Connections: There are patterns. Everywhere.

Reoccurring imagery, behaviors, appearances will be recorded.

For example, I remember two separate statement givers who mentioned people who are really into fractals. Not sure why or how they are connected, but these concepts are too similar to dismiss. The same goes for eye motif. (Seriously why the eyeballs?)

I am aware of the concept of "entities" and "avatars" but vaguely know the names of them. (There are like, 12 of them?) Being spoiled with this knowledge might be helpful to be prepared for future events and how to counteract them :O

or ruin surprises and immersion for me :(

Conclusions: Wrapping it up baby B)

This will be the section where I theorize how to deal with these situations or people(?). I will incorporate my statement commentaries to make a comprehensive conclusion. Specifically about these "entities" and "avatars".

Preventative measures. Self defense. Aftercare.

I think these statement givers/victims fall on a spectrum. You have:

Those who indulge in risky behaviors. Who go out of their way to find trouble. They do it to either fight or embrace these "entities".

Those misfortunate enough to be in the crossfire. They were just trying to live their lives and they got shot by tragedy. Trouble found them. And it hurts.

I feel like people are going to think I'm insane for being so thorough. Maybe they're right. :(

But this is my project, not theirs. >:)

Dobson's Patreon: An Addendum to His Monument of Sins

(The following is a submission from @soyouareandrewdobson, meant to be an addendum to the multi-post submission @ripsinfest made a while back. Ironically, this one also had issues when being submitted, so I’ll be copypasting it here with all the images and links originally intended.)

In 2018, user @ripsinfest wrote a multipart series of posts for THOAD, recounting Dobson’s attempt to establish a patreon in 2015 and how it resulted in failure on a massive scale, to the point that his patreon is arguably “a monument to all his sins”.

Personally I think the post series is extremely well researched, rather “neutral” in terms of tone (letting the posts provided as evidence speak more for themselves than the opinion of the writer) and gives a detailed but quick rundown on what went wrong. Primarily that Dobson overestimated his own “value” as an artist and did NOT attempt to give his few supporters what they wanted through his artwork posted around the time.

I do however want to use the opportunity to also point out at certain obvious things that in my opinion (and likely the opinions of others) added to the failure of the patreon account, that were not accounted for in detail and are primarily related to how the internet perceives popularity and Dobson’s inability to understand, how to “sell” and make himself look good to the public.

To begin with, let’s just point out a certain truth about making money via Patreon: To do so, depends a lot on your popularity as a content creator online. That is simply because the more popular you are, the bigger your fanbase is and as such the more likely a certain percentage of people may be willing to donate money to you and your work in hopes they get something out of it, even if it is just the altruistic feeling of having helped someone they “like”. It doesn’t take a genius to see, how e.g. internet reviewers such as Linkara or moviebob (around 2800 and 4400$ earnings via patreon each month respectively) can make quite some money, while other, more obscure content creator or artists barely make money to go by, earning essentially pocket money at best.

In addition, popularity is fleeting. A few years ago e.g. internet personality Noah Antweiler aka The SpoonyOne managed to earn 5000$ a month via patreon, just shortly after establishing his account. But his lack of content over the years AND his toxic behavior online resulted in a decline of popularity and with it people jumping off his Patreon. As such, Antweiler only earns nowadays around 290$ a month via Patreon and most of that money is likely form people who have forgotten they donate to him in the first place anyway.

And Noah is not the only one who over the course of the last couple of years lost earnings. Brianna Wu makes barely more than he does, despite having once been the “darling” of the internet when the Gamergate controversy was at its peak. Many Bronies who once made more than 2k via video reviews on a show about little horses at the peak of its popularity (2013-15) earn less than 300-800 on average nowadays because interest on the show as well as people talking about it has declined.

Heck, in preparation of writing this piece I found out, that one of the highest grossing patreons nowadays is “The last podcast on the left”, a podcast that earns more than 67k a month by making recordings on obscure and macabre subjects on a regular basis.

So there you have it folks: As the interests of the internet users change, so does the popularity of certain people online and -in case they have a patreon account or similar plattforms- their chances of making money via their content.

Which now brings us back to Dobson, who was not popular at all at that particular time and managed to become even less popular as the months and years passed by.

Sure, Dobson had his fans via deviantart, people knew who he was. But the later was more because of “infamy” than popularity and the number of fans he had accumulated online were representing people interested in him at least since 2005 and did not quite represent his actual present day numbers of supporters at the time.

And mind you, the number of supporters was less than 100k, most of them likely underaged deviantart users. And if my research indicates something, then that most content creators with a halfway decent patreon earning need at least 100k+ followers in total. Because of those fans, only around 1-3% will on average then spend money on you, if you actually create content they enjoy and on a regular basis.

Which brings up the next major problem: Dobson did not create content people enjoyed and that in more than one meaning of the word.

On one hand, as pointed out by ripsinfest, he barely released any content at all over 2015 after a few initial months, despite the fact that he was obviously active online a lot, as shown by his presence on twitter. On the other hand, the few things he did create were not the stuff people wanted.

As an example: If you go to a restaurant and pay for a pizza, you expect the cook to give you a pizza. If however for some reason he just gives you a soda, you get ripped off and never come back. In Dobson’s case, the thing people wanted was not pizza but comic pages. But what he delivered was mostly bland fanart, such as of Disney and Marvel characters crossing over or KorraSami. Sure, a few strips of “So…you are a cartoonist” were still released at the time, but not really many.

To give an overview: Taking the release dates on Dobson’s official SYAC site into account, he released around 16 strips of it between March and August of 2015, the last two being “No Leia” being titled “Zip line”

Afterwards, the next official strip released was “Anything at all” in October of 2016.

Now to be fair, there was at least one more strip at the time Dobson released via patreon, that is also save to see on kiwifarms and other plattforms, which has not been uploaded to his official SYAC page. Likely because he simply forgot about it.

But I think that in itself should tell you something about Dobson’s work ethics when it comes to his webcomics. He promoted his patreon in his own video as a way to ensure he can make comics in a timely fashion again for others to enjoy, but in an environment where certain artists are capable to create multiple strips per week at minimum, Dobson could overall not manage to produce more than 16 over a course of six months, which means an average production of 3 strips per month.

For comparison, Tatsuya Ishida of the infamous sinfest webcomic (a garbage fire of epic proportions from a TERF who I think should be put on a watch list) has produced on average 4 strips per week, including full page Sunday strips, for years and nowadays even releases stuff on a daily basis to pass the covid crisis. So a mad man who wants to see trnas people die, has better work ethics than Dobson.

In other words, people expected Dobson to actually get back into creating comics (with some even expecting a return of Alex ze Pirate), but he got in fact even lazier than before, releasing only SYAC strips and random fanart as a product. Which he then also tried to justify as his choice to make because a) he had mental health issues and b) no one can tell him what to do.

And sure, people do not need to tell you what to do. But when people pay/donate money to you expecting to get a certain product in return, they should get the product. Linkara e.g. by all means doesn’t NEED to review comics to have a fullfilling life, but he got famous for his reviews, people want to see his reviews and they pay him for those reviews. So obviously, he will continue those things.

Then there is also the fact that despite Dobson’s claims how he wants to create comics for everone to enjoy and that he aims to keep his artwork online for free so anyone can view it…(his exact words in his promotional video AND text on his patreon once upon a time)

…the reality was, that he wanted to use patreon as a paywall. Something I actually kinda pointed out at on my own account (shameless self promotion) once, but want now to elaborate a bit. Basically at the time Dobson opened up his patreon, he also was on the verge of leaving deviantart as a platform people could look at his work behind. Which he eventually did.

Meaning that the only major platforms for people to watch any “new” stuff by him were his patreon or art sites such as the SYAC homepage or andysartwork. Which granted, he did EVENTUALLY put his stuff on.

But unlike other content creators who would put “patreon exclusive” new content up on more public plattforms often within a few days, weeks or a month after making them “patreon only” at first, Dobson waited longer and did barely anything to promote his sites as places to look his stuff up for a public audience. In doing so creating a “bubble” for himself that hurt him more than it helped, as Dobson made himself essentially come off as a snob.

A snob who did not create content for everybody to enjoy, but ONLY for those willing to pay him at least one dollar per month. As evident e.g. by the fact that as time went by, certain content was never released outside of his patreon at all, such as a SYAC strip involving Dobbear screaming at the computer because he saw a piece of art that featured tumblr nose.

Lastly, there is the issue of his patreon perks and stretch goals.

See, his perks were essentially non existent. Aside of the beggars reward of “my eternal thank you if you donate 1 dollar”, two other perks that come to my mind were the following: If you donated up to 5$ at minimum, you got your name thrown into a lottery to potentially win buttons and postcards of his artwork. Unsold cheap merch from years prior he failed to sell at conventions basically. There was just a problem with that thing: That lottery thing, which he also was only going to initiate when he reached a stretch goal of 150 dollar a month? It was illegal!

Patreon itself has in their user agreement a rule that forbids people from offering perks that essentially boil down to “earning” something via gambling, which this lottery by Dobson was.

(THOAD chiming in here to add that, in addition to all this, he fully admitted he would be excluding Patrons that he “knew were clearly trolls” from the lottery. Which made the already illegal lottery also fixed, so...yeah.)

The next thing coming to mind was his “discount” on previous books of his he offered online, if you donated at least 10 bucks per month to him. Or to translate it: You would get a bare minimum discount at pdf files of books such as Alex ze Pirate and Formera (you know, the permanently cancelled Dobson comics) if you paid up 50-75% of their original price on Patreon already. And considering the quality of his early works, he should have given you at least a book per month for free if you dared to donate him that much.

As for the stretch goals… lets go through them, shall we:

100$: A wallpaper per month. Something he did provide with eventually, but barely. And after less than five of those he stopped to make them overall

150$: Monthly Gift basket Lottery, which as I stated, was illegal and almost got him into serious trouble with his account. Also not an initial stretch goal he made up but instead came up with a few months into his accounts existence. Finally it got temporarily replaced by Dobson playing with the idea to use 150$ per month to open up a server and art site where people could upload stuff for free similar to deviantart, but under his administration. Promising a “safe space” for other artists. Which considering Dobson’s ego and inability to accept criticism or delegate responsibilities would have likely ended like this:

175$: Establishing a Minecraft server for him and his fans to play on. Meaning Dobson would have just wasted time he could spend on creating comics to endulge in his Minecraft obsession.

200$: Writing a Skyrim children book. Aside of the legal nightmare that this could have been (I doubt Valve would have been happy of someone else profiting of their property) I have to ask, who was even interested in Skyrim by 2015 anymore? Sure, Skyrim was a popular game and it had its qualities, but it was also a trend that had passed by that time. So in other words, there was not a market to cater towards here.

300$: A strip per week guaranteed.

… are you fucking kidding me? 75$ per strip essentially? Something people expect you to produce anyway if you want to be considered a “prolific” creator worth supporting online? Imagine if certain internet reviewers would do that, telling you that if they do not earn at least a certain amount of money, they will not produce anything, period, or less than usual. And Dobson had already proven that he can release more than just one comic within a few days, if he is motivated by enough spite.

600$: Starting a podcast with his friends to talk about nerd culture. In my opinion could only work under the assumption that people even like the idea of listening to Dobson and his opinions. Which considering how very little people like talking to him sounds doubtful. Also, considering how Dobson tends to be late to the party when it comes to nerd culture, likely tending to be out of date faster than he could upload. Finally... what friends?

700$: Returning the love, as he says it, by donating some of the money patreon users gave him to other content creators. This in my opinion is the most self defeating cause possible. On one hand sure, being generous and all that. But essentially Dobson admits here he would blow the money people give him to support HIS art on others, essentially defeating the purpose of HIS own account. He also does not clarify how much of that money he would donate, meaning there was a high chance that he would spend less than 10% of it on other creators, only creating the illusion of support while putting the actual earnings/donations into his own pocket.

2000$: A massive jump ahead. 2000$ per month would result in him getting better equipment (as in a new computer e.g.) and as such “potentially” make more comics. Mind you, only potentially.

This goal in my opinion is also the most fucked up one. Primarily for the following reasons:

Lets say Dobson would have achieved the goal and actually earned over 2000$ per month for at least a year. His annual earning would have been 24k, minus whatever he had to pay as taxes and payment for using the patreon service. And what would he do with this money? Get himself a better computer and equipment by paying a minor fraction of it once. Then he could use that computer for years to come while still having over 10k in his account, plus his monthly earnings. And he may still just produce 3-4 comics a month of a series that has as much depth to it than Peppa Pig if not less.

Sure, many patreon users have 2k+ as a stretch goal on their accounts to signify that if they could make that much monthly, they could have the necessary financial security to focus their time primarily on their content instead of a regular job. And if the content they create is actually well made, many people would support that or be okay with it.

But 2000 dollars to buy ONE computer and not account for how this money will add up over time? And that in light of such profits people may actually expect you to create more than you barely do already? That is either a case of narcissism, plain stupidity because you can't look further than 5 feet or just shows how Dobson did not understand at all the tool he had at his disposal.

Bottom line: Dobson, like many times before, fucked it up. He overestimated the potential support and resulting profits he could make, he expected that his name alone would be enough to assure gainings instead of creating content to justify support and he was unwilling to really give his supporters anything worthwhile back.

And while I am sure that there were also many other factors guaranteeing his failure, those at least to me, were his "common" mistakes most other people familiar even with the basics of internet popularity would ahve avoided.

i woke up at 4:30 in the morning with this messy meta about the comparative horror styles of welcome to nightvale vs the magnus archives and how i like them both very much this is not a one is better than the other post because they’re DIFFERENT but also why, personally, nightvale has freaked me out more than TMA  (the magnus archives- im gonna use the abbreviation from now on and in scientific papers u gotta ESTABLISH the acronym and it’s actually kind of annoying bc they’ll establish it ONCE in the abstract and then never say what XJFEFJDOSM or whatever stands for again so if ur like wait WHAT was that again u gotta scroll all the way back up and it’s a whole thing but I digress)   and it has to do with WORLDBUILDING and FRAMING DEVICES and USE OF SECOND PERSON and only a little bit how if a character unironically says “innit” i automatically can’t take them seriously. Anyway it’s stuck in my head so you know I had to make it your problem. Also I’m putting this under a read more bc fjsdjlks holy shit this is gonna get LONG and RAMBLY and D E E P L Y nerdy 

WORLDBUILDING, FRAMING DEVICES, AND (THE USE OF) YOU IN MANGUS AND NIGHTVALE

Part A: whose universe is it anyway? Welcome to horror where the lore is made up and the logic doesnt matter

so I am not the first or last to compare (/maybe wanna crossover a little) the worlds of

wtnv (welcome to nightvale) and TMA and like for good reason bc in many ways they feel very similar but in TMA it’s like What the FUCK is going on with all of these horrors and nightmarish scenarios I am FREAKED out where as WTNV treats it’s horrors as typically mundane which

A: plays into why when WTNV is like “remember how we’re a horror :)” it’s like OH SHIT bc if Jon Archivist is scared you’re like well yeah it’s scary out there but if CECIL PALMER, general attitude of a peppy cheerleader when facing terrors beyond imagination, is scared, you KNOW shit is FUCKED

B: isn’t entirely accurate, because I don’t actually feel like they are set in the same world. here’s where things get sticky when it comes to realities and whatnot but I do wanna stress that yes I know WTNV and TMA are both works of fictions BUT I would personally say that

TMA is set in a parallel universe:  a reality that’s similar to our own but also distinctly separate from anything that we, the audience, can witness but never participate in

WTNV is set in a hidden universe: it is set in our (the listeners) own reality, and is done in such a way that it feels like if you looked hard enough for it or if you just had a bout of bad luck or if you happen to drive down a certain road in a long stretch of US desert (side note: if there’s any real life place nightvale would be set in it’s definitely new mexico have you ever been in new mexico it’s called land of ENCHANTMENT for a reason if I drove into new mexico and drove back out a few days later and like THIRTY YEARS had passed I’d be like yeah that tracks) that you could end up in the reality of nightvale. Who’s to say there’s not a faceless old woman secretly living in your house? Are you sure there’s nothing odd in your mirror? Who can ever be sure time is working correctly?

Which brings me to

Part B: You(yes, you!)’ve Been Framed!

Listen. I fucking love a good framing device. Every time a podcast is like “here’s why the events of the story are recorded in the world of the story” I go bonkers in yonkers that shit SLAPS. TMA and WTNV both do this, but (at least up to ep 176 of TMA, this whole fuckin essay could still be blown out the water) TMA’s framing device doesn’t account for an audience, where as WTNV’s the audience is a core component

the framing device of TMA is that these spooky stories are being recorded by an archivist in order to have an audio version of written statements. Cool! It tells the audience why these recordings exist, and why they’re episodic. Later in the story, the tapes begin to spontaneously show up because of Spooky Reasons that have yet to be Fully Revealed, but it still isn’t for an audience. When Jon Archivist records these tapes, they’re basically being recorded for a Void. Yes, the tapes are originally for a potential researcher to listen to, but that ain’t you chief. You are not part of the narrative (so far at least! Again, maybe the audience will be brought into the story when it’s revealed What’s Up with the spontaneous tapes, but so far nah), there’s no in universe explanation for why you personally are listening to these stories. You aren’t present in the story, in the framing device, so you are not a part of that world.

The framing device of WTNV is that you are tuning into the community radio of a small desert town, Nightvale, that you are a part of. After all, if you are tuning into something local, you’re strongly implied to be local. Thus, we have a framing device that explains both why it’s recorded AND why you’re listening. The audience is absolutely involved in the narrative rather than a simple spectator. Cecil Palmer is not recording into a Void, he’s talking to listeners of which you are a part of. (side note: this makes nightvale liveshows SUPER fun if u get an opportunity to go to one I HIGHLY recommend it bc while there’s not ‘audience participation’ in the classic sense of like magic or comedy acts the narrative IS constructed in a way that you feel less like a witness of a story and more of a participant like the one I went to most of us pulled our legs onto out chair bc oh SHIT maybe there IS an escaped librarian under your chair making a grab for your feet SUSPENSION OF DISBELIEF IS FUN AS HELL YALL)

These framing devices are enforced and enhanced upon by who the “you” in a narrative is.

In TMA, when there’s a “you” being referred to, when there’s a listener, it’s usually an in universe character. When there’s lines like “i’m sorry, that’s not what you came here to listen to” it’s not referring to you personally, it’s talking to Jon Archivist or Gertrude Archivist or Insert Archival Assistant. When TMA does use a more general “you”, it’s still in universe rather than the external listening to audience. You can include yourself as part of that general you, but it’s not inherently built into the narrative. If you want to distance yourself, you can also do that. You are not automatically in this world, even if much of it feels repeatable and/or similar

WTNV sometimes uses you to refer to an in universe character, because conversations do happen, but in the episodes where it’s like LMAO THIS IS A HORROR, the “you” and general second person is actively both discussing a known character and the listener personally. One of the most recent episodes, ep 171 “Go to the Mirror?” is a BRILLIANT example of this, where Cecil is simultaneously discussing himself and his experiences AND you as well. There’s something he can only see in the mirror, something with such sharp claws, on his shoulders, but it’s also something you personally can only see in the mirror, something on your shoulder.  You are not exempt from the story, you can’t be exempt from the story, because you’ve always been a part of it. (Also side note go to the mirror is SO fuckign good it made my heart fuckin POUND the amount of times that despite knowing it was fiction I looked over my shoulder so many times. I know a shit ton of people listened to WTNV in like 2012/13 and dropped off and felt guilty and never caught up again but like. Catch up on nightvale it’s good for body and soul and also Cecilos just keep winning)

WAY too long; didn’t read: to me personally while I LOVE both TMA and WTNV, WTNV is scarier to be because TMA feels like a story that you’re bearing witness to (also thank god british people aren’t real and were made up for the Peppa Pig Cinematic Universe), WTNV feels not just like a story that you could be in but actively already are and that makes things SPOOKY

Also this isn’t related to the essay but shout out to whoever first decided that horror narrators should have nice even voices we really all be soothed by some grisly ass stories the amount of people that fall asleep to WTNV/TMA is WILD

Churchill “Church” Darling → Michael B. Jordan, Anthony Mackie, Zoe Kravitz, and Alfie Enoch → Human Shifter

→ Basic Information

Age: 298

Gender: Male

Sexuality: Bisexual

Birthday: February 28

Zodiac Sign: Pisces

Religion: Deism

→ His Personality Churchill has never been one to overshare. He’s got a way with making friends with almost anyone and an ability to talk his way out of any problems, but few reach past that surface and into the well that is Churchill Darling. He holds almost no connections to his past, and has crafted an identity as someone who could 35 or 500. Church gives off an attitude of fearing nothing; and for much of his life it was the truth. He murdered and cheated others for decades in Paris, taking over rich men’s lives to make his fortune. Churchill often felt invincible in those days, which carries into his personality. For the majority of his life he has preferred to remain unattached to both his biological family and to whatever Human Shifter Family he is living with.

That has begun to change somewhat recently. He’s found himself taking younger members of the Family under his wing. He has also begun to make friends with people outside of the family like Max Vanes. This may have something to do with his promotion to 2nd of the Family a few years back. He was initially very hesitant to take it, especially since it cemented him staying in the city for a while. It’s given him a purpose he didn’t have previously and has helped him become less selfish. He still holds a strong cynical streak however and enjoys the aspects of lying and embracing another personality.

→ His Personal Facts

Occupation: 2nd of the Human Shifters and Forensic Computer Analyst

Scars: Depends on Shifter

Tattoos: Depends on Shifter

Two Likes: Multilingualism and The city at night

Two Dislikes: Bill Gates and Electrocution

Two Fears: Being Harvested and Guillotines

Two Hobbies: People Watching and Computer Science

Three Positive Traits: Headstrong, Dedicated, Fearless

Three Negative Traits: Deceptive, Unobtrusive, Cynical

→ His Connections

Parent Names:

Aufondet Leclair (Father): Churchill’s father was a murderous cheat who made a habit of stealing other human shifters’ faces. He managed to find Churchill in Paris despite the numerous face changes, and it was there that Church took him out to avoid having his secret exposed to the residing supernaturals of Paris.

Ermelina De Saint-Pierre (Mother): Churchill’s mother was the oldest human shifter in their Family. They resided primarily in the French countryside and had a village entirely made up of human shifters. Churchill left soon after turning 20, seeking a life far away from any human shifters. Ermelina is apparently still alive, though Church hasn’t spoken to his mother since he left France.

Sibling Names:

Tola De Saint-Pierre (Sister): From what Church has heard throughout the years is that Tola took over much of the roles his mother once had when she decided to retire. He has not spoken to Tola since he left France.

Mahalt De Saint-Pierre (Sister): Mahalt briefly stayed in Chicago during the 1950s. Throughout her time here, Churchill said nothing of who he was or their relation. She married a member of Patch’s original clan and moved away.

Children Names:

None

Romantic Connections:

None - None of his previous partners made much of an impact on him.

Platonic Connections:

Jev “Patch” Cipriano (Best Friend): Church and Patch enjoy finding trouble. They have the same relaxed, chilled out attitude and sense of humor. Church trusts Patch completely, and he is one of the few who knows parts of his past. They live together in an apartment downtown.

Robert J. Fischer (Best Friend): Church and Robert clicked as soon as they met unexpectedly. While their histories are nowhere near the same, they both enjoyed taking faces and living as the person they wear. Robert, Churchill, Vincent and Patch all shared one apartment until recently, when Robert was tasked with running for mayor.

Vincent Kane (Best Friend): Vincent and Churchill have known each other for approximately 180 years. They have formed a bond stronger than most people, and he is one of the few who knows parts of Church’s past. They live together in an apartment downtown.

Sirius Cobic (Old Friend):  Churchill has a lot of difficulty being tied down. He ran away from his Family as a young man, and hasn’t ever fully been as connected to other human shifters until recently. Much of that is due to Sirius’s leadership and willingness to let him be who he is. Sirius doesn’t infantilize him and respects the fact that he can protect himself.

Adelaide Blanchett (New Friend): Addie is one of the human shifters Church has found himself taking under his wing. She’s smart and has a way of working a room, however Church sees a similar edge under it all and knows that Addie has a history and wants to know it. He likes her, and hopes to get her to join the IT department after she quits being a lawyer.

Darren Shaw (Friendly): Darren regularly goes out with Winston, Churchill, and Douglas. They aren’t close, but they get along well.

Winston Abioye (Good Friend): Doug, Winston, and Church have formed their own group. All of them willing to go passed the line to do what needs to be done. Church helped take down the Jenkins family with Winston and Doug. Churchill is also the godfather to his son, Tafari.

Douglas Gish (Good Friend): Doug, Winston, and Church have formed their own group. All of them willing to go passed the line to do what needs to be done. Church is one of the few that gets the occasional glimpse behind Douglas’s persona.

Kate Brooks (Friendly): Church works with Kate occasionally, and has been brought in by Patch to hook her up with Ryan. He likes her, but thinks that she’s too smart for her own good; he can easily see her figuring out that her coworkers are not human.

Ryan Cleirigh (Friend): Patch introduced Church and Ryan, and he found that he clicked instantly with him as well. Church is a regular on the podcast, and a part of the scheme to get Ryan a girlfriend.

Max Vanes (Friendly Informant): Church likes Max, but can’t help but be suspicious of her intentions, especially when he’s seen who she goes home to. He’s approaching the idea with an open mind, but is holding her at arms length.

Art Milligan Jr (Friend): Arthur and Church have a shared love of darker nights and activities away from the usual ‘right and wrong’. Church is a judgement free zone and Arthur often comes to him with his problems.

Greta Bow (Good Friend): Churchill has become one of Greta’s secret keepers. She has begun shifting sporadically when emotional and reverting to an old face that seems to have separated from her true personality as a defense mechanism. Patch and Church are trying to help her by befriending this form. Church has a feeling that Sirius has caught on, but he’s not going to expose Greta’s secret unless asked about it directly.

Hostile Connections:

Jaxson Idris (Hates): Church enjoys playing Cat and Mouse with the rats. However, Jaxson takes it past amusement and Church has come much more vicious with his tactics lately.

James Montgomery (Hates): He doesn’t know what Montgomery’s deal is with the Human Shifters and Sirius specifically. By his calculations, it’s the rats that have bullied nearly every other species into submission, not them. If anyone should be taken down it should be the miniature extortionists.

Angel Landyn (Hates): Church has considered making Angel disappear in the past. Greta is the only thing stopping him from doing so.

Pets:

None

(you may have as many connections as you wish/connections can be npc/connections can be ‘none’)

→ History (paragraph(s) on background)

→ The Present (paragraph(s) on how the character connects to the plot)

My thoughts on the Sanders Sides Spotify playlists- Virgil Edition!

Note: this is Purely me saying whether or not I like the songs, not theorising about any deeper meanings. I’ve done them all, so just click on the names to see my reactions to the others: Patton, Roman, Logan, Janus

Impressions from looking through the playlist: I don’t specifically know most of the songs (I know more of the bands), but I feel like that’ll be a recurring theme as I tend to stick within my very specific music taste and only add songs to my playlists if I hear them while I’m out and about and like them enough to find them on Spotify, which means my horizons aren’t broadened very often. The ones I do know do not surprise me that much (neither do the bands, for that matter), as they feel very Virgil

1: ‘Sunrise, Sunset’, by Bright Eyes. I didn’t mind it at first? But the chorus was a bit too,,, shouty for me. Probably Definitely a song I’d skip if it came up on a playlist in the future, as much as I liked the tune(/melody?). Not surprised to find it on Virgil’s playlist though, it gives off Angst. Was very in my face as I tried to continue reading fics.

2: ‘Lets Kill Tonight’, by Panic! At The Disco. One that I have probably heard before, as while I myself didn’t have an emo music phase, an ex friend did. I liked it more, as I expected to as I tend to like p!atd’s songs. Not one that I’d go out of my way to listen to again, but has been added to my 32 hour long playlist on Spotify (not my slightly more curated 10 hour one tho, but I mostly play the 10 hour one while doing work or while others are around soo). Once again felt like it suited Virgil, (as I imagine all of them will, so I might just call out ones that feel Odd if any do.)

3: ‘Sally’s Song’, by Amy Lee. It might shock some of y’all, but not one I’ve really heard before! I live in Australia so Halloween’s not a massive thing and I actually don’t know that many people who’ve watched The Nightmare Before Christmas. Thomas is actually one of the main reasons I know that the movie exists. I really liked it, unsurprisingly, so it too made its way to my 32 hour playlist (not the ten hour one, but only because I try to keep mostly ‘normal’ songs on there so there’s not that many songs from movies in it)

4: ‘It Ends Tonight’, by The All-American Rejects. I recognised the band, but not the title. I think I’ve heard this before though- I didn’t love it, but I didn’t hate it. I wouldn’t skip it if it popped up in a playlist at some stage in the future, but I haven’t added it to either of my playlists.

5: ‘I’d Hate To Be You When Everyone Fonds Out What This Song Is About’, Mayday Parade. Very long title (ok, I know in emo song title standards it’s not even that long but as I said I didn’t really have an emo phase so these sorts of titles always shock me) that slightly confuses me (who’s you? why is what the songs about bad for them??), but I liked it! Is now on my 32 hour playlist. I suspect that at the end of listening to all of these it will be longer than 32 hours.

6: ‘A Decade Under The Influence’, Taking Back Sunday. Another one that I liked enough that I wouldn’t skip it in the future, but didn’t add to my playlist. I just didn’t vibe with it enough. Happened to line up with Roman having a Bad Feeling™ in the fic I was reading tho so that was entertaining

7: ‘Thks fr th mmrs’, by Fall Out Boy. This was the first song to invoke feelings of Nostalgia™ in me, and I’m kinda shocked it’s not already in my 32 hour playlist. That has been remedied. This song was played a fair bit in my childhood, both on the radio and by an older sister. I imagine a lotta people my age had a similar thing. Obviously one I Love. Got me to stop reading in favour of being a doofus by lip syncing and dancing around while lying in bed (and deafening my eardrums as I turned it up louder) during the chorus.

8: ‘Be Calm’, by Fun. This was the second song that I didn’t recognise either the title or the band for. I liked it, even though the initial warped carnival-esque tune thing made me think of Pennywise. Pretty much as soon as the singing started I added it to the 32 hour playlist. It might make its way to the shorter one one day, as I actually really like it. It’s just a bit odd, and as I said I try to keep that playlist to more ‘conventionally normal’ songs as it’s designed for me to be able to play around other people without getting weird looks.

9: ‘I’m Not Okay (I Promise)’, by My Chemical Romance. Let’s be real. I would’ve cried if this song wasn’t included in the playlist. You would’ve cried if this song was not included in this playlist. If all of their songs aren’t in their respective playlists I’ll be disappointed. This song being in the playlist prompted me to go back and rewatch that episode. so many jokes originate in that ep. also we only knew one name back then? and the dark sides were barely a blip on our radars??? how????? ok back to the song- not my favourite, but I wasn’t expecting it to be. Probably won’t skip it every time it comes up in the future, but it’s definitely not my cup of tea.

10: ‘Imaginary’, by Evanescence. I laughed when I realised this was next up, as rewatching the q&a reminded me that Virgil said they were his favourite band so I’d noted that I had to look out to see if any of their songs were on the playlist. I liked it enough to add it to the 32 hour playlist, but wouldn’t go out of my way to play it in the future.

11: ‘Soft Shock- Acoustic Version’, by Yeah Yeah Yeahs. When this started my first thought was ‘oh, I think I’m gonna really like this one!’ and my second was ‘I’m kinda surprised it’s on Virgils playlist, but it feels right somehow.’ (It made more sense as I listened to the lyrics, I think I was just massively caught off guard by it being acoustic). I hadn’t heard of either the song or the band before this, but my initial instinct was Correct and it has in fact.... made it onto the ten hour playlist!! Hell yeah!! I actually liked it enough to listen to the og version as well, which I still liked but slightly less. (Also I have heard some of their music before as I realised looking at the album this came from that my one of my sisters used to listen to them, which I’m not that surprised about as we have Similar tastes in music)

12: ‘The Good That Won’t Come Out’, by Rilo Kiley. I liked this enough to consider adding it to my 32 hour playlist, and the lyrics were interesting, I just didn’t vibe with it that much. 🤷‍♀️

13: ‘Sick Sad World’, by Nervus. The bands name feels very apt for Virgil. I liked the rhythm of this one, and it was also a Certified Mood tbh. Got added to the 32 hour playlist!! Also made me wanna hug Virgil.

14: ‘Ignorance’, by Paramore. I wasn’t expecting to love this, as I don’t remember really liking much of Paramore’s music in the past even though I know I must’ve heard some, but I didn’t hate it. Didn’t get added to either of my playlists, but I probably wouldn’t skip it in the future.

15: ‘The Ice Is Getting Thinner’, by Death Cab for Cutie. I was expecting to like this one, as one of my favourite youtuber’s fave songs is a death cab for cutie song and I really like it as well. I did like this one quite a bit, but it only made its way onto my 32 hour playlist.

16: ‘Overkill- Acoustic Version’, by Colin Hay. I didn’t mind this, but didn’t like it enough to put it on the 32 hour playlist. I possibly would like the original version more, but I can’t be bothered finding it especially given my first impression is just meh

17: ‘Under Pressure’, by My Chemical Romance. I didn’t love it as much as I love the original, but it did prompt me to check if I’d added the original to my two playlists. Apparently I didn’t, even though I was listening to a Lot of Queen when I was deeply entrenched in good omens.

18: ‘Everything is Alright’, Motion City Soundtrack. I liked this one! I think I might’ve heard It before, but it’s been a while. It got added to the 32 hour playlist.

19: ‘The Middle’, by Jimmy Eat World. I didn’t recognise the title b u t I did recognise the song. Obviously. Because I’m a gen z with older siblings. It was the second big nostalgia feels song, which was made even stronger by me not immediately recognising the title (unlike thks fr th mmrs). Was added to the 32 hour playlist as soon as I realised what song it was

20: ‘Vindicated’, by Dashboard Confessional. I knew this, but mostly from a music podcast called Punch up The Jam so hearing it in full was weird. Added it to the 32 hour playlist but wouldn’t go out of my way to listen to it again.

Final thoughts: I know I said I never had an emo phase in music, but I do actually like a lot of it even tho I was never That Kid, so I was kinda expecting to at least like a lot of these songs. My favourite song was definitely Be Calm, closely followed Soft Shock and Thks Fr Th Mmrs. 12/20 got added to my 32 hour playlist, and 2 (I eventually decided my love of Be Calm was strong enough for it to be an exception) to the 10 hour one!

@thatsthat24

Research Diet

“The Disney interface feels empty but elegant compared to Netflix”

“Streaming users have grown accustomed to a fairly standardized interact and set of features on streaming platforms.” - Julia Alexander (The Verge)

In my first steps in trying to redesign the Peacock interface, I felt it appropriate to see what has been said about its competitors and how they approached their design choices. Because it is entering the “streaming wars” rather late in the game, it makes sense for Peacock to primarily look to its predecessors to be inspired in order to make their interface easy to use. Looking at the different interfaces of these platforms will be essential to get a general idea of what might be the best means of watching on Peacock.

It helps that this article not only does this article explore the interface of Disney+ and what makes it effective, but its comparison with Netflix brings up interesting points about how these different platforms contrast with one another. A section dedicated to unpacking the hierarchy of Disney+ main page gives us insight into the thought process of the designers behind the platform. These insights, paired with an understanding of Disney’s business model comprising of brands and franchises, further ties together the ways in which streaming platforms can combine marketing opportunities with design choices. Furthermore, while Netflix does have its fair share of children’s programming, Disney’s catalog is arguably stronger due to its classic films, warranting it having an entire section of children’s programming on its own — resulting in the way they separate their “kids’ version” of the app to make it more accessible to their younger audiences.

As a result, my question is this: Disney has set itself apart and made itself more attractive by separating based on their different brands and franchises — are there similar opportunities for media conglomerates like NBCUniversal as well?

6 Essential Tips for Effective A/B Testing

According to the Verge article, Netflix conducts approximately 400 A/B tests a year in order to inform their design choices — utilizing those tests to create a platform as well-established as theirs must mean that there is every reason to try to use A/B testing for my own project.

While I already have my fair share of complaints with the interface during my first walkthrough with the app on my iPad, the article brings up a valid point regarding that it is important to strike a balance between being sure to prioritize the effectiveness of the design choices (even if they do not follow your initial visions) while finding the balance between. It’s important to make sure that the product doesn’t get in the way of the content, but that doesn’t mean that I should focus on making it solely functional to the point that it doesn’t feel pleasant to use; people are stuck at home having to use this, and so they shouldn’t have to get sick of it quicker than they should. Ultimately, I feel it obvious that I should start this experiment by having users interact with it first and getting the data from there before getting “attached” to design choices that I think would have improve my own personal experience.

Unfortunately, as I do not have the luxury of being able to have hundreds of users test my redesign, I will be forced to possibly improvise or find other ways to make sure that the test results that I get a significant. Furthermore, before I actually conduct this test, I think it would be best to decide on which device I would like to prioritize – this may result in me trying to do further research of viewing habits and how users of other streaming platforms are currently consuming their media.

Furthermore, while the article does detail the basic outline of how A/B testing usually goes, I’m still a little confused as to how to appropriately conduct these sort of tests in the best settings in a more specific manner. Perhaps there have been other studies out there done that have conducted these tests in more isolate settings, which might be better suited to the scale at which I would like to work on this project.

WeAreNetflix S1: “Design Thinking at Netflix” (Podcast)

Wanting to dive deeper into how other streaming platforms approach their design choices, I listened to a podcast featured some product/motion designers of Netflix. During the talk, they were able to go over their design process and elaborating how to conduct user research, which includes both qualitative methods and A/B testing. While much of the data that Netflix receives can be used to trace viewer behaviors, the designers have found that conducting qualitative research helps fill in the gaps as to why these behaviors occur. Despite conducting 400 A/B tests yearly, the designers at Netflix have mentioned that depending on the scale of the design changes they make, they only bring in around 6-8 participants -- something that could definitely be doable for my own project. It’s also important to note that for an app as publicly-loved as Netflix, it’s important for them to not be on the cutting-edge of design or else their users will not understand how to use it.

Another interesting note is that a lot of their initial ideas are not given much thought when pitched, but “spitballed”. The idea behind Netflix Previews is that one of the designers simply asked “What if Netflix was Instagram?” and while the initial idea was met with some reluctance (and a few laughs), it was proven to be somewhat of a hit. It’s also important to note that even if it was a feature that did not blow up, it still succeeded as a design change in that it benefitted people discovering content they couldn’t have originally. 

One question that I do have is that the designers mention that being aware of the business side of things makes you a better designer. While I am sure that it is important to consider competitors when coming up with your designs, as well as the overall landscape of the market, it does make me wonder what other aspects of business need to be focused on (and to what extent they should be focused on) in order to better support the ideas you have behind the design choices you make.

A letter for my mother to find.

I'm not spending time writing this out like I thought I would. I'm not walking you through every little step, checking paths are clear to be read, because they aren't, and I'm not taking every precaution to hide myself anymore because honestly if I keep doing that I really am going to kill myself.

I came out as trans last year after many many years of it burning and smoldering for any form of attention. I ignored it, in fact I even have a place in my brain that I visualized physically throwing myself into to keep myself quiet. Anything, everything to just not be found out, not be seen or heard, everyone go away I'm going to go hate myself.

You want to point to developmental cycles. Ok. Why do you think I stopped eating in a group at dinner? Did you know I would talk to myself in the barn at night to keep all the anxiety down and just blow off steam for an hour and a half straight? And you never questioned why it looked like I has half paying attention in some areas and trying hard in others....

In middle school I was already thinking about this. In fact, it has been on my mind for so long, I'm not sure it's never not been there. There was no cause, no big explosion of coom and suddenly I wanted to be a sex object or something. Double up, middle school was hell and I can't remember any of it except doing math at home and breaking my DS. That's basically all I remember of those 3 years. 'cept one thing.

I got asked by a chick in 6th grade to go out with her, well maybe 7th actually, and I froze and turned them down. Not because of the ASD shit, mind you, but because I'd been staring at Tyler Roth's bulge for 2 hours squirming in my chair. If a girl asks me out and I'm doing that right beforehand, and in fact get up to use the bathroom to clean up, you think I'm gunna say yes to the girl?

That's fucking stupid. No.

At least at the time to me it was.

Now I am more open about myself. I care more for personality than body, so sex doesn't matter unless it's a group effort (haha). I am definitely pansexual, there's no doubts there. Poly even, but I'm not sharing any of that with you. That's all the info you get.

If you can't tell from the title, I'm kinda trans kinda not. Non-Binary is the correct term, and I'm a little jazzed that I'm over my bullshit about it. I never said anything or made it obvious because of bad reactions from you and dad about me being gay, or other gay ppl, so like honestly why would I ever have said anything when I don't trust you?

This is also the origin of my trust issues.

In college, actually no, in high school I heard the term for the first time, in college, learning more and more about what trans ppl go through and nb people go thru, I locked myself in my room for 2 weeks and only came out for dinner. I almost committed suicide off of AB after that period because I couldn't handle it and it hadn't matched anything that I had known before. It's something I've actually wanted to talk to you about for years, and when I try to bring it up you scream at me and run away like I've ruined your whole life in some 80's teenager movie. You won't even hear my side of it.

There's obviously a lot for us to talk about, and I'll let you come up with your own questions. I'll make a lil' faq

1: Are you male or female?

A:. I'm always going to acknowledge my birth. I'm never going to not acknowledge what I went thru, the good or the bad, or that I ever had a penis.

Male in origin, but in-between. Genderfluid is the correct term. Maybe intersex as well, as that's how I see myself. I notice when I eat more estrogen enriching foods, my mood balances out. I've been eating more E rich foods lately (seeds, dry fruit, oat bran in the morning) and I've honestly never felt more.... Normal.

2: If it's fluid, what the hell do I call you?

A: Well it's not like you'll make me explode at you if you straight up call me he and I'm in a dress, more I'll be watching the ppl around you staring at you calling me a he.

My pronouns are hi / shi / him / hir / they / them, and honestly my rule is call what you see. The I is there for... Well, intersex. Male or female presenting.

So again, call what you see. I do get mad though, especially if I worked really hard to make a banger of an outfit. Honestly, so glad you don't know my style either... If I'm obviously trying, respect that. I don't always though, only on special occasions.

3: What about your name then? It's effeminate.

A: I'm effeminate, what's your point. Hell if you want a bullshit term to look into look up genderfaun. Within genderfluidity there can be limits, which ppl of course have denoted how people will denote it. Genderfaun basically means cboy. A male embodied person never quite unclasping on full effeminacy.

4: How have I never heard of this?

A: Same reason women's issues are more vocalized to men's issues. Same reason why I'm expected to be the one running the construction site and my partner is supposed to be my loving little wife. Cboy's, intersex ppl in general rly, don't really have a need to be found out. And quite rare, actually. Honestly, Nonbinary is what can go on a paper and what is legally applicable, so that's the 'umbrella' term, if you need one.

5: So what makes you a cboy then?

A: years of undeserved anguish, hating my body, not wanting breasts, wanting to give birth, my dick feeling out of place or straight up like a tumor on my life, relationships being hard to start and even harder to keep literally because of sex, crying after being made the top for sex, having to top at all, expectations beset by other's that I don't get a voice in, not getting a voice in general and not being in any spot of authority or passed by the same or opposite sex in both education and normal social life, oh and also every time I see a picture of a cboy I'm happy, not horny.

6: Why that term? Rather harsh

A: I agree. If there was a better term that was as equally descriptive I'd go for it. I don't think intersex male is quite applicable tho, nor does genderfluid work on a job app., Tho neither does cb. It started as a term in porn but people have taken it as their own, me included.

Again describe it in one word that isn't confusing (transfeminine for example, genderfaun for another) and get back to me when you figure it out.

7: Possibility A - you're crazy

A: That'd be cool if I was crazy actually, then I'd actually fucking feel normal. Like I had a normal problem. Like I was being treated like I should be in society. Sadly enough I've talked to multiple shrinks, other trans and nb people, other cboys, and pretty much everyone agrees my living situation was really fucked up, as we're the expectations beset upon me. Not always, and I'm not just spraying buckshot over my whole life, but there's some stuff we REALLY need to talk about.

I've actually made it my life mission for the last 10 plus years to find someone like me being interviewed. I have had the hardest time too because I beat myself up about it so often, unless I tripped over a podcast episode (like I actually did) I'd never find anything and just think I was schizophrenic or something. Hell for a while you had convinced me I was because of stuff you were doing and talking about, and like bloody usual, not letting go of or shutting up about for months.

Literally half the reason I moved in to where I am was to checksum myself. I am definitely not schizophrenic and absolutely have a panic and anxiety disorder.

Possibility B - ok I'll bite, who else is there?

A: here's the podcast that made me feel safe. We're not 100% similar, but a lot of what he is saying I get. And while he lives in cali, stuff your biases. He moved here from japan when he was 12 or something.

https://www.furwhatitsworth.com/?episode=s9-episode-3-nb-nb-nb

This is not the only podcast I've listened to, but it's the best perspective I've heard. And I can say for solid, to this day, I get exactly everything he is talking about. Every single thing.

8: Ok, so what about your name (should you be on board)

A: Thats hard for me. I know I came with Ari and then tried Faun, but Faun is more a nickname for me from somebody and I liked the sound. I still like the name a lot too. But my name is Aremis, it's been Aremis, I'm going to move on and stop thinking about that one so hard.

9: Why not keep your old name? I'm offended you don't have my father's name anymore.

A: ok good for you for inscribing your bullshit onto someone before they can even he a say, as usual.

My dead name literally hurts. I've tried to explain to you, you ignored me.

That's all you get. Deal with it.

10: I'm not sure I'm ok with this.

A: Neither am I but I'd be dead right now from jumping under a semi in traffic a few months back if I hadn't. This isn't a mistake, or anything you did to me. It's just how I am. Now I know why you want the new DSM so bad.

By the way, dsm backs me up. So if god is gunna have to say something because of your convictions, I'll walk.

Peace. I'm done pooping now, time to get off the toilet.

hybrid warfare and leftist alliances

this was originally written as a goodreads reflection on Masha Gessen’s book “The Future is History: How Totalitarianism Reclaimed Russia”, but turned into a sprawling mess.

I breezed through all six seasons of The Americans not long ago — another product of my podcast listening habits involving the Magnificast, hosted by two Christian communists. The Americans certainly stoked a smouldering interest in Soviet history for me. I only recently found out that Gessen did the Russian translations for many of the seasons.

This book was recommended to me by a pen pal who did her Master’s thesis on Soviet hockey propaganda, and will soon be starting a PhD on Russian democratic activism (and lesbians). So she certainly knows her stuff, and am glad I took the time to read this.

As a qualifier, before I begin this review, I have seen Gessen use she/her pronouns and other places that say Gessen uses they/them. I will use she/her because that is the most recent source I have found. And also the pronouns Gessen uses in reference to herself in the book. I will correct this review if I find my use of pronouns incorrect. With that out of the way, I’ll proceed onto the book.

I thought it was an absorbing read, well-structured, entertaining, and full of stuff I was completely ignorant of. There was a fascinating section on the practice of sociology under the Soviet Union, a really interesting section on Freudo-Marxism and its interaction with the Soviet state, and this later comes up in Gessen’s use of Erich Fromm for her stuff on totalitarianism. I think Fromm has helped me a lot better understand the dynamics of fascism. Gessen’s meeting with Putin was very fun to read. The difficulties I had (at times) keeping up with the history, dates, names, etc were some indication that I likely need to brush up on my Russian history. Once in a while I would recognize something, like when Gessen mentions Gorky in her typically humorous style:

“The city was named Gorky, after the Russian writer Alexei Peshkov, who, as was the Revolutionary fashion, had taken a tearjerker pen name: it meant “bitter.” When Zhanna was first becoming aware of her surroundings, she had no idea that a writer named Gorky had ever existed: she thought the name was a literal description of her town. The Soviet government seemed to agree: four years before Zhanna’s birth, it had chosen Gorky as the place of exile for the physicist Andrei Dmitrievich Sakharov, the 1975 Nobel Peace Prize laureate and the country’s best-known dissident.”

I encountered Gorky a couple years ago by way of the Indonesian anti-colonial writer Pramoedya Ananta Toer (a political prisoner in Indonesia for decades, wasting away in various penal colonies, perpetually accused of being a communist, though always denying that label) who was an enthusiastic translator of Gorky’s writing. Translating Gorky’s novel “Mother” into Indonesian was one of Pram’s first sources of income after his wedding, as I read in his memoir “The Mute’s Soliloquy”. He did the Indonesian translation working off from an English translation, and later found out sections were missing after going through a Dutch translation. He humorously wrote that he had to put up with pointed and critical queries about his translation when visiting the University of Leningrad.

I think my affinity for anti-colonial politics and its attendant resistance and revolutionary movements have created a certain (though limited) sympathy for the Soviet Union at times, although I know that when people like Pram were invited to the Soviet Union or Mao’s PRC — or for that matter when African Americans like W. E. B. DuBois, various members of the Black Panthers (like Angela Davis and Huey P. Newton), or Paul Robeson were also — they were shown a very curated view of those countries (as any diplomatic visitor to the West would be shown also), and these were concerted initiatives to project particular images of Communism into the so-called Third World (and Fourth World as ghettoized areas of the ‘First World’ are sometimes called). These are basic tactics to be expected of modern statecraft. My dad’s friend is Nigerian, and while politically and socially conservative (e.g. homophobic), he has a very high view of the Soviet Union as his father was invited to tour Soviet Russia and was very impressed with the place. This positive view of Russia has extended into the post-Soviet Putin years, and this is a theme in Gessen’s book. I will get into these issues a bit later, but first a word about Arendt.

I think the book’s main thesis and orientation draws substantially on Hannah Arendt’s writings on totalitarianism. Arendt is a figure I have been meaning to read for a while. Her work was very important for leftist philosophers engaged in theology like Giorgio Agamben who elaborated on the notion of ‘bare life’ from Arendt’s writing on Aristotelian distinctions of ‘bios’ and ‘zoe’. I do believe in the value of political life and political engagement, and I think those notions come through in Gessen’s focus on how Soviet repression of political engagement carried on into post-Soviet years. Arendt is not a leftist though (in my view), and while I haven’t read much of her work, I get the sense she would not have identified herself as such (nor would have even accepted the political spectrum birthed forth from the French Revolution). And so I think where I depart from agreement with Gessen’s work is where Arendt’s work on totalitarianism comes into view, and I think part of it also involves disagreements I have with Arendt’s views on Marx and leftist politics more broadly that she elaborates on in “On Revolution”. First I will make some remarks on Arendt’s book “The Origins of Totalitarianism”.

So I think the ‘milieu’ (lol) of literature and essays I spend most of my time thumbing through makes certain distinctions between authoritarian fascism and authoritarian communism. Many anarchists will emphasize similarities, yet I don’t think they would consider Hitler and Stalin as equivalents. Even libertarian communists who are against authoritarian tactics of communist ends, still generally hold similar goals as Marxist-Leninists, e.g. the abolition of class, but differ on how to get there. Now of course there are some Leninists who still use the word ‘liquidation’ and are vague about what they mean — likely some variation ranging from ‘the wall’ to ‘re-education camps’. The problem of realizing a classless society without violent coercion and force is an issue, I’d admit, but there are other mechanisms that disincentive acts of domination without the need for terror. The question of their efficacy is another matter. That being said, even though I think Nazism/fascism did have certain overlaps with Stalinism, I don’t think fascism and communism (even Soviet communism) are inherently two manifestations of the same underlying essence. This is Gessen’s summary of Arendt’s notion of totalitarianism:

“Whatever premise formed the basis of the ideology, be it the superiority of a particular race or of a particular class, was used to derive imagined laws of history: only a certain race or a certain class was destined to survive. The “laws of history” justified the terror ostensibly required for this survival. Arendt wrote about the subjugation of public space—in effect the disappearance of public space, which, by depriving a person of boundaries and agency, rendered him profoundly lonely. ”

In my mind, I don’t see eliminating a race and class as the same thing, although I do agree that many authoritarian communist regimes ended up empowering people who treated ‘ruling classes’ as almost metaphysical entities and one’s ‘class’ could almost be inherited genetically, e.g. if one’s ancestors were landowners, one could some how be held accountable for that (Gessen brings this up). I think many people who identified as communists in those regimes didn’t think that way, but it only takes a portion of people (who do) to cause irreparable trauma and terror, especially when they have power. I of course find that very troubling, but if one treats classes as relationally constituted, which is exactly the whole point of Marx’s body of work, then abolishing class might involve expropriating already expropriated wealth to return it to the people who produced it and need it more, trying to better distribute all the things produced by society such that no one is lacking hygienic housing, proper health care, healthy food, leisure time to enjoy the fruits of one’s labour etc… and fostering a world where people don’t feel superior to other people and have their identity based around having inordinately more than other human beings. I mean that is another way of abolishing class, and I see no problem with ‘eliminating’ class by such means. It’s an ‘elimination’ of a relation not a person. That is, working towards removing relations of domination between people. How that happens in practice is a whole other issue, if it’s at all possible. Authoritarian impulses not only go back to Marx and Engels, but back to utopian socialists, and even show up in Thomas More’s Utopia. So Arendt’s accusations cannot be so easily dismissed.

So this issue of violence is important to Arendt, and she will work though how Marx is connecting it with issues of scarcity and necessity. Arendt accuses Marx of turning issues of scarcity into accusations of exploitation, saying:

 “Marx's transformation of the social question into a political force is contained in the term 'exploitation', that is, in the notion that poverty is the result of exploitation through a 'ruling class' which is in the possession of the means of violence… If Marx helped in liberating the poor, then it was not by telling them that they were the living embodiments of some historical or other necessity, but by persuading them that poverty itself is a political, not a natural phenomenon, the result of violence and violation rather than of scarcity.”

Arendt said something similar, but more forthcoming, in a footnote contained in her 1972 book “Crises of the Republic”:

"Behind it, however, stands the illusion of Marx's society of free producers, the liberation of the productive forces of society, which in fact has been accomplished not by the revolution but by science and technology. This liberation, furthermore, is not accelerated, but seriously retarded, in all countries that have gone through a revolution. In other words, behind their denunciation of consumption stands the idealization of production, and with it the old idolization of productivity and creativity"

This is an argument that Jordan Peterson perpetually peddles. I actually agree that capitalism is a far more productive and dynamic economic system than communism in most situations. I think Marx saw that too, and that’s why he believed capitalism was the stage that must precede socialism and then communism. Now you can debate the morality of whether we should accept such terms, but it’s merely a practical assertion on Marx’s part. That’s the grounds on which China’s liberalization occurred, and I think Soviet industrialization found similar justifications under Marx. I haven’t read enough Arendt, but from what I’ve read, I think Arendt’s focus on technology (especially in the American development case) as the answer to scarcity fails to recognize how organizations engaged in technological development under capitalism are in fact very political. Chomsky has called corporations some of the most totalitarian institutions on the face of the planet. I can say that engineering firms are even worse than other corporations. They are often very toxic work environments, deeply connected to the military industrial complex and resource extraction industries. The fact that military-fuelled corporations are behind so much of the innovation and increased productivity that exists today raises questions if it’s worth it. With all the technology that exists in 2020, how much more innovation is worth the continued exploitation and highly authoritarian working conditions that such increased productivity demands. The ‘falling rate of profit’ as the Marxian economists call it is some indication that ‘value-adding’ innovation can only increase by so much more. We have garnered enough productive capacity to meet all basic human needs. Is it time for something new?

Of course Arendt recognizes Marx’s typically Hegelian reversal from [violent expropriation causes poverty] to [scarcity and poverty necessarily causes revolutionary violence] which she strongly finds objectionable throughout the European tradition, including in Robespierre and Hegel.  But in this Hegelian move, Marx is suggesting that only by assuring abundance and meeting material needs can one avoid violence. I agree with Marx in his assertion that poverty produces violence, because poverty is a form of structural violence which poor people are reacting too. Arendt later jokes even Lenin saw the technical basis of abundance as true, though I don’t think it’s that far off Marxist dogma as she asserts:

“…when asked to state in one sentence the essence and the aims of the October Revolution, [Lenin] gave the curious and long-forgotten formula: 'Electrification plus soviets.' This answer is remarkable first for what it omits: the role of the party, on one side, the building socialism on the other. In their stead, we are given an entirely un-Marxist separation of economics and politics, a differentiation between electrification as the solution of Russia's social question, and the soviet system as her new body politic that had emerged during the revolution outside all parties. What is perhaps even more surprising in a Marxist is the suggestion that the problem of poverty is not to be solved through socialization and socialism, but through technical means; for technology, in contrast to socialization, is of course politically neutral; it neither prescribes nor precludes any specific form of government.”

Arendt’s characterization of technology as neutral is maybe somewhat similar to the Saint Simonian vision of the neutral ‘administration of things’ reiterated by Engels.

I think maybe a few decades ago, the problem of productivity and scarcity were still central issues, or as Deng Xiaoping put it: the ‘principal contradiction’. But the so-called ‘principal contradiction’ today for China under Xi Jinping is ‘uneven development’. Haha, I’m quoting CCP Central Committee brass now, and I’m not even a Marxist, lol. So this issue is most often rendered as ’inequality’, but I think ‘uneven development’ is actually a good way of putting it. It’s an inequality of both (1) consumption: the distribution of all that we produce collectively as a species within a larger ecosystem of species, and (2) production: the focusing of labour onto producing things primarily for the interests of richest 10% of the global population (although the rationale here is that this stuff eventually trickles down — now 60% of the global population have access to the internet and 20% have been able to enjoy a plane ride).

Now to take a few steps back again, the question of how much violence is acceptable and justified to pursue a particular iteration of a ‘just society’ does pose a problem, which might be glossed over by simply stating violence is inevitable. This is what Arendt writes about in her work “On Revolution”, where she thinks ‘pity’, which undergirds revolutionary politics, quickly turns to cruelty and justifies almost any degree of violence or vice. In this sense I can see how Aristotle’s virtue ethics has really laid claim to Arendt’s arguments here. She has a certain disdain for the ‘by any means necessary’ folks. I never take that phrase literally. I think it is meant to be an assertion of political force more than anything. I don’t know any radical who uses the phrase ‘by any means necessary’ to literally mean that. They would never justify racial genocide if it led to a classless society. Their values are informed by their goals, and ultimately do constrain their means, but maybe less so than Aristoteleans like Arendt who writes:

“Robespierre's pity-inspired virtue, from the beginning of his rule, played havoc with justice and made light of laws. Measured against the immense sufferings of the immense majority of the people, the impartiality of justice and law, the application of the same rules to those who sleep in palaces and those who sleep under the bridges of Paris, was like a mockery to the foundation,of freedom and the establishment of lasting institutions, and to those who acted in this direction nothing was permitted that would have been outside the range of civil law. The direction of the French Revolution was deflected almost from its beginning from this course of foundation through the immediacy of suffering; it. was determined by the exigencies of liberation not from tyranny but from necessity, and it was actuated by -the limitless immensity of both the people's misery and the pity this misery inspired. The boundlessness of the 'all is permitted' sprang here still from the sentiments of the heart whose very boundlessness helped in the unleashing of a stream of boundless violence.”

This is why Arendt prefers the American Revolution to the French Revolution, because it was not concerned with ‘compassion’ or ‘pity’ for the poor, but because it was solely about freedom, yet she recognizes the glaring problem of her example, which is American slavery:

“Yet we deal here with men of the eighteenth century, when this age-old indifference was about to disappear, and when, in the words of Rousseau, an 'innate repugnance at seeing a fellow creature suffer' had become common in certain strata of European society and precisely among those who made the French Revolution. Since then, the passion of compassion has haunted and driven the best men of all revolutions, and the only revolution in which compassion played no role in the motivation of the actors was the American Revolution. If it were not for the presence of Negro slavery on the American scene, one would be tempted to explain this striking aspect exclusively by American prosperity,'by Jefferson's 'lovely equality', or by the fact that America was indeed, in William Penn's words, 'a good poor Man's country'. As it is, we are tempted to ask ourselves if the goodness of the poor white man's country did not depend to a considerable degree upon black labour and black misery - there lived roughly 400,000 Negroes along with approximately 1,850,000 white men in America in the middle of the eighteenth century, and even in the absence of reliable statistical" data we may be sure that the percentage of complete destitution and misery was considerably lower in the countries of the Old World. From this, we can only conclude that the institution of slavery carries an obscurity even blacker than the obscurity of poverty;”

Often historians will call the American Civil War America’s real revolution. The French Revolution brought about movements to liberate slaves in the colonies (though slaves themselves of course were the initiators, by way of revolts and uprisings), even if not well sustained. The political impetus behind the American Revolution differed from the French Revolution in that its disregard for liberation by ‘political means’ and its disregard for the suffering of slaves cannot be divorced from this exact ideology enabling slavery. (A particularly scathing critique of the American Revolution is given in J. Sakai’s “Settlers”, which criticizes white communists who lionize the American Revolution.) I think Arendt’s whole view on the matter is succinctly summarized in these couple sentences:

“All rulership has its original and its most legItimate source in man's wish to emancipate himself from life's necessity, and men achieved such liberation by means of violence, by forcing others to bear the burden of life for them. This was the core of slavery, and it is only the rise of technology, and not the rise of modern political ideas as such, which has refuted the old and terrible truth that only violence and rule over others could make some men free. Nothing, we might say today, could be more obsolete than to attempt to liberate mankind from poverty by political means; nothing could be more futile and more dangerous.”

I have been thoroughly propagandized by theorists of the left (Sartre, Merleau-Ponty, Althusser) to see things somewhat differently than Arendt, though I still have a lot to think through and I think Arendt’s critiques of the left and revolutionary politics more broadly must be taken seriously. They are carefully thought out and worth sitting with. But I think one should be cautious about how Arendt’s writings on totalitarianism are weaponized by certain centrist interests. This critique Gessen made of Bernie Sanders with respect to Cuba and Chomsky’s discussion with Arendt maybe reflects this divergence of opinion (although I agree with her critique of Castro’s homophobic purges must always be foregrounded). This is an excerpt from an article in Monthly Review by Reuven Kaminer on ‘totalitarianism’:

“The concept serves as the basis for a specific historical narrative built around the struggle of good (liberal democracy) against evil (totalitarian) dictatorship. According to this narrative, we are at the present enjoying the fruits of great victories in the battle against totalitarianism which stem directly from the comparatively recent demise of the Soviet Union. This, of course, makes it all the more easier to promote the concept of totalitarianism.

One of the ‘magical’ aspects of the concept of totalitarianism is that it appears to be “fair,” “even-handed,” and really above day to day politics. It seems completely objective because it warns that the dangers to freedom emanate from both the Right and the Left. Thus, the concept of totalitarianism is (almost) universally accepted and admired at all levels of political and intellectual life. All participants in current prevailing ideological and political discourse are assumed to be opponents of totalitarianism. The hegemonic rules of discourse are such that dissenting views may be disqualified if their proponents exhibit any lack of militancy against totalitarianism in thought and in practice. The final Part Three, on Totalitarianism, is devoted to the presentation of both the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany as a new and unique form of government. The point of the author’s argument is clear and direct. Arendt sees a common basis to the two regimes in that they both are embodiments of radical, absolute evil. The content is clear, and so is the context. Never, for a moment, can the reader escape the clear and insistent message that Arendt is writing on behalf of the “Free World” against the looming evil of Soviet Russia.”

He goes on to do a sort of guilt by association thing with Arendt and various neocons. I will get into this a little later (especially how different leftists do this to each other) when discussing so-called red-brown alliances, which is somewhat similar to Arendt’s totalitarian thesis, and which I think is a threat the left should take very seriously. Anyway, Kaminer writes about a similar dynamic of a Trotskyist to neo-conservative pipeline (though I would argue this is not exclusive to Trotskyists: Bayard Rustin was a democratic socialist, Eugene Genovese an orthodox ML in the CPUSA):

“The fact that former leftists, and especially “graduates” of the revolutionary Marxist anti-Stalinist (Trotskyist) movement during the thirties and the forties, became leading ideologues of US reaction from the fifties onwards is well documented.  The path of development among this particular section of US intellectuals would have been impossible without the Trotskyist stage.  The “family,” as they were known by many, moved step by step from revolutionary, communist, Marxist anti-Stalinism during the thirties to just plain anti-Stalinism.  From there the path was short to fervent, militant anti-Communism (minus Trotsky, minus revolution) and on to passionate support of the United States as the bastion of the Free World during the Cold War.  Those who began their political life as convinced revolutionary Marxists moved via their core position of “anti-Stalinism” to condemnation of the Soviet dictatorship and on to identification with official US policies, as the only reliable bulwark against the tide of Bolshevik aggression. Current experience with the neo-conservative movement in the United States will help the reader to understand how a relatively small intellectual group can indeed become a vital factor in the ruling circles.  It is not pure chance that one can even trace personal and family connections of the present influential grouping back to the anti-Stalinist Left.

This fascinating collection of intellectuals, which attracted Arendt and Bluecher, has been dubbed the New York intellectuals in a book with the same title. Even a partial list of some of the main representatives of the group is studded with highly influential and even famous names such as, inter alia, Irving Kristol, Sydney Hook, Lionel Trilling, Clement Greenberg, Irving Howe, Alfred Kazin, Daniel Bell, and Nathan Glazer. In New York, Arendt and her husband became a prestigious social, cultural, and political addition to the New Yorkers. During the war, she had already made a name for herself with articles in various magazines, including Partisan Review and Commentary. She certainly made a strong impression on the local colleagues as someone who spoke on the basis of intimate acquaintance with the broader horizons of European culture. It soon became clear that Arendt knew everything that her new colleagues knew and more.”

I find this very interesting, but it’s worth pointing out that Arendt was very critical of neo-Conservativism. I think Corey Robin, who is in fact a great admirer of Arendt’s work, makes a more compelling case that her writings on totalitarianism, though popular in western discourse, are in fact not the most important parts of her oeuvre. Robin writes, in the London Review of Books:

“This last section [on the Soviet Union as ‘totalitarian’] is the least representative – and, as historians of Nazism and Stalinism have pointed out, least instructive – part of the book. But it has always attracted the most attention. Young-Bruehl claims that the section on imperialism is of ‘equal importance’ to the one on totalitarianism, yet she devotes a mere seven scattered paragraphs to it. Samantha Power uses the last section to examine recent genocides, despite Arendt’s insistence that totalitarianism seeks not the elimination of a people but the liquidation of the person. And when Power tries to explain al-Qaida or Hamas, she also looks to the last section, even though Arendt’s analysis of imperialism would seem more pertinent…

If Arendt matters today, it is because of her writings on imperialism, Zionism and careerism. Composed during the 1940s and early 1960s, they not only challenge facile and fashionable applications of the totalitarianism thesis; they also eerily describe the dangers that the world now faces. By refusing to reckon with these writings, the journalists, intellectuals and academics who make up the Arendt industry betray her on two counts: they ignore an entire area of her work and fail to engage with the unsettling realities of their own time. The latter would not have surprised Arendt: empires tend to have selective memories. The history of ‘imperialist rule’, she wrote at the height of the Vietnam War, ‘seems half-forgotten’, even though ‘its relevance for contemporary events has become rather obvious in recent years.’ America was so transfixed by ‘analogies with Munich’ and the idea of totalitarianism that it did not realise ‘that we are back, on an enormously enlarged scale . . . in the imperialist era.’”

The issue of imperialism is one of the most pressing matters in global politics and I think it’s one of the pivotal factors behind these red-brown alliances that Gessen mentions. Gessen’s elaborations on the National Bolshevik Party and Aleksandr Dugin were likely some of the most important aspects of the book for me. They helped me understand a whole dimension of leftist infighting that I had previously not fully grasped. This is Gessen’s explanation of the red-brown alliances that her grandfather was very taken with:

“He now spent his days reading the emergent ultranationalist press, newly known as the red-brown part of the political spectrum for its combination of Communist and brownshirt fervor. Boris Mikhailovich took to reading antisemitic passages out loud. Tatiana diagnosed this as senility and told her daughter that such was the tragedy of old age: Boris Mikhailovich, who had been an articulate, if generally quiet, opponent of the Communists his entire life, was now aligning himself with people who were not only brown but also red. More to the point, after his brief love affair with politics, Boris Mikhailovich was angry and disillusioned, and the “red-brown” press was the vehicle most immediately available for the expression of his disgust with politics.”

One of Russia’s most prominent figures fusing far-right fascism with certain communist ideas was Aleksander Dugin, one of the pioneers of National Bolshevism which combines Soviet nostalgia with ethno-nationalist and fascist ideas. Gessen actually spends a lot of time sketching out Dugin’s intellectual formation during Soviet years and his emergence into popular Russian attention, and he is mentioned throughout the book. This is one of the places she describes his fascination with fascism:

“Dugin made his own pilgrimages to Western Europe. In 1990 he went to Paris, where he met Belgian New Right thinker Robert Steuckers… He… suggested to Dugin that his ideas might combine into something called National Bolshevism. Within a year, Dugin met a number of other Western European New Right intellectuals, was welcomed to the conferences of the ethno-nationalist think tank Groupement de Recherche et d’Études pour la Civilisation Européenne in Paris, and was published by an Italian New Right house… If Evgenia and Boris Mikhailovich were merely listening to people who were flirting with ultranationalist and fascist rhetoric, then Dugin was going to the source. He had grown fascinated with Hitler’s philosophy and system of governance.”

The extent to which Dugin has had an influence on Putin has been debated. Gessen seems to think Dugin had Putin’s ear. Whatever is the case people saw strong parallels between Dugin’s ideas and Putin’s geopolitics. This is where the red-brown issues come into focus. Putin is not a communist, and most western communists do not like Putin as far as I know. He is a conservative and reactionary, who has actively stifled celebration of the Bolshevik Revolution and Lenin within Russia, because he is ultimately an anti-revolutionary. Yet he has remained somewhat esteemed among Latin American leftists, especially within the domain of the Pink Tide, like Castro and Chavez, and even to an extent Lula and Morales. In part, this is part of Putin’s geopolitics which favours the weakening of American hegemony for Russian advantage; Latin American countries despise American hegemony for slightly different reasons. But also these countries, especially Venezuela, are often great sources of market demand for Russian military goods, which is good for the Russian economy. And ceaseless American intervention in the region, which Washington continually refers to as America’s ‘backyard’, is the principle driver (in my view) of their demand for military technology.

So I first encountered Max Blumenthal by way of a video on the Palestine-Israel conflict shared with me by a Libyan friend who is very into Palestinian politics. I have followed the work of Max Blumenthal and Ben Norton over the past while, their podcast Moderate Rebels and their website The Grayzone. I find their analysis of Latin American politics and parts of the Middle East the most useful, but I’m a little more skeptical about their coverage on China and Ukraine, and a lot more skeptical about their coverage on Syria.

They are Marxist-Leninists involved with the PSL (Party for Socialism and Liberation) — a communist party in the U.S., whose members are often accused of being ‘tankies’, although interestingly enough PSL has its origins in the American Trotskyist movement lead by Sam Marcy. As commented on libcom.org this Trotskyist connection is often carefully written out of their history. Norton has connections with the Communist Party of Canada (speaking at one of their events for a candidate in the Danforth riding) and PSL (like the CPC)  is very supportive of ‘really-existing’ Socialist countries, especially in Latin America, so I can see how that might colour their views on Russia. But Ben Norton has very clearly stated he thinks Putin is a “right-wing nationalist” and “anti-communist”.

Norton’s and Blumenthal’s news platform ‘Grayzone’ is (I believe) a reference to what is called ‘hybrid warfare’ in U.S. military discourse. Francis G. Hoffman offered this definition of the ‘gray zone’ in a paper published in PRISM (a journal of the U.S. National Defense University) called “Examining Complex Forms of Conflict Gray Zone and Hybrid Challenges”:

“A formal definition of gray zone tactics is offered: Those covert or illegal activities of nontraditional statecraft that are below the threshold of armed organized violence; including disruption of order, political subversion of government or non-governmental organizations, psychological operations, abuse of legal processes, and financial corruption as part of an integrated design to achieve strategic advantage. This definition emphasizes the actual activities over intent. Placing this to the far left of the proposed continuum of conflict, short of violent military force or war, represented by the thick red line, positions it clearly along the continuum of challenges that our security policy must address.”

Hoffman later writes:

“Numerous foreign sources describe President Vladimir Putin’s preferred method as “hybrid warfare,” a blend of hard and soft power. A combination of instruments, some military and some non-military, choreographed to surprise, confuse and wear down an opponent, hybrid warfare is ambiguous in both source and intent, making it hard for multinational bodies such as NATO and the EU to craft a response.”

I think titling their platform The Grayzone, Blumenthal, Norton, and company are making a self-conscious admission, or maybe a sarcastic non-concession, that the journalistic work they do is inevitably caught up in the complex web of hybrid warfare between superpowers. They primarily see themselves as anti-imperialists, and Empire for them is American Empire. So anti-American sentiment is their common terrain with Russian nationalists. Numerous PSL members like Brian Becker and Eugene Puryear host podcasts/radio shows on Sputnik Radio, and many leftists internationally have RT shows. This acceptance of support of the Russian state by leftists has often generated accusations of red-brown alliances. Numerous articles on libcom and IWW sites go into this phenomenon, often using guilt-by-association tactics, but I don’t mean to say that pejoratively. One example I recently saw on The Grayzone itself was an interview Anya Parampil did with Mark Sleboda who is a Eurasionist (Gessen discusses this movement) who was one of Dugin’s main translators, though he’s since distanced himself from Dugin. But I wonder why even give Third Positionists like him a platform? This is more so the case with other PSL-affiliated media on Sputnik like Brian Becker’s show “Loud & Clear”.

The Grayzone itself is independently funded (at least it claims to be), but some of its PSL comrades in journalism are not. They have support of Russian state-media. I don’t want to be too judgemental here, but I think it’s fascinating when The Grayzone starts harping on anarchists in Rojava accepting indirect American military aid or Hong Kong protestors accepting funding from US state-funded ‘democracy’ NGOs. The issue is about agency, alliances of convenience, and I think it is a complex matter, yet I think the polemical nature of the Grayzone yields to a double standard they feel no shame about asserting. Even anti-colonial leftists like Wilfred Chan (who founded Lausan) have been continually criticized by Grayzone journalists like Ajit Singh. I read Singh’s work, appreciate it, and I think it’s important, but I really don’t get why he spends so much time criticizing leftists in the Hong Kong protest movement. I am personally critical of many dimensions of the Hong Kong protests, but I think it’s absurd for Singh to smear leftist HK protestors by showing how “Ukrainian neo-Nazis and US white nationalists” support the ‘pro-democracy’ protests in Hong Kong, especially in light of the support PSL receives from Russian state-media. I think it is worth contemplating why so many American conservatives and reactionaries support the Hong Kong protests, but it’s also worth considering why reactionary right-wing forces in Russian state-media support communist journalists in the U.S.. It is part of the “hybrid warfare” that the people at the Grayzone know perfectly well about, as it’s enshrined in their platform’s name. U.S. conservatives don’t care about Hong Kong citizens themselves or the actual socio-economic demands of protestors, as long as it destabilizes China and poses new legitimacy problems to the Communist government there. It’s a geopolitical game for them. “Democracy” has always been cover for US intervention that is primarily about economic market interests. The US is one of the most flawed democracies of the West so of course it’s absurd. In a leaked US Army publication, Field Manual 3-05.130 “Army Special Operations Forces Unconventional Warfare”, US interests and its military goals are made perfectly clear:

“If the United States is to ensure that countries are set on a sustainable path toward peace, democracy, and a market economy, it needs new, institutionalized foreign-policy tools—tools that can influence the choices countries and people make about the nature of their economies, their political systems, their security, and in some cases, the very social fabric of a nation. In July 2004, Congress created the State Department’s Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization (S/CRS). The mission of the S/CRS is to integrate military expertise and best practices into the civilian world…”

One of the approaches they state is to: “Work with international and multilateral organizations, individual states, and NGOs…”

U.S. Unconventional Warfare (UW) tactics involving the support of ‘resistance movements’ are plainly stated in the document (and this is not actually surprising at all, nor even really controversial, I think):

“Operations conducted by, with, or through irregular forces in support of a resistance movement, an insurgency, or conventional military operations.

This definition reflects two essential criteria: UW must be conducted by, with, or through surrogates; and such surrogates must be irregular forces. Moreover, this definition is consistent with the historical reasons that the United States has conducted UW. UW has been conducted in support of both an insurgency, such as the Contras in 1980s Nicaragua, and resistance movements to defeat an occupying power, such as the Mujahideen in 1980s Afghanistan.”

And again, often times ARSOF (Army Special Operations Forces) is seeking out what it considers as “democratic” elements to achieve these objectives:

“Perseverance in pursuit of U.S. objectives is fundamental to the conduct of ARSOF UW. If the seeking out and support of democratic elements in every nation and culture as outlined in the NSS is “the work of generations” and ARSOF UW is a central tool to achieve this policy, ARSOF UW requires a persistence of USG effort far beyond most other enterprises of government.”

So I understand anti-imperialist critiques of Hong Kong protests in light of all the meddling the U.S. is involved in, but again this is a question of agency. Does communist journalism funded by Russian state-media affect its legitimacy also? Granted Joshua Wong wishing Marco Rubio happy birthday and photo-ops with Tom Cotton are all bad form. I can’t imagine PSL cadre wishing Putin a happy birthday. But leftists Wilfred Chan and Lausan have been actively trying to convince fellow protestors to stop accepting funding from State Department-backed groups like the National Endowment for Democracy because it is delegitimizing their cause. But he is perpetually criticized for giving left cover for Hong Kong protests by MLs. I think the Chinese Communist government has accomplished a number of positive things, but that’s no reason to remain in denial about the terrifying way it’s treating Uyghurs, or the fact that many billionaires are members of the Chinese Communist Party but no one who publicly practices a religious faith can join. I recognize a new cold war with Russia, but especially China is at stake. Biden mentions Uyghar concentration camps in the same breath as moving 60% of American sea power to China. By ‘sea power’ I presume he means naval ships or submarines, some of which I imagine must be armed with nuclear weapons. Can you imagine China doing that to the US over the concentration camps it has for undocumented migrants?

And yes, it is extremely ironic that NATO makes YouTube videos about Russian information warfare, when the US is one of the world’s greatest meddlers. All this being said, I don’t automatically think anything the U.S. supports is wrong. Chomsky always brings up the example of Trotsky’s criticism of Stalin was agreement with fascists but that didn’t automatically make Trotsky wrong about Stalin. This is also the case with the U.S.. Even still, I’m almost certain what the U.S. does is for U.S. interests alone and it would stop as soon as it no longer benefitted U.S. interests enough. 

Gessen goes into a section on the severe crackdowns on Russian NGOs receiving foreign funding, legislation requiring labels like “foreign agent” for such organizations, the removal of USAID from Russia, and mentions Kremlin attempts to shift blame on protests to US intervention:

““They are just doing their jobs,” said Putin, meaning that protesters were working for money—state television channels had by this time aired a series of reports claiming that the protests were bankrolled by the U.S. State Department.”

Now of course the U.S. State Department is constantly meddling in Russia and many other countries. In my view the U.S. was also responsible for Putin’s crackdown. They provide easy justification for gangsters like Putin to crush dissent. Yet the anti-semitism and terrifying homophobia that undergirds so many aspects of the Russian state, including many of its media platforms on RT and Sputnik raises deep concerns about leftist alliances with them, especially when it comes to how dissident journalists sometimes cover terrifying Russian intervention in places like Syria.

In a few episodes of Moderate Rebels, Blumenthal and Norton go off on the anarchist writer Alexander Reid Ross, his ‘red-brown smears’ of them, and his book Against the Fascist Creep. The book is an exhaustive look at red-brown alliances. I’ve actually listened to a talk he gave on it and found it fairly useful for understanding how individuals can cross into radically diametrically opposed poles of the political spectrum. A few months ago I discovered Mussolini was actually a socialist, before eventually becoming a fascist. Ross remarks that Lenin actually liked Mussolini. I looked it up and what Lenin said was: "What a waste that we lost Mussolini. He is a first-rate man who would have led our party to power in Italy." Yet these red-brown alliances are not restricted to MLs, but actually came to Ross’s attention when he saw reactionary ideology entering the ecological green and anarchist movements he was a part of. I haven’t read Ross’s book and I’m not sure if he mentions this, but that fascism, communism and anarchism have common roots in Romanticism is likely part of why people can cross extremes of the spectrum so easily, or at least find common cause. As Cornel West points out that Romanticism was a secularization of the Christian gospel, it’s unsurprising that, almost all leftists are pretty good at calling other people either fascists (at the other end of the spectrum) or liberals (the common enemy of the center):

One of the most important aspects of Gessen’s book was her elaboration on LGBTQ activism in Russia. Definitely the parts on Pussy Riot were very interesting. But the vigilante violence against gay people in Russia is at an unimaginable level. Many have basically been lynched for lack of a better word. They are frequently beat up. Some murdered. It’s not illegal to be gay in Russia as it is in authoritarian countries like Singapore, but in places like Chechnya the vigilante violence is extreme. I really think it’s at the detriment of the left to ignore this. If one uses Russian state media as a platform, one has a responsibility to denounce violence against LGBTQ communities in Russia. Leftists often shrug off the horrible homophobia that has latently possessed so many of their movements. Clara Sorrenti, a trans-woman who ran for the Communist Party of Canada in London, Ontario left the party over the Central Committee’s refusal to adapt notions of indigenous sovereignty. In her reflections after leaving, she points out that communist refusals to accept the violence revolutionaries like Che Guevara enacted on gay people was especially wounding to her. The left cannot remain in denial about the homophobia of people like Castro and Chavez. Ignatz, the pen name of an orthodox christian, trans lesbian, communist wrote a piece called “Communism, Catholicism, and Sexuality” in response to an article Dean Dettloff wrote in the Jesuit journal America (Dettloff is one of the hosts of the Magnificast, the podcast I mentioned at the beginning of this reflection). In this piece she writes:

“If the relationship between Catholics and communists has sometimes been more positive than some might assume, we should also address those places where this positive relationship is objectively a form of reaction and a failure of compassion that ought to be inimical to communists, Catholics, and any combination thereof. The Argentine theologian Marcella Althaus-Reid tells the story of how when the Argentine Junta cracked down on homosexuals and other sexual ‘deviants’, a letter was written to a number of major Latin American Catholic liberation theologians asking them to sign a statement of solidarity. All refused, claiming sexual issues were not their concern.

Yet, as Althaus-Reid argues, this is to neglect the role of Christianity in creating the political system of heterosexuality that now dominates the globe. Christians created heterosexuality; it is now Christians’ responsibility to help overthrow it… whilst there are severe problems with homophobia and transphobia in both the Catholic Church and the secular left, there are people in both or either movement who are committed to resisting that and finding new ways of practicing these traditions.”

While I might disagree with some aspects of Gessen’s book, I think she offers very important critiques of the left, especially where they have made common cause with right-wing forces. I believe the left must take seriously these issues of violence, terror, and neglect of social issues, especially where racial, religious and LGBTQ persecution are concerned. I did not even go into the anti-Semitism that Gessen takes time to explore in the book. So much to think about; I think it’s a book worth reading.

Thoughts on biopics

I think I’m getting closer to figuring out why biopics grind my gears.

Originally, I thought that memoirs and biopics annoyed me because I didn’t believe that any one person would have a story that would be more interesting than the culmination of many different people’s contributions towards a single thing or event. In other words, I felt that I enjoyed stories about events more than I enjoyed stories that were centered on one person. Perhaps it’s because I thought it was kind of egotistical. 

Real events as entertainment

Today, the thought came to me that we are now consuming the truth as entertainment.

Documentaries are becoming more mainstream, especially on Youtube, where anybody can put together a set of facts or opinions and present them as truth, and audiences will accept them without question (Myself included. In the modern age of convenience, despite acknowledging the importance of checking sources, I often do not when consuming these documentary pieces in large quantities.).

In addition, politics has turned into another form of entertainment. Politicians are turning into celebrities, and it kind of feels like political debates are turning into dramatized versions of themselves. 

Publishing

Before I go on about biopics, let me first talk about memoirs and other similar mainstream non-fiction books. In recent years, a lot of celebrities and widely adored public figures have started publishing their own memoirs. I assume there is demand for this kind of literature, firstly fueled by fans of those figures. However, the act of publishing literature for these mainstream audiences in itself lends to the fact that the literature itself must be entertaining.

In theory, non-fiction should be true first and foremost. Any other qualities of that literature should come secondary to the truth. Perhaps there is no demand for that kind of reading other than by archivists and record keepers, people whose aim is to preserve the truth.

As for memoirs, there are some people who have very unique life experiences and so there is merit to them sharing them because there are commoners like me who would never be able to dream of them, whether it’s something traumatic, or a rags to riches story. I acknowledge this. 

However, there are also cases of people who don’t have lives that are that different from many people’s, and I would think that those people have pressure to spice up their autobiographies to be more entertaining.  

An author would write about things that happened in their life as they were. However, an editor would review the work. If the editor asked them to omit some things, or expand on others, I would consider that still to be within the realm of truth. However, if the editor asked the author to exaggerate or to change details, that is already on the path of distorting the truth. And the editor technically is doing their job. They are trying to help the author write a book that well be interesting to the masses, not an encyclopedic record of events. I was surprised to find Wikipedia had a page on fake memoirs but it goes to show that some people are not above altering the truth to sell a book. 

That being said, biographies and accounts of events written by an “independent” party are not free from bias. It’s just that it’s harder to challenge the lens that those authors are looking through. Since those authors are not the first-hand resources for the content they are writing about, the quality of their research is also a factor, and can also be used as a shield when accused of incorrect facts (though likely not a very strong one).

Controlling your own voice

Recently, I was listening to a segment on The Green Room podcast, which is the podcast hosted by Danny Green from the Toronto Raptors. The guest on that day was Jeremy Lin, who has a production company. What he said really interested me. He realized that if he didn’t use his own voice, someone else would make one for him (relating a lot to him being one a trailblazer as an Asian-American in the NBA). That really sat with me for a while because nowadays, everything is about marketing, or an image, or a brand. There’s no such thing as a completely blank state because apparently everyone has an image or a reputation, regardless of whether it’s one that they created for themselves or one that was imposed on them. 

Biopics

Now back to biopics. I do think that my initial thought stands, that no one person’s story is as interesting as seeing how many people have an effect on a particular event. I always find myself more invested in a story than I do in a main character, so I will stand by that. 

I do think there is a difference between biopics about historical figures who died long ago, and biopics about people who are still alive or only recently died. Let’s say someone like Julius Caesar. If someone were to make a movie about him, I think there would be more acceptance and acknowledgment that the movie would be an interpretation of him, rather than historical fact. As well, there are enough historians who’d be quick to point out inaccuracies, I would think.

The first film based on true events that really made me think was the Social Network. As a movie, it’s entertaining enough. However, every single character in the film is a real person who is alive today. I don’t know how happy they are with the script or the actors that played them. I also don’t know the legalities of doing this, and I have to wonder whether all of them agreed to have themselves portrayed in a film like this. I know that the truth is the ultimate defense to libel or slander lawsuits, but how do you draw the line when it comes to things like movies, where it is supposed to be an entertaining dramatization of true events, but many don’t consider that and take it as fact. 

Now, when we consider writing about people in a “non-fiction” book, the author is sort of taking away the person’s voice from them, adding to their reputation, whether it’s positive or negative. When it comes to biopics, not only does the movie take away the real person’s voice, but also their appearance. I guess it’s stripping someone of their identity in more ways than one. It’s a little disturbing I guess.

Glorification or villainizing

Recently there was debate about the upcoming Ted B*ndy film (I don’t want this post to show up in that tag). It is a movie based on the memoir written by B*ndy’s girlfriend at the time. Of course, it is a very strange and probably frightening experience and I understand why this memoir can both be true and be interesting to some. But for those who read it, I imagine it is important that they first acknowledge that it is truth, before they decide to judge it based on entertainment value (provided that of course the memoir is accurate).

There were concerns that they were casting a good looking actor and glorifying the killer. That is a side effect of the memoir, which was supposed to be an account of true events, being turned into a movie (not a documentary) for mainstream audiences. The reason a good-looking person was cast as this terrible serial killer is because good-looking people are what sell in the entertainment industry. I’m not sure what the producers’ reasons were for turning this memoir into a movie, but that is my comment on the reactions I’ve heard.

Ending

I know I’ve kind of been all over the place here, but this has been nagging at me for a while. 

I usually avoid biopics because I just find a lot of them uninteresting. For a lot of the biopics I’ve watched, the tone is positive, and I suppose that annoyed me because no one in real life is perfect that way. If it was a fictional character being portrayed as perfect, I could live with that and maybe even enjoy it because that is a fictional character. But a lot of biopics might either omit negative information or glorify it.

I admit I’ve never liked reading memoirs, autobiographies, or biographies. One of my favourite podcasters recently released a memoir and despite me being a big fan, I have no interest in reading or buying it. It all comes down to authenticity I suppose. I feel like the book is a packaged version of who he is, whereas the podcast is a more authentic version of the kind of person he is.

I guess that’s a way I could put it. I like authenticity and fiction separate, and dramatized versions of real events toe the line way too much for my comfort, without acknowledging that they do. For example, a lot of movies might say “based on the true story” or “based on the real events.” Many people will assume that means it’s mostly true but literally all it means is that the screenwriters were inspired by something that happened in real life and wrote a story; they didn’t set out to record what happened in real life, they set out to write an entertaining story that just happened to be kickstarted by a spark that the screenwriters got that came from real life. Is that convoluted? I hope not.

Anyway, it’s late, but I just wanted to get this all out. 

It’s common for music to be associated, at a base level, to emotion. While true that sound attaches to the idea, it is a step further to explore spirituality, and therefore the life’s intricacies as a whole, through vibrations. This is exactly the new step Umi is introducing to the listening world, building spaces of introspection as well as understanding. 

While young, she uses her life and surroundings to explain much of what doesn't seem to have an answer. Her sounds are beautifully simplistic, yet deeply resonating with every note as they fill the mind with endless memories. In truth, her music makes us nostalgic for things to come. 

With each passing day, her own personal knowledge and self connections become larger and stronger, more honest and hopeful. Ultimately, putting it towards a positive energy rare within music, but one so deeply appreciated. Umi is, in a sense, creating the musical embodiment of love, fear, defeat, laughter, and truly, the human experience.

Our first question as always, how’s your day going and how have you been? 

My day’s been going great! I’m on the plane right now headed to New York. I’ve been doing amazing, life is beautiful! 


To take it to the start, when did you originally find yourself caught by the idea of pursuing music? Who or what around you pushed you onto the path you’re currently on?

I feel like I’ve always wanted to be a musician, I literally couldn’t imagine myself doing anything else. I’ve been writing songs since I was 4 and remember putting on little concerts for my mom and sisters. I don’t think one moment or event pushed me to do music, but growing up in a musical household and having friends who did music definitely encouraged me to pursue my passion. 

Artistically, who were the artists that you found yourself drawing from, and how do you contrast those early influences to the ones you hold now?

I’ve been really inspired by artists like SZA, Frank Ocean, Jhene Aiko, and Benny Sings and found a lot of inspiration in their lyricism. I would say in the past I was more inspired by genres of music (R&B, gospel, alternative, pop) rather than a specific artist, which is why I feel I was able to understand and develop my own sound. But finding inspiration in artists over the past few years has helped me to improve the way I write from a lyrical standpoint.

Do you find the roots that you grew up from helped shape who you are as an artist?

I definitely think so! I grew up in a very musical household so creating music became second nature to me. My mom was a pianist, my dad played the drums, my aunt is a blues singer, and literally, everyone else in my family sings or plays an instrument. There was always music playing in my house and because I’m both Black and Japanese, I grew up listening to lots of different types of music (from gospel to R&B to Japanese pop to Korean music). I think that’s what has allowed me to come up with the melodies that I do now and to feel comfortable making different types of music. I also grew up in Seattle. It rains there ALL THE TIME. I think the gloomy weather and all the nature might also be where certain aspects of my sound subconsciously developed from. 


Beyond artists, you also have an interesting passion for astrology and similar forms of personal spirituality. Where would you say this came from and how has it lent itself to your music and understanding of yourself?

I’m not an expert on astrology so I can’t claim to that passion yet, but I am very passionate about spirituality. My mom has always been very spiritual but she never pushed her ideas onto me; I think she always knew it was something for me to discover on my own. I remember right before I moved to LA, I stumbled across this random YouTube video on the Law of Attraction (I definitely think the universe wanted me to watch it). That video shifted the way I saw the world. Since then, I’ve just been constantly reading, writing, meditating, and listening in order to learn more about my own spirituality. Spirituality to me is all about enhancing your self-awareness and understanding the power of your mind! Everything is energy, and whatever frequency your vibrate at reflects the people and circumstances that are attracted to you. When I began to understand this, my life changed! 

To those who may not understand or question reasons to practice these forms of spiritually, what would be your message and answer to their confusion? 

I think a lot of people stop themselves from being happy and truly fulfilled by holding onto learned ways of thinking. I think society teaches us that life is supposed to be hard and sad and full of discontent and so people become identified with this mindset. We think that happiness is difficult so we attract difficult situations, bad people, and unfortunate circumstances into our life. It’s a cycle. Happiness and belief in abundance is innate, you can see that in the way babies look at the world, they don’t fear anything! Life is limitless. Spirituality — or enhanced/deeper self-awareness — allows you to reconnect with this innate understanding you may have lost through living in an unconscious society. When you realize that life is meant to be happy, and easy and fun you attract happy people, positive circumstances, and abundance back into your life. Through practices like meditation, self-reflection etc you realize what traumas in your life may have caused you to hold negative beliefs of the world. This then gives you the power to release your past, let go of your perceived sense of self, and reconnect with the real essence of you! It’s beautiful! I know it’s the reason my music finally started to grow. Literally, every single affirmation I say to myself comes true now. I’m so powerful!  

As well, you’re fantastically vocal about the current political and social situations that matter most to you, even expressing them musically with songs like Dear Donald Trump. Do you hope to continue using your music and artistry as a vehicle for change and why, for you, is it essential to remain expressive as a youth through such turbulent times? 

Yes, as my platform begins to grow, my voice will only grow louder. It’s so important for me to use this opportunity to shed light on various social issues and stand up for what I believe in. I want to become an advocate for change especially for issues regarding woman of color, police brutality, reproductive rights, and immigration. I’m still constantly learning myself, so I hope as I get older and have more resources, I can find even better ways to enact change both through music and outside of music. 

You’ve said yourself that it’s been a really positive past year for you, in all facets of life, but if you could pinpoint one memory which sticks out above the rest, which would it be and what is its significance?

There have been so many fulfilling memories this year (so many happy tears!) but the one that sticks out to me the most is when my video “Remember Me” hit 1 million views. It was such a surreal moment for me. I’ve made so many videos in the past that I hoped would reach a million views and every time it didn’t I would get discouraged. When this happened, it all made sense. I realized that nothing in the past was supposed to gain the views that “Remember Me” did. It was confirmation to me that everything was happening exactly the way it was meant to be, when it was meant to be. More than anything, I was just really proud of myself and deeply grateful for all the people who helped me get to where I am. 


As we stand at the beginning of a, hopefully, positive new year, what goals and plans do you hold? What projects or ideas do you hope to work on or execute? 

1. Release more music! Release a few projects! 2. Release more music videos3. Collaborate with more artists 4. Go on tour! See the world! And headline my own tour! 5. Perform at some festivals 6. Self-direct my own music video 7. Meditate more, read more, share love, express more gratitude 8. LOVE MYSELF! 9. Start weight lifting, or boxing.

Recently, you began to explore collaboration more with songs like Lullaby. Is this an experience you hope to continue pursuing? And, if you could collaborate with one living or dead artist, who would it be?

I have lots of exciting collaborations in the works right now that I’m excited to release! And I can’t wait to continue to collaborate with more artists. My dream is to collaborate with SZA and Jhene Aiko one day! I’ll manifest it. 


If you could recommend one movie, book or show to everyone reading this currently, which would it be?

I think everyone in the world should read “A New Earth” by Eckhart Tolle and listen to the podcast series Oprah did with him about the book! It changed the way I see the world! Also, listen to Oprah’s "Super Soul Sunday" podcast. It’s such a great way to challenge your mind and shift your perspective about life. Also, watch the movie “Mr. Nobody” it still has me thinking about the concept of time and life. 


Do you have anyone or anything to shoutout or promote? The floor is yours!


Follow me on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook @whoisumi, check out my website whoisumi.com, and stream my music on all streaming platforms!! I have lots of new music on the way. 

Moooore Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow stuff, courtesy of another Tom King interview: 

King was on the Supergirl Radio podcast this week, and while a lot of it is just a repeat of what was said in the previous interview on ComicPop Elseworlds Exchange, there were still some interesting bits, IMO!

They opened with some general questions--how did he start writing, when did he get into superhero comics, etc. 

And then, the Supergirl portion!

The hosts asked where he first encountered Supergirl, and as before, he said that Supergirl is one of those characters that everyone just knows, like Batman and Superman. So he felt there was never a time where he wasn’t at least aware of her.

If forced to pinpoint something specific, though: the cartoons (Superman: The Animated Series and JLU) and for Kara Zor-El in particular, hardcover trades of the 70s stuff.

He had some AWESOME Carmine Infantino art, from the issue where Supergirl fights a bunch of mini-supergirls, in Daring New Adventures.

When asked if he used any of those stories for this new project, King again said that he went back to the ORIGINAL origin, in the Silver Age Otto Binder stuff.

Because he’s written Superman, the hosts asked if he thinks about the differences/similarities between the two when writing Supergirl.

He said that Kara’s more of a survivor than Clark, she’s been through more; he feels that Superman is always striving to be the icon that is Superman, whereas Kara can just be herself. 

He describes her as harder, more cynical, ‘she’ll drop an F-bomb here or there,’ she’s ‘old and crusty.’

The hosts asked him how he came to be on the book and while it’s basically the same story he told on the other podcast, there were a few additional details he mentioned here.

He specifically said that editors were frustrated, because there is this. Thought? Among creators, that Supergirl is perfect, and there are no fun Supergirl stories to tell. 

(Brief, opinionated interjection here: HOGWASH!)

He again brought up the idea that people can be precious with Supergirl; he said she is precious, but she’s also badass.

When asked if there was any particular piece of Supergirl mythology that he wanted/was excited to use, King said that this book isn’t really about that--he again used the expression of stripping off the barnacles that have built up on the characters over the years, really getting at the most basic, pure take on them.

He was like, ‘we keep the dog, maybe the horse if we can make time for him, because [Comet] is the weirdest thing in all of comics.’

Elaborating on the book/lack of Supergirl mythology: He put her in space, gave her a simple mission, and let the story be a thesis on why Supergirl is awesome.

Next question was about the comic writing process.

King said there’s no set way to write a comic script; he tends to write ‘full scripts’; they resemble movie scripts in that there’s panel descriptions for each page, as well as the dialogue for each panel.

His descriptions are light, though. For example, he’ll simply put: ‘Supergirl encounters a Space Dragon’, and leave the rest up to Bilquis.

Again had nothing but praise and excitement re: working with Evely and Lopes. 

Said Evely adds such depth and emotion and storytelling to the artwork.

Then there was a question from the live chat; the listener noted that a lot of King’s work contains romance/is focused on romantic love. They asked if this book would also be about romantic love, or another kind of love.

King: This is not a romance. The love in this comic is a friendship love, between Kara and Ruthye.

When asked if other pre-existing characters would make an appearance: There will be shout-outs, but this is first and foremost a book about Supergirl; she is at the center of the book.

The goal is to make her one of the pillars of DC Comics.

On the subject of the ‘western’ part of the space western: Again mentioned True Grit, as well as The Searchers, and Red River.

Compared Kara to John Wayne.

Likes the idea of a character who has a simple mission, needs to go somewhere, and travels through various lands to get there, like the Odyssey.

Initially, he was going to have Kara be a sort of ingenue who learns to be tough as she goes on this journey, but his editor said, ‘No, she should be the teacher, instructing this young girl on how to be tough’ b/c Kara has the life experience. And King was like, ‘yeah! Let’s do that!’

And of course, because it is Supergirl Radio, they asked if he’s watched the show.

He watched the 1st and 2nd seasons with his daughter, then they fell behind/stopped watching because she moved on to other things, but he loved it! Specifically loved that he could watch a superhero show with her; good bonding time.

They asked him about incorporating stuff from the show and he said that he opted not to do that, as it’s sometimes not done well/feels forced. The example he used is that it’s very hard to get something like Calista Flockhart’s performance from the TV show into the comics, both in terms of the actual writing, and also in terms of legal stuff like the likeness rights, etc. 

Then they talked about KRYPTO! And King’s own dog, Roxy. 

Because King is a dog owner, he said he found it very hard to write Krypto sometimes, because he never wanted to put him in danger.

He also said that you can feel like a dog is a family member, and that is how Kara views Krypto; he is not a pet, or a tool, but a member of her family.

Another live chat question: Does he think of Kara differently, now that he’s written her?

King said she’s a much tougher character, than he initially thought.

Compared her to Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark; you don’t see him become Indy, he just already IS Indy, and he’s done this stuff a hundred times over.

And then he shared a little bit of issue 2 to illustrate this point: Ruthye and Kara encounter a guy who has beef with Superman, so he decides to take it out on Kara, and Kara easily dispatches him; Ruthye (the narrator of the book) marvels at how this happens everywhere they go, and it’s just a daily occurrence for Kara, because everyone thinks she’s the weak link/a way to get back at Clark.

Final question was about what he hopes is his legacy/the takeaway of this book.

King said he wants it to do well, and convince DC/the editors that there ALWAYS needs to be a Supergirl book on the stands.

And now, SOME THOUGHTS!

As mentioned, a lot of this stuff was already covered in the prior podcast, BUT! There are some new details here that build on those points.

For instance: King is really committing to a harder, cynical Kara. Who knows if she’ll remain that way by journey’s end, but that’s the take he’s going with.

(And, as before: not my preferred/ideal Kara! But I am open to seeing this. Largely because it is rooted in like. Character backstory/history; he’s not being edgy for edge's sake.)

Also, NO ROMANCE. 

*insert happy muppet flailing here*

I will admit that I had the extremely cursed thought that he’d bring back Comet, or worse, 90s Comet as some sort of guest star--and maybe he will, who knows! But I don’t get that vibe, really. Like, maybe as a fun shout-out, but not a full-on character in the story.

I do like that he repeatedly emphasized that this is a very simple book, with Kara at the center, and that it’s basically about Supergirl, and why she’s awesome.

Especially given how Future State whiffed that one.

That said, was a little dismayed to learn that Ruthye will be the narrator of the whole thing. It brings back horrible visions of Future State, and it’s harder for the reader to get into a character’s head when you’ve got someone else narrating the whole thing, but. We’ll see.

(What might take the edge off of this narrative choice is Evely’s art, since you can better determine Kara’s emotions/thoughts/etc.)

Interestingly, King didn’t want to comment too much on this book’s potential connection to Future State: Superwoman which...has me a little concerned.

(Please, never let that book be canon. PLEASE.)

The further details on the BTS stuff is disappointing, but not surprising. ‘Supergirl is too perfect/boring’ is a take that 1.) mirrors the same nonsense you see about Superman, and why everyone would rather be writing Batman and 2.) has existed FOREVER, and was particularly prevalent after the introduction of Power Girl. 

(It’s also flat-out wrong, in the same way that ‘Superman is boring’ is wrong.)

Other little things: Love that King says Kara views Krypto as a family member (because he totally is), and the Camine Infantino art was SO COOL.

SO, OVERALL: Gonna have to get used to the idea of an old, crusty Kara.

(Honestly I can’t even be mad at that description because I kinda find it funny? I mean, what with the Superman Fortnite announcement recently, I’m feeling pretty old and crusty, ngl. XD)

But I like a lot of the stuff King’s said so far.

Some of it does give me a little pause--like the heavy emphasis on the Supergirl part of her identity, as opposed to Kara, and how she’s just this awesome badass, with no real mention of other aspects of her character--but.

As should be very clear by now, I’m not in it for the writing.

Rather. I am here primarily because of

*takes a deep breath*

ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRT!

The definition of Wikipedia audio drama is as follows:Radio drama (or audio drama, audio playback, radio playback, radio theater or audio theater) is a purely acoustic dramatized performance. With no visual component, radio fiction depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine the characters and the story. " I started listening to radio dramas even before the audio books; in fact, radio dramas were the bridge I had to cross to start enjoying audio books, and I am extremely grateful that they taught me to be careful when listening seemed like a secondary task, something that I did something else. Admittedly, to this day, I still find it difficult to sit and listen, I generally play my audio books, podcasts or radio dramas while doing chores or crafts, but even if that does not seem to be a big problem, power Listen even keeping myself busy was a battle won, because my mind always tended to wander. The radio drama, with its different voices and sounds, projecting an atmosphere similar to that of a film, kept me focused long enough to teach me a certain auditory discipline. Although listening to radio drama may seem out of date, radio was the machine that transformed oral stories - often told within the same family - into a form of magical entertainment for an entire population. Before video, before television, radio dramas were the place where stories, beyond simple reading, took shape. In the 1940s until the 1950s, radio was the main popular entertainment. It was more than a source of information: music and novels were also an integral part of people's daily lives. In many ways, when people lived closed inside their own community, radio had to feel like the only direct thing connecting a whole family to those who lived far apart, in the country in which they lived and in the unknown world (rest of). This was true until at least the 1950s, and the only reason radio lost its appeal was because it was, in a sense, replaced by something that looked a little more like magic: the television. No matter how cool it was to listen to someone speak several miles away, nothing could beat the new enchantment created by the little magic box with tiny people trapped inside. Category ID: 1529 Audiobooks newsletter Register for Audio books to receive the latest news from the world of audio books. Thank you for signing up! Keep an eye on your inbox. By registering, you accept our terms of use But while television became very popular, radio was the first to launch a wide distribution of plays, most of them adapted to radio. Finally, because it was difficult to make this adaptation, since the plays largely depended on what the audience saw, many plays began to be written specifically for broadcasting. This meant that with the help of sound effects - usually created with the most common objects and a lot of imagination - listeners had the full experience of a room, made only for their ears. The first radio dramas The first play written specially for the radio was A comedy of danger, by Richard Hughes, broadcast in January 1924, commissioned by the BBC in Great Britain. In the United States, the first radio drama is believed to have been a program called The wolf, adapted from a play by Charles Sommerville by Eugène Walter, also in 1924. But radio drama has its roots in another type of broadcasting, long before radio technology was developed. Between 1900 and 1920, people used a network of lines to listen to shows - it was called the theatrophone. Basically the equivalent of placing a glass against your neighbor's walls to listen to them play the piano (or to spy on their own personal dramas). Of course, the theophone was better installed, had better sound quality and was less discreet (and rude). It did, however, allow people to listen to things that they would not have been able to listen to otherwise. Also, here is a little nugget of knowledge that proves, once again, that times and technologies are changing, but people are pretty much the same: as new plays began to be written for radio, and others adapted, many claimed that radio was ruining theater sales. And the boy, they were angry. They didn't know that the two plays AND the radio would still amuse us today. Most of the dramas of the golden age of radio were live broadcasts and were not recorded. In fact, until the late 1940s, national networks prohibited the broadcasting of recorded programs because of its inferior sound quality. It was only after World War II, with the development of high fidelity, that recording became more common. On the air… Panic! How Orson Welles Created a Radio Legend The story of War of the Worlds first appeared in two magazines in 1897: Pearson Magazine (in the UK), and Cosmopolitan (in the USA.). It became a real book from the publisher William Heinemann a year later, in 1898. The science fiction novel, written by HG Wells, is one of the first to imagine a struggle between humans and aliens invading Earth. In the evening of October 30, 1938, the radio adaptation was broadcast live as part of Mercury Theater on the air, narrated by Orson Welles. It could have been another adaptation, another radio show, but it is now etched in the history of radio drama forever. The original story takes place in England, but playwright Edward Koch decided to make the decor more attractive to American listeners and changed it to take place in New Jersey. Everyone involved in the production agreed that the first part of the adaptation would be made to resemble a news program, in order to appear more realistic. With the brilliant interpretation of Orson Welles and the excellent work of the production team, who managed to create what looked like a regular radio broadcast interrupted here and there with newsletters, they got exactly what that they had negotiated. And then some. Those at home who missed the opening announcement, which contained the only warning that it was a fictitious radio play, believed that the stories being told were really happening and took to the streets in panic. If they had stayed during the second half of the drama, which was broadcast in a more conventional style, they would have realized how stupid they had been. People got so angry at the repercussions of the play - and, I bet for being mistaken for fools, bless them - that the Federal Communications Commission had to make changes to the way broadcasters clarified the veracity - or fiction - of their radio dramas. Focus on drama. Later, when asked about the panic caused by the show, Welles was asked to say if he shouldn't have softened the drama, to which he replied: "No, you're not playing murder with sweet words." Congratulations to our man Welles. Of course, upon hearing this story, we would like to believe that we are wiser and more informed these days, but with all the false news that is spreading, we should all be ready to humbly descend from our great horses. It is metaphorically speaking. Many recordings released during the so-called golden age of radio are still available on the Internet Archive to this day. Some known classics, in addition War of the Worlds, are: The shadow Serial dramas of the 1930s, developed by Walter B. Gibson, some episodes also included Orson Welles. Lone ranger If Chuck Norris as Walker, Texas Ranger had a radio series, that would be it. He inspired a TV show and even a series of books. Its creator is unclear, being attributed either to George W. Temble (the owner of the radio station), or to Frank Striker (the writer). Archers The oldest radio soap in the world is BBC Radio 4 Archers, released for the first time in 1951, and still as solid. (A personal thought: I see a lot of male names linked to the creation of radio dramas, so when someone comes to tell you that women are starting the whole drama, please redirect them to this post.) Radio drama in present times Despite what many may have predicted when television began to take over the entertainment industry, radio drama seems to have made a steady comeback in the past decade, particularly thanks to the voices of independent creators. While our parents are still mostly used to listening to the radio, the younger generations are now listening to podcasts, which gives us the advantage of being able to actively choose what we listen to and what deserves our attention. Audio is no longer just a means of entertainment, but a new way to learn, follow the news and, often, advertise and develop a business. Although the British BBC is still the largest supplier of audio drama - at least per station, with BBC Radio 4 producing several drama and comedy shows and even hosting audio awards - radio dramas are no longer simply transmitted by radio stations usual: the teams creating and continuing them season after season with the help of their admirers, inviting them to support their work via Patreon or any other similar means. An example of this is Wooden overcoat, a radio soap opera featuring two funeral homes of competitors on a small (fictitious) island. The production - which is a comedy and deserves to be listened to - should record its fourth series this year, and although it is not broadcast by any public radio station, its fans have supported them massively (and economically) season after season since started in 2015. Welcome to Night Vale is another example in which an independent soap opera swept an audience, and it was reserved for 50 live broadcasts across the United States and Europe in 2020 alone. Because these are independent productions, they have more freedom to try different things and are more focused on what their fans expect from the series. The continuation or cancellation of these broadcasts is determined directly by their listeners, rather than on the agenda of a radio station. Of course, one of the reasons why audio entertainment has become so popular is due to the fact that it is now easier than ever to acquire the equipment necessary to start audio production. Even people on a very limited budget can create a podcast from scratch from their home and be successful. With just a laptop and a microphone, you're ready to bring great audio content to your home's merchandise. There are free programs like Audacity which allow you to record, erase and move audio tracks to create a flawless recording capable of engaging thousands of people. The possibilities extend to creativity. With the tools we have now - phones with great cameras and good technology are getting cheaper and more widely available - such productions could very easily be done in video form, but there are many advantages to choosing to produce - and - consume audio instead of video: audio is easier to record and edit than video, and it requires less storage space. It is also much cheaper to create an entire production based solely on sound effects than to create anything to tell the same story on video: the accessories, the decor and the costumes represent a lot of work and, above all, a big spent. For consumers, audio does not require as much attention and does not require as much of our time: with audio, we do not need to sit and watch. The soap opera allows us to be productive while we consume it, and it can even be used as a supplement for chores, and vice versa. My household chores, commuting, and exercising have become much more interesting since I discovered radio theater and audio books, as this now means that I can also read / learn. I take as much time to do chores as I do to finish listening to my favorite book, TED Talk or radio comedy. I am productive in two ways, and whatever the task at hand, I lighten up because I have something to have fun while I do it. The audio allows me to continue. On top of that, it doesn't really need a sophisticated device so as not to compromise on quality: I am still using a used 5th generation iPod touch, from 2012, and it works very well, but I could very easily listen to anything on my phone. We cannot be certain for sure how audio drama and audio entertainment in general will evolve over the next decade, but studies indicate an increase in the consumption of audio books, so we expect as the audio drama numbers and productions, will continue to increase in the same way. via GIPHY Listen to these radio dramas If you're looking to fill your life with new radio shows, here are some favorites! The White Vault "The White Vault presents international distribution and brilliant sound design. If you like the way sound can add spookiness and vibe to your horror, you're going to love what this audio drama makes of it. " —Vernieda Vergaras The Bright Sessions "The Bright Sessions was one of my first experiences with audio drama and the reason why I am such an avid listener of fiction podcasts now. The characters and their stories were so important to me in my own journey with identity, mental health, etc. over the years, and it remains my favorite forever. " —Patricia Thang Neverwhere and Good omens Both are productions of BBC Radio 4 and both are brilliantly produced. With a fantastic cast, Gaiman’s (and Pratchett, in the case of Good omens) wonderful stories really come to life in this production. Gaiman has seen other of his radio adapted books, but these are still my personal favorites. Cabin pressure First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2008, the series caught the attention of the whole world with the boom created by Benedict Cumberbatch and his BBC Sherlock. Benedict is part of the cast alongside Roger Allam, Stephanie Cole and John Finnemore, who is also the author of the series. The series is still my favorite to this day; it's amazing to see the evolution of each character through the four seasons, and it (always) scares me every time I listen to it again. Which I have done countless times. Wolf 359 Similar to the traditional dramas of the golden age of radio mentioned in the article, this podcast is a science fiction tale set on board the U.S.S. Hephaestus space station. The show draws as much on the development of their character as on their decor to create a story full of suspense. Adventures in New America Another science fiction drama, this time in the genre of Afrofuturism. His two main characters - "fat, lonely AI curmudgeon and lesbian thief Simon Carr", as described on the official website - are jostling New York to try to make ends meet. They end up facing a few unexpected enemies on the way to reach their goals. The face of the moon With a story that will come out at the center of its plot, it will strike particularly close to home for the children of emigrants who find it difficult to understand where they belong among the different cultures with which they grew up. The main character, Paul, wants to tell his mother about his sexuality, but she does not speak English and he does not speak Korean. It is a story of identity, in its different forms. Super ordinary Anika is a young woman with superpowers. The only problem is that her superpowers only show up when she has a panic attack. If she thought it was difficult to try to control her mind, the fact that she could no longer control her mind or her superpowers made it even more difficult to manage. With the help of her best friend, Anika tries to be heard and to tell her story. If you liked this article and want to know more about the audio drama, here are some links that you will find useful! Fiction podcasts to satisfy your love for stories More fiction podcasts to satisfy your love for stories Fiction podcasts for superhero fans https://oltnews.com/radio-drama-yesterday-and-today-book-riot?_unique_id=5ea173e9b1f1b

News Podcasts and the Opportunities for Publishers

News Podcasts and the Opportunities for Publishers https://ift.tt/2DDuJgy

1. Introduction

More than 15 years after the term was first coined, podcasting has become one of the hottest topics in media. Our Reuters Institute Digital News Report shows that podcasting is now a worldwide phenomenon, with 36% of those surveyed accessing a podcast each month and around 15% using a news podcast. Edison Research estimates that around 90m people listen to podcasts each month in the United States – a number that has doubled since 2015.1 In the United Kingdom podcast usage is up 40% in the last year,2 driven by a younger – plugged in – generation looking for information, entertainment, and distraction. At the same time advertisers are shifting significant budgets into podcasting, while private and public financiers are supporting a range of start-ups in Europe and North America (e.g. Luminary, Himalaya, Podimo, Sybel). Apple has been synonymous with podcasting for many years, but now other big tech companies are investing in the medium. Spotify is commissioning and paying for original podcasts while Google has made them visible in search results at the same time as developing its own podcast service for Android phones.

Publisher interest has grown following the success of The Daily from the New York Times, which has built an audience of 2m daily listens along with substantial annual revenues. Dozens of daily news podcasts have launched over the last 18 months.

There has been much written about podcasts in general and the drivers around growth, but there has been less focus on news podcasts and the creative and commercial opportunities for publishers. Nor has there been much attempt to understand differences between domestic markets, especially outside the English-speaking world. This research sets out to redress that balance by answering the following questions.

What types of news podcasts are being produced, who is producing them, and how does that differ across countries?

How big is the daily news podcast category in particular? Why are publishers investing?

What are wider publisher content and monetisation strategies?

What role are platforms and other intermediaries playing in discovery and monetisation?

What are the future prospects for publishers in this space?

We have categorised the top news podcasts in five countries (the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, France, and Sweden) and linked this with wider industry data on consumption and demographics. We also interviewed around 30 leading publishers (including the Washington Post, Slate, BBC, the Guardian, ABC, The Australian, Les Echos, Radio France, Swedish Radio, Dagens Nyheter), platforms such as Spotify, Google, and Acast, independent producers such as Stitcher, advertising executives, and podcast experts too.

Key Findings

News podcasts make up a small proportion (6%) of the 770,000 existing podcasts, as categorised by Apple, but the general appeal and stickiness of news content means that the category punches well above its weight in terms of consumption. News makes up around a fifth (21%) of the most popular episodes in the United States Apple charts. It is a similar picture in other countries, with a third (34%) of the top podcast episodes in France categorised as news, and just under a fifth in Sweden (18%), Australia (18%), and the United Kingdom (16%).

The category itself is also growing rapidly. The number of new news podcasts globally rose by almost 12,000 between January and October 2019 – an increase of around a third (32%) according to data provided by Chartable. Talk and interview shows are the most popular sub-genre within news, along with one-off narrative series, but daily news has become an increasingly important focus. We have identified almost 60 native daily news podcasts across our five countries (see full list in Appendix B) with the majority of these shows having launched in the last 18 months. Some of the most popular daily news podcasts in the United States – such as The Daily from the New York Times – are attracting audiences of millions, while others are struggling in an increasingly competitive market. Elsewhere audiences are more modest but are showing consistent growth. We have identified three sub-categories of daily news podcasts:

Micro-bulletins, with a length of between 1 and 5 minutes.

News round-ups, with a length of between 6 and 15 minutes.

Deep-dives, with a length of 20 minutes or more.

Our research shows that many publishers from print or digital-born backgrounds have focused on single-subject deep-dives that play to their strengths in analysis and explanation. Print journalists have enthusiastically embraced these new forms of storytelling, finding them a natural add-on to existing workflows. By contrast, many broadcasters have focused on producing micro-bulletins and redistributing existing radio programmes as podcasts. Where they have commissioned digital-born or native podcasts, these have often been aimed at younger and more diverse audiences that they are finding hard to reach through linear channels.

Some commercial publishers are already deriving significant revenue from podcasts, especially in the United States. More than half of Slate’s total revenue now comes from podcasts. NPR is expecting to earn $55m from podcasting next year, overtaking radio in terms of sponsorship income. But outside the English-speaking world and in smaller markets, monetisation is far more challenging, with lower consumption and much lower interest from advertisers. But short-term revenue is often not the only motivation. Publishers see podcasts as a good way to build brand awareness and loyalty, which some hope may eventually transfer into subscriptions or donations.

New platforms are shaking up the podcast market, bringing new ideas and extra investment. Apple still accounts for the majority of podcast use but Spotify has doubled its market share in the last year.3 A number of paid content providers are commissioning original content, using Netflix-type models, and offering significant sums for the production of exclusive content. This is opening up new opportunities for publishers around comedy, sport, lifestyle, and high-quality narrative series.

But the growing influence of tech companies and other intermediaries is also bringing familiar challenges. Many publishers fear they could be helping platforms build profitable businesses on the back of their content. Others worry that they could lose their direct relationship with audiences, including first-party data, as platforms take the credit for content. Public broadcasters, in particular, are trying to develop their own destinations for audio content and a number have started to publish first in their own platforms or are withholding content altogether from third parties.

Most publishers and experts feel there is still significant room for growth, with new voice-driven interfaces making it easier to access on-demand audio in the home and on the move. But the scale of the opportunity remains unclear, with revenue still relatively modest and increasing competition from platforms and independent producers. Podcasting is attracting younger audiences but these are predominantly from the better educated ‘latte-drinking’ classes. Reaching mainstream audiences will require a broader range of content and audio formats, better interfaces, and improved distribution. These changes are likely to take some time.

2. Methodology and Definitions

The aim of the analysis was to map the news podcast sector across different countries. In order to do so, we collected data from the Apple Podcasts charts in five countries (the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, France, and Sweden). Our methodology only explored content that was tagged as News & Politics by publishers themselves in July 20194 and focused on the top (trending) 200 podcasts in each country. This allowed us to capture a wide range of well-used content from daily news to documentary in a consistent way. However, it will have missed out some specialist content, such as sport, comedy, and lifestyle areas, as well as less popular content.

We further categorised each podcast to identify sub-genres (daily news, narrative serialised podcast, chat/interview, etc.) along with producers (broadcasters, print and digital-born publishers, independent podcast companies, etc.). We used the Apple charts because these metadata have become the industry standard and the majority of listening still happens via the Apple podcasts app. These charts, which are not fully transparent, and are loosely based on the number of subscriptions to a particular podcast feed, helped us to identify podcasts that are worth categorising in each country. Apple is only one source of podcasts, and other services (e.g. Spotify) may show different results.

Understanding podcast consumption is more challenging so we have used a variety of sources. We have used survey data (Edison Infinite Dial and Digital News Report) to help put podcasts into a wider context as well as provide robust data on demographics. The Apple Podcasts Episode charts, based on recent usage around specific shows, help provide a picture of relative consumption – even if actual numbers are not publicly available. To help fill in these gaps, we have in some cases used consumption data provided directly by individual publishers, or we have referenced aggregated publisher data from Podtrac in the United States and Poddindex in Sweden.

We chose the United States, the UK, and Australia because they have been quick to embrace podcasting, with fast developing monetisation and professional podcast services. By contrast, France has been slower to adopt podcasts but has a vibrant and emerging independent sector and is an example of a large non-English-speaking country. Sweden is the home of Spotify and another country with a high level of podcast consumption. We interviewed leading publishers in all five countries, along with platforms, other intermediaries, and industry experts. We also included three interviews from Denmark, a small European market which is showing innovation in business models and through a recently launched paid podcast platform, Podimo. A full list of interviewees is included in Appendix A of this report.

What is a Podcast Anyway?

In the Digital News Report, we define a podcast as an episodic series of digital audio files, which you can download, subscribe to, or listen to. Technically the programme or show itself sits inside a feed, which can be accessed via an app (sometimes known as a podcatcher) such as Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or Podcast Addicts – or via a publisher app or website, such as BBC Sounds or SR Play from Swedish Radio, or the New York Times, which has recently incorporated a podcast feature in its app. But in the ­last few years podcasts have also become available via music services such as Spotify and Pandora, via voice platforms such as Amazon’s Alexa and the Google Assistant, and via Google search itself. As audio becomes more integrated into mainstream consumer experiences across the internet, these early technical definitions are becoming less meaningful. Individual shows are increasingly being surfaced across the web often without the need to subscribe to a feed or use a specialist app. Given this, it is perhaps more useful to consider the other characteristics of a podcast, in terms of content or form, that make it different from a traditional radio programme.

A number of previous studies have noted that podcast listening is a more active process, with listeners typically listening intently from the start, whereas radio is often consumed distractedly as a flow of information.5 This allows shows to be constructed in a more demanding way, often using immersive and narrative storytelling techniques borrowed from movies and television drama. ‘It is often more filmic,’ says Kellie Riordan, manager at ABC Audio Studios. ‘Radio tends to be topic driven whereas podcasts – even if they’re news podcasts – build in storytelling, and plot points, and casting, and character, and scene building.’ Marguerite Howell, co-editor of The Intelligence at The Economist says it is not just about the way shows are constructed, it is also about tone: ‘It’s much more intimate, where sometimes with the radio it’s as if you’re being assaulted.’

But it is not just the production techniques. The context is also different, with 90% of podcast listening happening alone, largely using headphones attached to a smartphone, whereas radio listening is often a shared experience.6 This tends to push creators towards a more intimate experience where the relationship with the host is critical. ‘People are choosing to listen to that particular host either daily or weekly and make that part of their habit,’ according to Susie Warhurst, SVP of Content at Acast. ‘You are incredibly engaged with the content.’

Others point to the democratic nature of podcasts – the way that low barriers to entry encourage diverse viewpoints. Podcasts open up the possibility of super-serving an almost infinite number of passions and niches. In that sense they are different from radio programmes which, in terms of the spoken word, have tended to serve a more general audience within a particular broadcast distribution area.

Attempts to neatly define and categorise podcasts are often problematic, as this study shows. A significant proportion of popular podcasts originated as radio programmes but can now be enjoyed in a new context. We also find broadcasters adapting and reversioning content as well as commissioning podcast-first content that finds itself back on the radio. In this report we will use the terms native podcast and catch-up radio, because it helps us understand the production and supply of content. However, these differences are not clear cut and audiences themselves rarely make these distinctions.

Term

Definition

Examples

Podcast

A podcast is an episodic series of digital audio files, which you can download, subscribe to, or listen to via a range of technologies (RSS feed, podcasting apps)

771,000 examples catalogued by Apple

Native Podcast

An audio programme produced and designed as an on-demand programme/show, without being bound to the radio or TV broadcasting schedule.

The Daily (New York Times), The Teachers Pet (The Australian), P3 Dystopia (Swedish Radio)

Catch-up Radio

A time-shifted, on-demand programme formerly broadcast on radio (or even TV)

Morning Edition (NPR), AM (ABC), In Our Time (BBC), Le Téléphone Sonne (France Inter)

3. Comparing the Production of News Podcasts across Five Countries

This chapter looks at the different types of content that are being produced. It looks first at the news in the wider context of podcasting before looking at typologies of news content. Finally, it examines the different producers of news content and links these to the typologies.

The Importance of News in the Wider Podcast Ecosystem

Taking native and catch-up radio podcasts together, we find 771,000 podcasts in the Apple directory as of November 2019, but the news category makes up a relatively small proportion of these – 6% or about 50,000 podcasts. And yet we find that news makes up more than a fifth (21%) of the top 250 places in the Apple episode charts: ‘These episode charts are reflective of consumption, not just recent subscriptions. So clearly news pods punch above their weight,’ says Dave Zohrob, CEO of Chartable, which tracks changes in the podcast ecosystem.

Across all genres, the number of new podcasts is growing at a rate of more than 200,000 a year, though this rate has started to slow a little (see the next chart). Many of these are produced by hobbyists and individuals, but this growth is also increasingly driven by higher-quality professional content with significant investment from broadcasters and digital-born publishers, as well as those with a background in print. There have been almost 12,000 new news podcasts so far this year, representing an increase of around a third (32%) in the last year.

News podcasts 2005–2019

Source: Chartable

While some publishers have been creating and distributing podcasts for 10 or 15 years, it was the blockbuster success of Serial (2014), an investigative journalism podcast developed as a ‘spin off’ from the American public radio show This American Life, that kicked off this current wave of excitement. The show’s first two series notched up 340m downloads,7 sparking a new genre of true crime investigations including break-out hits S-Town and more recently The Teacher’s Pet in Australia. Noting renewed interest in podcasts, the New York Times started to develop a daily news show to showcase its journalism in an audio format. Borrowing techniques from American public radio, the show launched in early 2017, becoming a surprise hit, in part because of the podcast’s ‘conversational and intimate’ tone.8 In turn this has led to the development of a new genre of narrative news podcasts that take a deep-dive into one or more stories.

In the United States listening patterns have already started to change dramatically: ‘Strategically we know that we would be completely foolish if we weren’t committing ourselves to pushing aggressively into the on-demand space,’ says Chris Turpin, Vice President for Editorial Innovation and Special Projects at National Public Radio (NPR), who notes that the podcast audience is much younger than the broadcast audience (see next chart).

Source: Digital News Report 2019: Q11 A podcast is an episodic series of digital audio files, which you can download, subscribe or listen to. Which of the following types of podcast have you listened to in the last month? Base: All markets – UK= 2023, US=2012

But for other publishers, audio represents another significant disruption to traditional models. ‘You can see consumer habits changing to include audio more in daily routines,’ says Chris Duncan, Managing Director of The Times and Sunday Times. ‘It feels like a positive opportunity but also it’s a threat for attention – so it’s a place that we have to be.’

Native vs Catch-Up Radio

The next chart shows the proportion of trending news podcasts that are native (digital-born), as opposed to catch-up radio content, across our five countries.

Percentage of top 200 news podcasts that are native vs catch-up in five markets

Source: Apple Podcasts charts top 200 News & Politics, 16 July 2019 (Domestic only, n = 200 in each market)

It is striking that in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Sweden ‘native’ podcasts are more prevalent than podcasts originating as radio programmes. In these countries more than two-thirds of the top 200 podcasts are made first for this medium, showing both how media companies have invested in this area and also how this has been matched by consumer interest.

In France the situation is different, with the majority of trending podcasts (68%) being catch-up radio programmes from mainstream radio stations such as the Radio France group (France Culture, France Inter, and France Info), RTL, and Europe 1. This shows the different levels of maturity of podcasting in France, where catch-up radio still dominates and where there has been a relative lack of investment from other publishers.

Further analysis shows that the most popular shows in France tend to be on-demand versions of debate and current affairs programmes (e.g. Le 7–9 from France Inter and RTL Soir from RTL) as well as short segments from broadcast, such as the three-minute Géopolitique morning section from Pierre Haski (France Inter). In the United States we find just 16% of the trending podcasts are catch-up, but these include audio versions of popular cable television programmes, such as The Rachel Maddow Show (MSNBC), and highlights from The Daily Show (Comedy Central). In the UK, commercial broadcasters like LBC (James O’Brien, Nigel Farage) and Talk Radio compete with the BBC with offcuts and recuts of popular shows.

Catch-up radio is often a good starting point for news podcasts, but over time we see high-quality native podcasts competing strongly with broadcast content – often resonating more with consumers.

Domestic vs Foreign Podcasts: US and UK Podcasts have International Reach

Our chart explores the extent to which people are accessing podcasts from outside their home country. Once again, we see significant differences across our markets.

Percentage of top 200 news podcasts that are domestic vs foreign in five markets

Source: Apple Podcasts charts top 200 News & Politics, 16 July 2019 (n= 200 for each country)

The dominance of the US podcasting industry, especially the production of high-quality narrative podcasts, is reflected in the significant pink wedges that we see in the pie charts from the UK, Australia, and Sweden. More than half (58%) of the podcasts in the Australian charts are produced internationally, with US shows such as White Lies (NPR), and Cold (KSL and Wondery) leading the charge – along with those from the UK. This research suggests that podcasts can – to some extent at least – break down national boundaries around audio content. Seven programmes are represented in the top 200 places in all of the countries studied. These include The Daily, Can He Do That?, and The Argument from the US, the Global News podcast from the BBC, The Intelligence by The Economist, and the true crime podcast Uncover from the Canadian public broadcaster CBC.

Over time, one might expect the proportion of US podcasts in the top 200 to reduce as domestic podcast scenes become stronger, with higher quality content. On the other hand, smaller countries with high levels of fluency in English, like Sweden, are likely to continue to look outwards for relevant content.

By contrast, in the United States and France, the podcast scene is dominated by local producers, albeit for very different reasons. In the United States only 13 of the top 200 shows (7%) are non-domestic, with half of those being British. Strong domestic competition makes it extremely hard to break into this American market. In France almost nine in ten (87%) of our trending podcasts were locally produced, with language clearly a factor.

Different Types of Popular News Podcasts across Countries

We have identified five types of news podcasts, which were categorised using the following criteria.

Type

Description

Examples

Daily News/current affairs

This is either a) a NATIVE and DAILY podcast focusing on NEWS AND CURRENT AFFAIRS or b) a daily radio (or TV) show repackaged as podcast.

Post Reports (Washington Post), La Story (Les Echos), Ekot (Sveriges Radio)

Talk/Interview

unscripted

A TALK / DEBATE / CONVERSATION show. Can be native or catch-up. Mostly these are weekly and non-scripted.

Political Gabfest (Slate), The Nigel Farage Show (LBC), The Professor and The Hack (10 Speaks)

Narrative series – single topic

NATIVE podcast with a SEASONAL / IRREGULAR frequency. A podcast in series focused on one story / investigation / true crime narrative.

Serial, The Assassination (BBC), The Teacher’s Pet (the Australian), Injustices (Louie Média)

Other documentary – many topics

DOCUMENTARY strand released at a REGULAR frequency (weekly, monthly, etc.). It reports on a wide range of topics. Can be native or catch-up.

P3 Dystopia (SR), Code Switch (NPR), Slow Burn (Slate), Une lettre d’Amérique (RTL)

Audio long read

NATIVE podcast. A read of newspaper/magazine feature. Can be regular or seasonal / irregular.

Guardian Long Read (Guardian)

Les éditos de la rédaction (Les Echos)

Percentage of different types of popular news podcasts AGGREGATED TOTALS FROM THE UK, THE US, AUSTRALIA, SWEDEN, AND FRANCE

Source: Apple Podcasts charts top 200 News & Politics, 16 July 2019 (n= 1000; 200 from each country)

Our research shows that talk and interview formats were most common across all five countries, accounting for more than four in ten (44%) news podcasts across all five countries. These are shows like the Political Gabfest from Slate, which was one of the pioneers of this format. Talk radio hosts such as James O’Brien in the UK have also found success by reversioning their broadcast shows as podcasts.

The one-off narrative series is another popular format (24%), with true crime hits coming from the US, as well as Australia and the UK. The Teacher’s Pet was a true crime podcast from the Australian that was downloaded more than 30 million times. The Assassination from the BBC was an award-winning investigation into the death of Pakistani politician Benazir Bhutto.

Daily news podcasts made up 17% of the total, and this category includes catch-up morning radio shows, as well as native podcasts including short-form bulletins like NPR News Now, and deep-dives like Today in Focus from the Guardian and Aftonbladet Daily. We explore this category in much more detail in Chapter 4.

Who are the Main Producers of News Podcasts across Countries?

Next we identified the main producers of both catch-up radio and native podcasts.

Type

Description

Examples

Broadcaster

From a TV or radio background. High level of radio shows reversioned as podcasts. Some are commissioning native podcasts

NPR, BBC, ABC, SR, Radio France

Print / Digital Media

From either a) a newspaper/magazine background or a digital-born publication

Washington Post, the Guardian, Le Parisien, Slate, Vox

Podcasting company

A studio producing original programmes designed to be podcast

Gimlet Media, District Productive, Louie Média, 10 Speaks, Audioboom

Independent

An individual or a group of individuals producing one single podcast show. Often self-funded or via donation platforms like Patreon.

The Bellingcat Podcast, Reasons to be Cheerful with Ed Miliband and Geoff Lloyd

Other

A range of diverse actors, from universities to institutes to political parties. Mostly non-commercial

Reuters Institute

It is noteworthy that broadcasters are consistently the biggest producers of domestic podcasts in each country – mainly because of the amount of radio catch-up material they are able to provide. This is particularly the case in France, where 138 out of the top 200 are taken directly from the broadcast schedule. Around 80% of the top domestic podcasts are produced by French radio stations Radio France, RTL, and Europe 1, but only around 5% of these are native. French publishers from a print or digital background are now starting to invest, with legacy media such as Le Monde, Le Parisien, and Les Echos launching a new range of podcasts over the past few months. Independent podcasting companies tend to focus on non-news areas such as video games and gender issues.

By contrast the US podcast scene is more evenly split, with publishers from a print or digital-born background (28%) producing almost as many popular podcasts as broadcasters (35%).

Top producers of domestic news podcasts by country Percentage of each type

Source: Apple Podcasts charts top 200 News & Politics, 16 July 2019 (US=186. UK=114, Australia=84, Sweden=119, France=174)

Another striking feature of the podcasting scene in the United States is the strength of podcast production companies such as Gimlet, Stitcher, and Wondery. These studios produce 26 of the top trending domestic news shows in the United States (19%) and their shows are widely consumed around the world. Wondery recently held the top chart position in seven countries around the world with its blockbuster true crime series Dr Death, the story of a two-year-killing spree committed by spinal surgeon Christopher Duntsch. The show has been translated into a number of languages and is destined for a TV spin-off.

In many cases podcast studios are creating content in partnership with media brands. Stitcher produces Today Explained with Vox Media and Wondery collaborated with the Boston Globe on Gladiator, an investigative series about the secret life of the American footballer Aaron Hernandez.

Elsewhere the independent sector is far more nascent. In France, Louie Média has produced a number of successful narrative podcasts, including Injustices, a series about sexual harassment within French journalism. In Australia there are a handful of independent producers working closely with media companies while the television company Ten has recently set up a native podcast studio called 10 Speaks. It has created a talk show called The Professor and the Hack and a true crime hit Where’s William Tyrrell? By comparison, in the UK there was no domestic podcast production in the top 200, though a number of independent production companies do create hit shows on behalf of the BBC so this figure may be slightly misleading.

Overall, independent podcasting companies account for less than one tenth of all the popular domestic news podcasts listed in the five countries studied. This could be because it is hard to compete with traditional media companies in news – so the focus is often on documentary, lifestyle, sport, or creating content for brands. It will be interesting to see if countries outside the US can support more independent studios as the market grows – or if big US companies will move in.

Print and Digital-Born Companies See Opportunities for Disruption

Although broadcasters are the largest podcast producers in all five countries studied, print and digital media companies produce more of the trending native podcasts overall, according to our analysis. Print and digital publishers have focused more on talk and interview formats that are relatively cheap to produce as well as deep-dive daily news podcasts. Both of these formats allow them to reuse existing journalistic talent, showcasing the expertise of their newsrooms.

Percentage of native and domestic news podcasts in each category Print/Digital-born vs Broadcaster

Source: Apple Podcasts charts top 200 News & Politics, 16 July 2019 Base: Native and domestic podcasts aggregated total across countries, n=247

In total, half of the trending native podcasts (50%) produced by print and digital media companies are classic talk/debate shows. A number of the most successful are personality-led shows such as the Ezra Klein show (Vox), Giles Coren Has No Idea (The Times), or Intercepted With Jeremy Scahill (The Intercept). Others are branded with the name of the outlet, such as FT Politics, The Spectator Podcast, The Economist Asks, and Politics And More.

By contrast radio broadcasters have looked to leverage their skills in documentaries and audio production in creating more one-off series. All the main broadcasters of the countries studied have invested in serialised podcasts. These include Death In Ice Valley – a true crime podcast produced by the BBC and Norway’s NRK – and Russia If You’re Listening, a landmark series from ABC (Australia) about the Mueller report.

Overall, one-off series represent just over half (53%) of the total of native broadcaster podcasts listed in the trending charts. Broadcaster-produced native talk and debate shows tend to be either closely focused on one specific topic (e.g. Brexitcast by the BBC), or try to bring the listener ‘behind the headlines’, e.g. Sky News Australia 2600 Talks podcast, or Political Thinking With Nick Robinson (BBC). Not surprisingly, the long-read format is only created by print publications.

4. Deep-Dive into Daily News Podcasts

In this chapter we will take a deeper look at the native daily news podcast segment. We have identified almost 60 of these in the five countries studied. The vast majority have launched in the last 18 months.

The evolution of news podcasts THE US, THE UK, AUSTRALIA, FRANCE, SWEDEN ONLY

Source: RISJ research (The full list of daily news podcasts is included in Appendix B to this report.)

The 59 native daily news podcasts identified divide into three broad sections:

Micro-bulletins – short news bulletins of just a few minutes that aim to provide a quick summary of the day’s news. These are often aimed at voice devices such as the Amazon Alexa and Google Home. Examples include BBC Minute and NPR News Now.

News round-ups – these are longer podcasts that have the aim of briefing people at particular points in the day with a short update. Examples include the FT News Briefing.

Deep-dive analysis – these typically take one story for deeper analysis. Examples include The Daily from the New York Times.

In the following chart we have mapped the length of these podcasts against these different types in order to highlight three length clusters. Micro-bulletins have an average length of around three minutes, news round-ups are around 10 minutes, and the deep-dives tend to be around 20 minutes or longer.

Daily news podcasts: length by category

Average length calculated from the last 15 episodes from September 2019 Source: RISJ analysis

Deep Dive Podcasts

In terms of popularity, it tends to be the longer deep dives that are the biggest hit with consumers – at least in the UK and the US. The Podtrac ranking for September 2019 shows The Daily as the most popular podcast in the United States, with NPR’s Up First, which is a news round-up, at number four. By contrast, news round-ups do best in Sweden, with Ekot and Omni Pod achieving top listening figures according to Poddindex.

Popular native daily news podcasts in five countries

United States

United Kingdom

France

Australia

Sweden

The Daily – New York Times

Up First – NPR

Today Explained – Vox

*News Now – NPR

Post Reports – Washington Post

Start Here – ABC News

Skimm This – The Skimm

What Next – Slate

The Journal – Wall Street Journal

Today in Focus –Guardian

Beyond Today – BBC

The Intelligence – Economist

FT News Briefing

The Leader – Evening Standard

La Story – Les Echos

Code Source – Le Parisen

Programme B – Binge Audio

The Signal – ABC News

7am – Schwartz Media

The Quicky – Mamamia

Squiz today – Squiz

*Ekot – Swedish RadioOmni Pod – Schibsted

Aftonbladet Daily – Schibsted

Di Morgonkoll – Dagens Industri

* These are not strictly native as they are radio bulletins updated many times a day. They are included because they have been adapted and branded for on demand and made available as podcasts

Daily news podcasts are not just delivering reach, they are also bringing deeper engagement. Private data from publishers show that listeners come back several times a week and listen to the majority of each show – completion rates tend to be between 60% and 90%. This suggests engagement times of more than an hour per podcast user per week, which compares extremely favourably to a few minutes a week for the average website visitor.9 ‘We are thrilled to have 25 minutes a day with people that we didn’t have before,’ says Erik Borenstein, Director of Audio at the New York Times. ‘We really think of The Daily as the new Front Page.’

Many of our interviewees referenced The Daily as an inspiration for starting their news podcast, and it is not surprising that formats and length of deep-dive podcasts that we uncovered in this research are relatively uniform (see examples below). The group in France which owns the business paper Les Echos and popular daily Le Parisien looked at The Daily when looking to create first-mover advantage in France. Both publications worked with recently acquired start-up Binge Audio to develop their daily news podcasts and quickly settled on the format of one big story, as presenter of La Story Pierrick Fay recalls: ‘It’s the format that works in the United States. For two months, I listened to what was being done, as we designed our new show.’ Le Parisien cancelled its audio briefing for Amazon Alexa devices to make room for a deep-dive podcast: ‘The number one goal was to tell a few stories differently, with a podcast daily news that lasts about twenty minutes,’ says Editorial Deputy Director Pierre Chausse.

Others have defined themselves almost as an alternative to The Daily. ‘We saw the afternoon space as an opportunity because a lot of shows were consolidated around the morning,’ says Jessica Stahl, Head of Audio at the Washington Post, which launched more than a year after the Times with a proposition that was aimed at evening commuters. The Post has also tried to differentiate itself with a format of three stories each day, showing off the variety of its journalism as well as its depth.

The Economist also settled on a three-story format for The Intelligence, with the aim of showcasing the global spread of its correspondents and building awareness for its brand in the United States. It hits the market at 6am Eastern Time but, because the show is produced in London, the time-difference allows the team to add more newsy elements at the top of the podcast. The Wall Street Journal operates two deep-dive podcasts: one 15-minute single-item investigation called The Journal produced with Gimlet, and Business Wars, a serialised battle between two companies told in daily bites, which is a co-production with Wondery.

News Round-Ups and Micro-Bulletins

In the United States, the most successful news round-up show is Up First from National Public Radio. This 12-minute show is actually a hybrid, with the original interviews airing on NPR soon after 5am. These are then recut with the same host and given more of a podcast feel. NPR’s Chris Turpin says this is an effective way to reach a new audience without breaking the bank: ‘The same material is reaching an audience that is on average at least 20 years younger than our broadcasting audience with the same hosts.’ NPR says that the audience for Up First is still much smaller than the morning radio audience but runs into millions and is up 50% in the last year.

The Financial Times has also gone for a news round-up approach aimed at the business community in the US. The FT News Briefing typically runs to 9 or 10 minutes and covers three or four news stories and then one analytical item in greater depth. It is the FT’s fastest-growing podcast, surpassing a million monthly listens in August 2019: ‘It’s not a behind the scenes, deeper dive,’ says Renée Kaplan, Head of Audience and New Content Strategies at the FT, who says the aim is not to compete head to head with the other big players. ‘It is a business and markets focused news update that is really meant to equip you to start your day.’

We also find a number of micro-bulletins, such as NPR’s News Now, which is the recut radio bulletin updated every hour. The Washington Post has been operating the Daily 202 Big Idea podcast alongside its morning newsletter for some time, while the BBC Minute packs five stories and two presenters into a frantic 60-second native podcast updated several times each day. These micro-bulletins are all available as podcasts but are also aimed at voice platforms.

How Many People Does it Take to Make a Daily News Podcast?

Creating a deep-dive daily news podcast is a significant investment – certainly when compared with low-cost weekly chat/interview shows that many publishers had previously favoured. The New York Times employs around 15 dedicated people on The Daily – amongst a wider audio team of around 30 – though it has access to a total journalistic team of hundreds. The Guardian employs ten for Today in Focus, and The Economist eight. At the other end of the scale, Schwartz Media in Australia, Le Parisien, and Les Echos in France all produce their daily podcasts with four or five – a more typical number for smaller publications starting out. The skillset tends to include one or two hosts, an executive producer, one or two producers, and a sound engineer/sound designer.

Today in Focus executive producer Nicole Jackson says that robust staffing levels at the Guardian have helped to avoid burn out and ensure that the show has a constant stream of high-quality stories. ‘Every producer is at a different stage on their story. Someone’s finishing, someone’s making calls, someone’s in the middle of an edit, and it allows you to really hone those stories. If we had a smaller team, you would only be able to work on that day’s and maybe the following day’s and it just wouldn’t be as good’.

One underestimated element of a news podcast is the sound design. The Guardian’s Axel Kacoutié is a critical member of the team, whose work inspires such devotion that a group of listeners have named a quiz team after him. ‘When we plan out the interviews, we think about them in terms of chapters and that pacing is really important when we hand over the piece [with notes] to Axel.’ Nicole Jackson says that using music to create the right mood is a critical part of the production process: ‘What’s so brilliant about Axel is he will take those notes and always give you something that feels surprising, original and fresh.’

A key factor for many teams producing daily news podcasts has been the wider cooperation of the newsroom. While other digital developments have often been resisted, the podcast has been universally welcomed: ‘A lot of our journalists just like it,’ explains Christian Bennett, Head of Global Audio and Video at the Guardian. ‘People like talking about their stories and finding new ways of doing that. It’s a place of storytellers.’

The Podcast Host Helps Create an Intimate Atmosphere

Another key element of a successful podcast is the personality of the host. The Daily’s Michael Barbaro is a former political reporter whose slow, deliberate style provided a natural fit for The Daily, where he coached other reporters in narrative audio techniques such as setting a scene and sustaining a dramatic arc. ‘I had to learn to ask questions differently. The questions are what propel the whole interview,’ he recently told an interviewer.10

The difference between radio and podcasting hosting was a regular theme in our interviews. ‘Not all great TV and radio broadcasters make great podcasters,’ says John Shields, editor of the BBC’s daily narrative podcast Beyond Today, which targets younger consumers. With fewer pressures of time and a more demanding audience, he says that part of his job has been getting hosts in a different frame of mind: ‘We talk about “making the tea” – getting them to slow down, relax, and linger on the details.’

Schwartz Media brought in the experience of Elizabeth Kulas, who had been working with native podcaster Gimlet Studios in the United States and had previously won a Peabody award with NPR’s Planet Money. ‘We saw her as a perfect host for our show and also coming from the school of podcasting that we were inspired by,’ says CEO Rebecca Costello. Le Parisien also looked to bring in an experienced host from outside, Jules Lavie from Radio France, while Les Echos was able to call on the talents of Pierrick Fay, a former broadcaster who already worked in the newsroom. The Economist’s Jason Palmer was a science correspondent with the paper, a US national, and had previous broadcast experience with the BBC: ‘He is the perfect avatar for this mostly American audience who are saying, “help me to understand what’s going on”,’ says deputy editor Tom Standage.

Consumption Levels for Daily News Podcasts are on the Rise

Understanding consumption is hard because listening is fragmented across platforms and it is difficult to measure usage of podcasts that are downloaded and listened to later offline. The latest IAB (Internet Advertising Bureau) standard 2.0 counts a listen as ‘a download or a podcast that has been streamed for at least 60 seconds’, but some publishers and platforms do not yet adhere to this standard. Our research shows wide variation in numbers.

The New York Times says that The Daily reaches 2m listeners per day up from 1.1m in June 2018.11 The Economist told us that The Intelligence, which is less than a year old, reaches 1.5m people each month, with around 6–7m individual downloads monthly. It says that the average listener downloads or listens to three to four episodes each week. These are substantial audiences, even if they are not yet on a par with the most popular radio news shows in the US.

In the UK, numbers are generally smaller but still substantial. In less than a year the Guardian has built a bigger audience for its Today in Focus podcast than buys the newspaper. ‘It’s hundreds of thousands every day,’ says the Guardian’s Head of Audio, Christian Bennett, who points out that the podcast attracts younger people who are listening to the vast majority of each 25–30 minute episode, with a 80% completion rate: ‘It’s younger than people that buy the paper and it’s younger than people that come to our website as well. It’s opening up a new audience as opposed to cannibalising.’

In France, daily news podcasts are a relatively recent development, but La Story from Les Echos has still managed to attract 100,000 weekly listens in October 2019 – more than double the figure at launch in May. Despite this, the shelf life for news podcasts in general tends to be much shorter than for other types of content such as lifestyle. Additional data provided by Les Echos shows that the vast majority of listening happens within two days of initial publication (see right-hand chart) and these patterns are consistent with other publishers we spoke to.

Source: Les Echos

Daily Round-Ups Do Best in Sweden

In Sweden the main publishers have got together to create a publicly available Poddindex, using common measurement standards. Analysis of these data show that weekly listens to some of the top podcasts have doubled (Omni Pod) since the beginning of this year. Swedish Radio’s Ekot increased from 200,000 weekly listens two years ago but growth has been largely flat this year.

Both Ekot and Omni Pod have a news bulletin format and multiple editions each day, which may partly explain why their figures are higher than Aftonbladet Daily, which is a deep-dive podcast. The Omni Pod bulletin, which started as an experiment, aims to provide a concise briefing with a wide range of stories: ‘It’s highly educated people, mainly in big cities in Sweden and this is for them the perfect format for their morning behaviour,’ says Editor in Chief Markus Gustafsson.

Weekly listening figures for five popular Swedish daily news podcasts

Source: Poddindex Sweden (some missing or incomplete data)

Advertising is the Dominant Business Model

For most daily news podcasts that we studied, the main revenue driver is advertising or sponsorship – even for publishers like the New York Times that elsewhere deploy a subscription model. Digital advertising is broadly sold on a CPM model (cost per thousand listens in this case) and podcast CPMs are generally higher than websites and for many forms of video.12 This is partly because professional podcast content is mostly deemed to be ‘brand safe’, it is hard to skip ads, and ad density is still relatively low: ‘The user experience for audio is a good deal for everyone. You get a nice amount of audio to listen to,’ says the Guardian’s Christian Bennett. ‘The way ads work at the moment are very similar to what people are used to in traditional forms of media,’ he adds. Today in Focus is already making a positive contribution to the bottom line.

The engaged podcast audience appeals to advertisers as does the younger demographic, which they increasingly find hard to reach elsewhere online. Partly as a result, even an intensively staffed news podcast like The Intelligence from The Economist was also making money within six months.13 ‘There has been so much demand for sponsorship that it more than pays for itself,’ says Tom Standage who helped make the case for their daily news podcast, The Intelligence. ‘The big change is commercially, which is that we had advertisers who started to come to us last year and said we are only going to buy two kinds of ad next year. Print and podcast, what have you got?’

Even so there have been some challenges around news, with the most popular format, ‘host reads’, not considered to be appropriate because of concerns about trust. Sponsorship is a popular alternative, where a brand takes all advertising in the podcast for a defined period. Generic spot advertisements are becoming more widespread, however, with some publishers worried that this could undermine the premium, intimate, and carefully constructed nature of news podcasting. One approach used by many is to use neutral voices to read the ads. ‘We have two voices, male and female, we record the ads here and there is no music behind them,’ says Schwartz CEO Rebecca Costello.

New Paid Models Emerging

Some publishers are experimenting with keeping their news podcast behind the paywall as a way of delivering extra value to subscribers.

Politiken, which was one of the first major news organisations in Denmark to try a daily podcast, has been experimenting with a hybrid model where the podcast is free for two days each week, with mid-week versions kept back just for subscribers. Politiken’s approach has partly been driven by necessity given the lack of advertiser interest: ‘We are doing probably the best Danish podcast out there,’ says Digital Director Troels Behrendt Jørgensen, ‘but none of the traditional advertisers have really been interested.’

Others doubt that podcast advertising will ever work in small markets like Denmark and are also focusing on subscriber-based audio. Zetland is a small slow news operation with around 13,000 members that has refocused much of its operation around audio: ‘We are turning ourselves into a media company where people pay to listen to journalists,’ says CEO and co-founder Jacob Moll. ‘We made it very easy to find in our audio app,’ he adds. All news stories are also available in audio form and there is a daily news podcast, Helicopter, released at 4pm each day. For many subscribers it has become an invaluable part of the wider package, with four in ten (39%) accessing the podcast each month and a quarter (24%) listening every week. The average listener is extremely engaged, listening to 2.83 episodes each week. Zetland has invested in a number of other podcasts as well as live shows linked to the journalism. All articles are now read by journalists and these options are prominently displayed in the app. Zetland’s research shows that audio stories and podcasts are easier to consume for people with busy lives. This has helped reduce churn amongst members – especially time-poor young professional parents.

It may be that smaller markets or smaller publishers will follow a different trajectory when it comes to the business models for podcasting.

For many publishers the main driver is not making short-term money but rather finding new audiences for their core subscription businesses. ‘It’s more about opening the top of our funnel and bringing Times journalism to a new audience who we think will eventually become our next generation of subscribers,’ says Erik Borenstein at the New York Times. The Times sees The Daily as a showcase for the depth of its journalism but has recently made that more explicit by including interviews with producers about the value of subscribing. At The Economist, Tom Standage agrees: ‘It’s a form of editorial that happens to be very effective marketing and also pays for itself.’

As audiences build, some publications are starting to look at these shows almost like Hollywood franchises, with merchandise and live recordings for which tickets are sold. The feed itself is also becoming extremely valuable as a way of promoting other podcasts. The New York Times recently pushed its narrative series 1619 to its 2m-strong subscribers as an effective way to build an audience quickly: ‘We’ve put every episode of that series into the daily feed on the weekend and get positive response from listeners,’ says Erik Borenstein. ‘We do it very respectfully, only occasionally, but we think it really works.’ NPR is using similar tactics with the Up First feed to supercharge some of its other podcasts.

Daily news podcasts have clearly struck a chord with listeners looking to get away from screens and get a deeper and more immersive take on the news. They are amongst the most popular of all podcasts, with listeners often accessing several episodes a week. The five-days-a-week schedule has created much more advertising inventory and a strong new revenue line for publishers, with blue chip companies now showing considerable interest in the US, the UK and Australia. Outside the English-speaking world, there seems currently to be much less competition, with just a handful of publishers in each country getting involved, but there is also much less revenue as many advertisers have yet to be convinced.

5. Wider Publisher Strategies: Case Studies

Daily news podcasts are just part of the wider opportunities that publishers see in the on-demand audio space. Different starting points and business models mean a range of approaches are in play. In this chapter we explore a number of case studies based on our interviews in the UK, the US, Australia, France, and Sweden. We have chosen a mix of broadcasters, digital-born, and former print publishers.

Publishers from a Newspaper Background

The New York Times

The New York Times has pursued a ‘fewer, bigger, better’ strategy, with a portfolio of just five podcasts – The Daily, Still Processing, The Argument, The Book Review podcast, and Popcast – along with the Modern Love podcast, which is a partnership with public radio station WBUR in Boston. ‘We don’t want to rush things. We feel very happy with how they’re going,’ says Director of Audio Erik Borenstein. He still feels there is plenty of room for growth: ‘We want to be very deliberate about what we’re creating and where we’re distributing it.’

A key focus for the Times now is to recruit more talented audio producers who can make a variety of programming types – interviews shows, weekly round-ups, and narrative series. As the Times expands audio output, keeping the quality high will be critical.

The Times is watching new developments carefully, particularly as a range of audio on-demand becomes easier to access at home and through in-car devices. ‘I do think you’ll start to see a lot of great innovation on the form – from short form to long form, audio books, spoken word articles, and live audio,’ says Borenstein. ‘All of the fun innovation that media going over the top unlocks will start to happen in audio and I think that’s very exciting.’

The Washington Post

The Washington Post has been podcasting for more than a decade, but audio has stepped up a notch with its own department and new strategies around audience building and monetisation. ‘We have some of the best reporters in the world here and we want to make sure that their reporting and their storytelling is in front of as many people as possible,’ says Head of Audio Jessica Stahl. Much of the team’s effort goes into supporting the flagship Post Reports, but the Daily 202 offers a shorter daily fix around news. Politics is covered by Can He Do That? which deploys a more conventional interview format to explore different aspects of the Trump presidency. Retropod is a popular highly designed daily history show, while the Post is also experimenting with narrative podcasts like Moonrise, and Letters from War, a documentary tracing the story of one family in the Second World War. ‘Some of our biggest, most interesting work can be in the documentary format where you can make a really big splash with one thing,’ says Stahl. But she also acknowledges that it can be hard to find and build an audience for one-off shows compared with the ongoing formats. ‘It’s an existential effort to find new listeners.’

The Times and Sunday Times 

The Times has not yet launched a daily news podcast but has established a reputation for innovative hits. Walking the Dog was an interview show based on the playful idea that celebrities might open up in a different way when they were with their favourite pet. Giles Coren Has No Idea, which at one stage was the top-ranked ‘news’ podcast in the UK, explores the writer’s struggles with working out the subject matter for his print column each week. The irreverent Red Box podcast with Matt Chorley brings a lighter approach to politics: ‘That’s interesting for us because one of the things that gives us is tone,’ says Times Managing Director Chris Duncan: ‘It may not immediately occur to you that we do have quite a lot of humour. It isn’t an entirely serious and dry view of the world.’ Chorley has used the podcast as a springboard to take politics on the road in a series of live shows. Sport has also been a successful genre, with both football and rugby podcasts attracting loyal audiences. It is also an area where sponsorship and monetisation tends to be easier than hard news.

The Times has benefited from the group’s recent purchase of Wireless Group (owners of talkSPORT and Virgin Radio). This has provided access to professional studios but also new skills and insights: ‘Publishers are really good at working out how you format newspapers,’ says Duncan. ‘But in terms of thinking about a series of podcasts, about programming, and what’s the optimum length of a podcast – all of those things the audio guys really brought a lot of expertise in.’

Monetisation efforts are focused on advertising, sponsorship, and some early moves into branded content (e.g. with a show for KPMG). With significant numbers for the most popular Times podcasts and growing advertiser interest, Chris Duncan is positive about the future: ‘It feels like it will be a significant revenue line because it’s going to become a significant habit.’

Financial Times (FT)

The FT podcast strategy is focused on reaching new audiences in the United States, where the publication is less well known. The idea is to make younger and more female audiences more aware of the FT’s breadth and range, in the hope that they will eventually subscribe. The FT has culled some shows, revamped others, and is looking to professionalise the whole portfolio to stand out in the hugely competitive US market. ‘We are hiring, we’re bringing in talent, we’re bringing in producers. But the bigger picture objective is not about doing more. It’s about doing less of the right stuff better,’ says Renée Kaplan, Head of Audience and New Content Strategies.

More resources are going to the FT Daily News briefing, while News in Focus becomes biweekly, with a dedicated non-British female host. They are also working up ideas around working life and careers, areas where the FT already has considerable authority and expertise. Another possible idea is to branch out into investigations and narrative series. ‘What is the FT version of true crime?’ asks Kaplan. Beyond this the FT is also experimenting this autumn with its first podcast exclusively for existing FT subscribers: a global affairs podcast called the Rachman Review. New technology from podcast distributer Acast allows paid subscribers to be authenticated so that podcasts can be listened to on any third-party platform. Existing solutions remain clunky for users but hold out the promise that exclusive audio could become an important part of the overall bundle – a useful weapon in building loyalty and reducing churn.

Dagens Nyheter (DN)

This quality newspaper in Sweden has been experimenting with different types of audio including podcasting, but the economics remain somewhat challenging. The main interest has been to create more loyalty and more habit with existing users, to prevent churn within the subscription model: ‘Podcasts or audio book content is a great asset because you can send out push notifications when there is new content available, to remind people that they get something for their subscriptions’, says Martin Jönsson, Head of Editorial Development. DN operates four podcasts including The Weekly (a news magazine), one for popular culture, one for children, and one documentary feature. Johnson has not ruled out starting a daily news podcast – or turning The Weekly into a daily version – but recognises that the investment is significant and the rewards uncertain. ‘Sweden is a smaller market. So you need bigger numbers to make the advertising or sponsorship work.’

Digital-Born Publishers

Slate

Slate has been making podcasts for almost 15 years. It was a format that grew naturally within a web magazine culture that differentiated itself by being conversational, opinionated, and argumentative. Talk podcasts, like the Political GabFest, were pretty much invented at Slate and are now just part of a portfolio of 25 different shows. With the talk space relatively crowded, Slate has been pushing into narrative series. Slow Burn is a critically acclaimed true crime series which covered Watergate and then the impeachment of Bill Clinton. Slate also recently teamed up with The Economist for the Secret History of the Future, though as Editorial Director Gabriel Roth points out these series can be more risky: ‘The classic Slate podcast is a model where you’re taking like a few hours out of three reporters’ days once a week. A project like Secret History involves taking months and months of a reporter’s time, over much of a year to make – and so it’s just a different prospect.’

Podcasting will make around half of Slate’s entire revenue by the end of this year, up from 28% in 2018.14 The bulk of this revenue is advertising, but podcasting also contributes heavily to its Slate Plus membership programme, which boasts 60,000 members. ‘The strongest connections that we have to our audience are very often through the podcast and the strongest set of benefits through Slate Plus are associated with the podcast,’ says Gabriel Roth. Members get ad-free products and bonus episodes too, using home-grown technology, Supporting Cast, which is now being sold to other publishers.

Vox Media

Vox Media, which incorporates SB Nation, Recode, Polygon SB Nation, The Verge, and Eater, as well as Vox itself, has one of the largest, fastest-growing, and most diverse collections of quality podcasts. Podcasting was a ‘natural fit from a content perspective,’ explained Vox’s Marty Moe in a recent interview.15 ‘The question was, from a business perspective, is this something we can justify putting a lot more into?’ Having grown up as a side project for many columnists and editorial leaders, podcasts are now seen as a strategic driver of growth. The Vox Media Podcast Network has doubled the number of shows over the last year to more than 200 active shows, contributing to an eight-figure audio business overall. Popular shows include The Ezra Klein Show (Vox), Recode Media with Peter Kafka, Recode Decode, and the recently launched Pivot with Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway in the tech and business space. Today Explained, the daily news show, is a joint production with Stitcher, a relationship that also helps with distribution as it can be promoted via a second network with millions of listeners.

The number of Vox podcasts gives the company critical mass with advertisers but also allows it to use its network to create and promote new shows for companies and brands – another growth opportunity. Vox has recently brought together all of its online video, television, and audio into a single studios business, partly to reduce its exposure to a softening market for traditional internet advertising. A studios business also makes sense because Vox sees podcasts as a way of uncovering stories or formats that could then be licensed for television. The idea of digging deeper into a single topic has been adapted for a Netflix series, Explained, which has been commissioned for a second series.

Broadcasters

National Public Radio (NPR)

NPR was one of the pioneers in podcasting and a number of its best-known shows continue to dominate the Podtrac and Apple charts (Up First, Planet Money, Hidden Brain, How I Built This, etc.). As well as creating native news podcasts, NPR is working on making more of its broadcast schedule available on demand. It has just, for example, released its morning and evening drive shows, Morning Edition and All Things Considered, as podcasts. Chris Turpin, Vice President for Editorial Innovation and Special Projects, believes that ‘many of the distinctions that initially people saw between podcasting and broadcast audio are essentially vanishing’.

NPR’s podcast-first strategy involves four pillars: (1) short news podcasts that build habit, often aimed at new devices; (2) weekly podcasts that are relatively cheap to make and tend to make money; (3) ‘news that you can use’ podcasts that lend themselves to the increasing searchable nature of audio; and (4) blue ribbon podcasts that fit the public service remit and often have multiple funding streams, such as a recent civil rights era podcast which showcased NPR’s journalism and role in American life. One recent trend has been to create more frequency in its podcasting. The Indicator is a successful NPR daily economics daily podcast, while NPR Politics will become daily during the upcoming election. NPR is also looking to reuse more of its podcast-first content back on linear radio.

NPR is projecting that podcast sponsorship revenues will surpass revenues from broadcast underwriting next year at around $55m. ‘Something like 25% of our underwriters are now blue-chip companies,’ says Turpin. ‘That’s a big sea change. And it gives you a sense of the way that podcasting is here to stay as a commercial entity.’

BBC

The BBC started its podcast service 15 years ago, but today mixes original on-demand broadcast shows with a new focus on native podcasts. It has developed its own platform, BBC Sounds, a name that symbolises the move away from radio towards a range of audio formats. The Apple podcasts directory shows 85 podcasts in the news category alone, including some in a number of different languages.

The BBC sees podcasts as a way of attracting younger and more diverse audiences that it is finding increasingly hard to reach. ‘I am thinking about how to get to audiences that aren’t serviced by linear output,’ says the BBC’s Editorial Director Kamal Ahmed, who has commissioned The Next Episode, a weekly show that is aimed at under 35s and addresses issues such as identity politics and online safety. Podcasting allows the BBC to reach niche audiences without alienating the mainstream but also to take more risks in terms of format and length. Current affairs commissions include pod-first thrillers like Rat Line and Tunnel 29, a serialised story of a man who dug a tunnel under the Berlin Wall. Both shows started life as podcasts but also became radio hits. The BBC also seeks to find new ways of delivering its public remit, with the Grenfell Tower Inquiry podcast covering every day of the harrowing testimony – a process that ran to more than 100 episodes.

One breakout hit has been Brexitcast/Electioncast, where the BBC’s top correspondents discuss events in a much more informal and light-hearted way than would normally be the case within the constraints of traditional radio. The show is rebroadcast on radio and is now shown on television, but it still manages to retain its podcast sensibility.

Because of the difficulty of building audiences for one-off podcast series, the BBC has been using its flagship Beyond Today podcast to showcase its best original reporting around big issues. TV reporter Jane Corbin recently used it is as vehicle to talk about her investigation into the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. For Head of Current Affairs Jo Carr, this was a really interesting example of how podcasts can be used to ‘get really interesting blue-chip journalism out to different audiences’.

Swedish Radio (SR)

SR dominates the spoken-word landscape in Sweden and has more than 150 news podcasts alone in the Apple directory. Many of these are popular radio shows distributed in a podcast format, but there is also a pod-first commissioning strategy. Existing shows are being remade with a sharper beginning and more of a narrative structure, ‘It’s a mix between remaking the traditional titles and also making them more podcast first,’ says Head of News Olle Zachrison. The idea is increasingly to take successful podcasts about US politics and Brexit and bring that different tone and approach to radio audiences too: ‘We’re broadcasting them in the linear channel because it’s great content and they’re very contemporary.’

One of Swedish radio’s biggest podcast successes has been its P3 documentary strand, which routinely gets around 500,000 unique listeners for the on-demand version: ‘Immediately when the first minute comes on the audience in the linear channel drops because people don’t want to spoil their podcast experience,’ says Zachrison, who recognises that podcasts may cannibalise radio, but that the wider strategy is to reach listeners with quality audio content on any platform in the right format for listeners.

In terms of news content, SR has been focusing on extending its main news brand Ekot into the on-demand space with updating bulletins that can be accessed via podcast as well as voice devices such as Google Home. SR has also been testing a new native news podcast of around eight minutes that combines a brief news update with a deep-dive into one item of current affairs. Over time, SR expects to commission more episodic series such as one about the changing nature of China.

Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)

ABC has around 300 podcasts in the Apple directory and 31 in the news category. While the majority are catch-up radio programmes, ABC has set up its own studios team to create and commission shows that are digital-first. ‘With those podcasts the intro is often different,’ says Head of Studios Kellie Riordan. ‘We remove all that radio-speak (“welcome to the show today”, etc.) – and instead put you at the plot point. You start the show where the person has a gun to someone’s head and then you rewind back to what happened to get to this point.’ Unlike the BBC and SR, much of the ABC’s podcast content does not make it back onto the radio. ‘I would argue that I’ve probably failed in my job to create distinctive immersive earbud podcast experiences, if those shows fit neatly on the radio,’ adds Riordan. She says that a scripting and production style that is designed for younger audiences may not always work for traditional radio listeners.

Overall, ABC makes around 40 digital-first shows, including a number for younger children, families, women, and younger men. Research shows that the latter were interested in both sport and comedy so this led to a mash-up with a comedian presenting a show about football. A show aimed at women called Ladies We Need to Talk deals with health, sexuality, and relationships but is steeped in health journalism and feminist theory. There is also a life-hacking show called The Pineapple Project, which tackles issues like careers, money, and networking at work: ‘It’s about fitting in to a woman’s busy life with content that she can actually use,’ says Riordan. The studios also specialise in serialised documentaries told in an episodic way across six to eight episodes, including a popular true crime series.

Radio France (France Inter, France Culture, etc.)

Like other broadcasters, Radio France sees podcasting as a way to reach younger and more diverse audiences, but also to refresh and reinvigorate radio formats: ‘The podcast is something that allows you to take editorial risks, to experiment with different types of production,’ says Ari de Sousa, head of digital products and marketing at Radio France. But the simplicity and speed of podcast creation has raised sensitive questions in an organisation that is heavily unionised and where roles have been clearly delineated for decades. Despite this, new production agreements are being discussed, with some experiments underway. Deputy Editor Lucas Menget at the news division France Info would prefer to tread cautiously: ‘I’m in favour of doing a few shows well, rather than go in all directions. This year, if we launch four podcasts it will be the maximum.’ A regular podcast on the US elections is in the pipeline, along with a stand-back look at the mayoral battle for Paris, which has already started and will continue until March next year.

France Info has also started a partnership with Bayard Presse to help develop podcasts for younger audiences. ‘It is the joining of their know-how on youth and our know-how on audio,’ says Menget.

France Inter has also recently launched several native podcasts, including 13 Novembre l’enquête, about the terror attacks in Paris (Bataclan); Oli, stories for kids told by celebrities; and Intérieur Queer, a programme about gay culture.

Divergent Strategies and Motivations

Podcasts clearly risk cannibalising existing radio audiences and raise difficult internal questions for broadcasters. Investment in podcasting is often accompanied by cuts in radio budgets, which has caused tension at both the BBC and Radio France.16 Public broadcasters tend to take an extremely wide view of podcasting since they have a much broader brief than just news. In this respect they have more of a vested interest in defining the on-demand audio space and much more to lose.

By contrast, newspaper and digital-born players have less content and less heritage in audio, and are proving more willing to innovate in exploring both commercial and editorial possibilities.

6. Future Developments and Potential Impact for Publishers

In this final chapter we look at changing business models, the role of platforms and other intermediaries, and the implications for news publishers.

How Business Models Could Develop

Advertising As we have already discovered, some publishers are already making good money from podcasting. In the US alone, advertisers will have spent almost $700m by the end of 2019 and the podcast market is expected to be worth more than $1bn by 2021.17 This is still some way behind radio, which is expected to earn $18bn.

Podcast advertising revenue 2015–2021 (in millions) Total market estimate

IAB 2018 Podcast US Ad Revenue Study conducted by PwC. Estimates based on self-reported data to around 65% of total. * estimates

News is the biggest and fastest-growing area of spend, with growth of 38% during 2018. In the UK, agencies that sell podcast advertising say there has been a real turnaround in the last 18 months due to rising consumption, the growing amount of quality content, and data which show how podcasts resonate with hard-to-reach younger demographics. Michael Williamson is Audio Video Investment Director at Manning Gottlieb, OMG, which represents more than 30 brands. He says the majority of these clients are now buying podcasts: ‘They are all seeing positive results and are talking about “can we do it again?”. It’s really nice to see a media that is definitely in growth.’

As interest grows, the big US players have been setting up operations in Europe to sell local advertising and promote their content: ‘This is the first time the Americans are looking outside of America to grow their audiences,’ says Ruth Fitzsimons, MD of Podfront, which is a London-based collaboration between Stitcher and Wondery set up to represent their big productions. For these shows, she says, around 20% of listening is now happening outside the US: ‘We’re starting to see more spend coming out of the agencies just on podcasts [in Europe] and this is where it now becomes viable.’

In Australia, too, the three biggest advertisers – the Australian Post, the Commonwealth Bank, and Telstra (telco) – have started to look at podcasts: ‘They’re all jumping in,’ says Robert Loewenthal, CEO of Whooshkaa, which hosts thousands of podcasts and helps with monetisation. ‘When they allocate their budget and strategy sessions, they are saying “how much will we allocate to podcasts this year?” A couple of years ago it was zero.’

Host reads remain the most popular – and highly priced – ad format for podcasts, but these are hard to scale and are problematic for news, a genre where the lines between editorial and advertising need to be clear and transparent. On the other hand, publishers do not want to undermine their carefully constructed intimate podcasts by accepting too many low-quality spot advertisements. New technology now allows any ad to be inserted dynamically at the point of play/download and more of this advertising is being sold programmatically.

While advertising rates are currently high and US publishers are doing well, some are concerned about these changing dynamics: ‘You know we’ve seen what digital advertising has done in every other form of media and where the value accrues to large platforms,’ says Erik Borenstein at the New York Times. Spotify and Google in particular are looking to offer advertisers an easier and more scalable way of buying podcast ads. As more content is consumed on their platforms, they can use the data they collect to deliver better ad targeting. It is a familiar story that worries publishers: ‘If they are building big advertising businesses on the back of publisher audio, I would hope that they are sharing some of that value back with the publisher,’ says Borenstein.

But others point out that the market for podcasting ads is still relatively competitive, with no dominant advertising platform. The majority of ads are bought through companies like Acast, Audioboom, DAX (Global radio), Stitcher (US), or Whooshkaa (Australia). Each of these represents the interests of a number of publishers and in some cases sell their own content too. Though consolidation is likely, Michael Williamson does not see one ad platform dominating in the short term at least. Nor does he see a race to the bottom in the advertising market: ‘Pricing is valid and justified. You are paying to get real association with quality content. There is value to that and it is not going to go down.’

Platforms for Paid Content While the vast majority of podcasts remain free at the point of use, the last 18 months have seen the emergence of a range of premium services that aim to change the dynamics of the market. Luminary, a well-funded start-up that was billed as the Netflix of podcasts, had a troubled launch but still plans to spend more than $100m on original content to persuade consumers to pay $8 a month. Spotify has committed even more money to acquire original podcasts that it can bundle with its $10 a month music service. Stitcher has also started Stitcher Premium, charging $5 a month for exclusive content and ad-free versions of podcasts in its network. Himalaya is combining premium podcasts with a tipping feature for free podcasts. Audible has been stepping up its production of paid-for narrative series as part of its wider books offer. ‘I think we’ll start to see more pure distribution licensing deals for professional higher-quality shows,’ says Stitcher CEO Eric Diehn. ‘I think people are naturally going to start looking for places where they can separate out exceptionally well-made stuff from the very long tail.’

Europe has also seen its fair share of podcast start-ups. Majelan aims to be the leading app for French-speaking listeners. It launched in June 2019 with around 20 original series and a premium layer costing around US $4.99. Sybel is another new French provider that aims to create more exclusive and high-quality native podcasts, such as a new documentary about a French serial killer, called Le Grêlé. The Sybel app already has hundreds of thousands of active users according to CEO Virginie Maire but the task now is to convert them to paying subscribers: ‘If you can give good content at a good price with a good experience, then yes, I’m sure that people will pay for that.’

Podimo is a Danish start-up that aims to provide a ‘superior experience’ in discovery and recommendation compared to existing podcast streaming and download services. ‘We want to be the one company in Europe basically for podcasts,’ says co-founder Andreas Sachse who talks about the desire to grow the market across Europe to a much wider demographic. The initial offer provides exclusive and ad-free content for 39 Danish Krone (around US $6), with publishers getting between 20 and 50% of revenue depending on the level of exclusivity. A German launch is also scheduled.

Various paid-for apps are bidding to become the ‘Netflix of podcasting’

Most publishers that we spoke to for this research were sceptical about the value of creating exclusive content for a third party. They have been burned before with platforms offering money for content only to withdraw it later. On the other hand, platform money could help publishers to experiment with new formats and Spotify, the biggest player in this space, does have a long-term track record of paying music artists for their content. It is possible that similar approaches could be applied sustainably to funding podcasts.

Despite the uncertainty and the scepticism there is general agreement that the amount of money coming into podcasts, better measurement, and the increased range of funding options is good news for consumers, producers, and advertisers alike. ‘I’d say we’re past the beginning, perhaps in some ways through the mid-part of podcasting growing into a mature medium,’ says Stitcher CEO Erik Diehn. ‘I think the Wild West is largely over. There are aspects of the industry that are untested, unproven, and still forming. But there is a definite sweep of professionalisation and maturation that’s occurring right now.’

More consolidation is also likely to be on the way. Spotify has already bought Gimlet, perhaps the best-known independent podcast studio, and has incorporated the Anchor platform, which enables any creator to create and monetise podcasts easily. Apple is rumoured to be about to invest large sums in original podcasts,18 while Netflix has started to produce its own podcasts. There are currently too many apps and platforms chasing content, audiences, and advertisers. Not all of these are likely to survive.

Platform Power and the Discovery Challenge

For many years podcasting was closely associated with Apple and its breakthrough iPod devices. That association continued with the advent of the iPhone and iPad and was given a further boost in 2014 when the Apple podcasts app was pre-installed on every device. But in the last two years Apple’s dominance has been eroding as new players have come into the market. Apple’s market share has fallen from around 80% to 57% according to the latest figures from the main US hosting platform Libsyn, with Spotify now at 13%, almost double the figure from a year ago. In some European markets, the share of new players may be even higher. According to French hosting platform Ausha, Spotify and Deezer taken together account for 20% of the market, with Apple down to under half (49%).19

Share of usage by podcast aggregator

These platform shifts are important because they have the potential to drive podcasting to a wider audience: ‘It is essential that we start to think beyond the trendy bubble audience that we know about,’ says James Cator, Head of Podcasts, EMEA, at Spotify. ‘It is easy to make podcasts for that Gimlet/Brooklyn hipster audience that everyone knows, flat whites and all that.’20

Part of Spotify’s strategy is to commission more original content, such as comedy, sport, and music documentaries, that will draw more listeners to the platform. Spotify has noticed that people who listen to podcasts spend twice as long with Spotify than people who don’t and they also listen to more music as well.21 Spotify is putting around $500m into podcasting, which is far more money that even the largest publishers could begin to consider.

Spotify is also hoping to solve podcasting’s discovery challenge by helping listeners find shows that they like. No company has made an audio recommendation algorithm as successful as the one Netflix has created for movies and TV, but with almost 200,000 podcasts on the platform Spotify has the critical mass and engineering skills to make a difference. One early experiment has been Spotify Drive, a personalised playlist that mixes music and podcasts to suit your morning or evening commute. Short news bulletins like NPR News Now are now automatically inserted or ‘programmed’ between favourite tracks in the US. They are experimenting with different lengths of content and the service is likely to be expanded elsewhere.

Spotify Originals and Daily Drive playlists

Services like Spotify Drive are likely to encourage the production of more short-form news or atomised audio that has been struggling to gain an audience through smart speakers. ‘When you get to a place with voice-activated audio in cars, radio is still going to be important, but they’re going to have a little bit more competition,’ says Robert Loewenthal from Whooshkaa. Both Google and Amazon with their successful voice assistants are likely to be more important audio gateways in this version of the future. Amazon also owns Audible, which is branching out into original podcasts.

Publisher Dilemmas

For publishers these developments are a mixed blessing. Better discovery and promotion of podcasts can help reach new and diverse audiences, but there is a fear that publishers will lose their direct connection with audiences – including data that are crucial to develop services – and that the platform rather than the publisher will take the credit for the content itself. ‘We have an existential issue with a unlevel playing field on third and dominant third-party platforms that are seeking to preference and push their own services,’ says the BBC’s Director of Distribution and Business Development Kieran Clifton. The BBC has removed its content from Google podcasts because consumers are exclusively pointed from Google Search to play back in the Google podcast experience, and not in any other service, including BBC Sounds.

Google is addressing this issue by allowing publishers to specify the experience within Google products, but broadcasters are particularly sensitive on this issue because they are investing millions in audio destinations (see also SR Play and NPR One), where they can control the experience and onward recommendations. In Australia, ABC is currently withholding content from Spotify, and Radio France has withdrawn its content from Spotify and Majelan: ‘We would like to control our distribution better, to favour our own proprietary media,’ says Ari de Sousa, Head of Digital Products and Marketing at Radio France: ‘If you cut the link between us and our audience, it’s hard to deliver a public service.’ Beyond these objections, Radio France argues that any company that aims to make money out of podcasts should be paying for the privilege.

Increasingly, publishers like the BBC are releasing content first in their own properties, only later publishing to third-party platforms. The New York Times was one of the first to try this approach, releasing its blockbuster series Caliphate a week before everyone else.22 We are likely to see more of this ‘windowing’ strategy across the industry, as producers of original content try to maximise their investment with loyal users without losing the benefits of wider distribution. These challenges over platforms are not new and some publishers bear the scars of earlier battles. But audio may follow a different path with new opportunities and challenges. This is a critical time because the rules and terms of trade are being laid down today. Once established they will be hard to shift.

7. Conclusions

This report has documented the growth in supply of native news podcasts across five countries and illustrated how new formats such as short-form bulletins and deep daily dives are increasingly resonating with audiences. Daily news podcast episodes are frequently in the top ten of all podcasts and are prized for the loyalty and engagement that they create – as well as the younger, well-educated demographics. Partly as a result, we find positive signs around monetisation, at least in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Major advertisers are now allocating significant budgets to podcasts and this is changing the economics, making it far more attractive for publishers to invest in quality content. The advertising market in Sweden and France is more nascent but even here most publishers are optimistic in the medium to long term.

We have also found substantial differences in terms of production. Digital-born and legacy print publishers have focused more on chat formats and deep-dives that allow them to showcase the storytelling talents of their newsrooms. Broadcasters, by contrast, have tended to make the most of their existing output (catch-up radio), only investing in native podcasts where they are focused on addressing younger or more diverse audiences that cannot be reached in traditional ways.

Broadcasters are also experimenting with narrative podcasts reusing documentary-making skills, but in daily news it has often been the print and digital-born publishers who have shown most innovation (e.g. The Daily from the New York Times or 7am from Schwartz Media). They have not been afraid to tear up existing rules in terms of format and tone, while broadcasters have often been constrained by existing culture and the fear of cannibalising linear output. With almost 50,000 news podcasts, and 12,000 new ones in the last year alone, it is clear that broadcasters are losing their monopoly over audio news. ‘This will be our next wave of disruption,’ says Naja Nielsen, Digital Director at BBC News. ‘Digitisation of the newspapers was a reinvention of the newspaper article and then we had television disrupted with all types of video and now the same is going to happen with audio.’ Bulletins and programmes are already being supplemented by a range of digital formats such as micro-bulletins, atomised audio, news round-ups across different genres, deep-dives, talk shows, narrative series, and long reads. The term podcasting itself feels increasingly inadequate as a descriptor. Meanwhile the abundance of content will inevitably reduce the reach of traditional players even if the market as a whole grows.

But have we reached peak podcast? Most of those we talked to felt there was still considerable room for audience growth while new technologies like voice and on-demand platforms in the car will make audio easier to access than ever before. But as with other digital content, publishers won’t have it all their own way. They will have to fight with platforms and intermediaries for distribution and for a fair share of the value. But there is, as yet, no dominant platform for audio, and publishers still have a considerable amount of agency over outcomes. They are able to use their existing powerful brands to promote their own destinations (BBC Sounds/SR Play) or even build franchises around single podcasts (The Daily, This American Life) where they can leverage millions of people to try something new. Others are creating networks around content and advertising (Vox) that give them critical mass in specific areas; others still are forging ad-hoc partnerships (The Economist/Slate, Wall Street Journal/Wondery) to share skills and maximise distribution.

The big question is whether podcasting can become a mass market phenomenon like radio or will remain an important niche catering to educated elites. Big platforms will have a role to play here, just as Netflix has helped popularise on-demand television. Major money investment in sport, comedy, true crime, and celebrity chat are likely to be the key vehicles for reaching wider demographics.

In terms of news itself, our research suggests that the US and the UK already have very competitive markets and it will be hard for new entrants to find audiences. But elsewhere there are still many gaps and opportunities creatively and commercially. Podcasting started as a cottage industry, something consumed by a small group of aficionados in the know – and it has remained under the radar for over a decade. But those days are over and we are in the midst of an era of professionalisation that is bringing more money into the industry and raising the bar in terms of quality too. In this context, it is possible that some of the magic and the diversity could be lost. In the future it will still be possible for an individual podcaster to find an audience for something unique but we are also likely to see more high-quality audio content that people are prepared to pay for. Unlike the pivot to video, the skills required to produce compelling podcasts are largely in house or easy to acquire. It will be fascinating to watch the market develop in the years to come.

Appendix A: List of Interviewees

https://ift.tt/38479aU via Digital News Report December 3, 2019 at 08:14PM

Rock Mania Rises Again Music Playlist

TODAY'S LIST OF ROCK AND METAL FRESH OUT OF THE STUDIO. EPISODE HOSTED BY JACQUELINE JAX.

Listen to the show : Starts Monday January 31 at 2 pm et on all broadcasting outlets including:

The Anchor Fm page: https://anchor.fm/ava-live-radio

iHeartRadio station page : https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-AVA-Live-Radio-Musi-29336730

The Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2toX0f3dPmI8gmUSOKZicx

Artist: Jac Dalton

New Release: I CAN ALMOST TASTE THE RAIN

Genre: ROCK (with Country colorings)

Located in: : Adelaide, South Australia

This song is... My roots and wings stem from a family dynamic best summed up this way: whenever we camped, none of us were allowed to pack the car to go home until our own campsite was spotless and those on either side. Music to me has never been about applause and recognition, but instead embracing the opportunity to leave audiences a little bit better for the time shared on both sides of the stage. Those same sentiments translate presently into a project not merely for stage, but in consideration of the needs of an entire Nation. My chosen home of Australia is presently in the throes of the worst drought in over a century, and while there are far worst things happening to good people across the globe, sometimes we must step up and do the right thing where we’re able for no other reason than because it needs to be done.

My Band and I have just launched a drought aid program called ‘SA-NDI’ (South Australian Nip-the-Drought Initiative) a collective initiative rallying around a country/rock anthem we’ve produced called ‘I Can Almost Taste The Rain’. With Australia’s populace of 25 million and the World’s population tipping 6 billion travellers – if enough of us were to download the song through its portal (www.sa-ndi.com.au) for even a $1 donation – the result would amount to a tremendous impact providing water, hay, fuel, food to families who in turn grow food for a significant segment of one Mother Earth. One hundred percent (100%) of donations go to righteous charitable organizations like Aussie Helpers, Buy-A-Bail, Drought Angels towards the worthwhile causes they oversee in devastated areas. But the SA-NDI mission doesn’t stop there. We are also determined to perform ‘I Can Almost Taste The Rain’ for a session of Parliament in the New Year as a heart-touching apolitical reminder that we are all one heart, one land – be it a challenged region, continent or planet. The support and visibility we can generate via the internet and social media adds weight with which to tip the scales. Change and progress can and do occur with the shared resolve of good people committed to make it happen. It just needs to be put out there far and wide for enough hearts to be touched.

Right now we are... Earlier this year we were the Cinderella act at the largest AOR Melodic Rock Festival in the UK (HRH – Hard Rock Hell). The success of that event and the respectable crowds we drew afterwards while playing at heritage concert venues pushed us across the threshold into the ‘A’ List of the EU market. Our return to Oz was supposed to be a quick turnaround for a series of North American festivals, however, as is the nature of ‘rock and roll’, life stepped-in the week we returned and pulled the band apart like Da Vinci’s Vitruvian man.

LINKS:  iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/au/album/i-can-almost-taste-the-rain-single/1431857831 Spotify link: https://open.spotify.com/album/1JC6hEcEYhNd09zKDCgLhw Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/jacdalton/i-can-almost-taste-the-rain-2018 Twitter: www.twitter.com/jacdalton FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/JacDaltonBand Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jac.dalton

Artist: No Name Blues

New Release: Tick Tock

Genre: Rock, Blues, Hip Hop, Metal

Located in: : Nashville, TN

 Our exodus from the cubicle dayjob lifestyle into the freedom of Rock n Roll. Trippy, dark, sexy, a little heavy with an assortment of flashy instrumental solos all around the band. Rock music made for the club.

The music we are creating is... This song represents the transition out of our ordinary people lives into our future career of rock musicians, right around the corner. This is our celebration.

Right now we are... Working on knocking out the other 3 episodes to move into the next production. We have 4 albums ready to produce and a ton of wonderful things happening on the side. Currently we are focused on exploding out of Nashville and into the rest of the globe!

LINKS:  https://youtu.be/pfGJgtstHhE https://open.spotify.com/track/3m82AjcB02yiMa68xVGldx?si=1l1CG0JZ Twitter: @NoNameBluesTwit Facebook.com/NoNameBluesMusic Instagram: @NoNameBluesMusic

Band: John E Wilde - Guitars/Vocals Dan - Bass Andy K - Drums

Song name: ‘Rock and Roll Junkie’ Music Genre:: Rock

I live in...  Tampa, FL

My music is... Our music is about life, fun and the continuous party that we forget life is. We all need to let loose!! Not being too serious or having any message. It is about being a Rebel doing your own thing and not having to stay in the majority. I think we are all a little off center. Get over yourself. With all we having going on we forget about US. Always move forward and improve and don't forget a beer or margarita is only inches away.

This song is about... Rock and Roll Junkie is about day dreaming and thinking about how BST got here. Being a kid and having a fantasy of playing in front of huge crowds. What it is like to be a rock star. BST's version of Johnny B Good, sort of.

Website & social media links: www.blindsidethunder.com www.facebook.com/BlindSideThunderOfficial twitter.com/@BlindsideT

Artist: Ivan Beecroft

New Release: INEQUALITY

Genre: Rock, 90's rock, retrorock

Located in: Melbourne, Australia

This song is about the ever widening gap between the haves and have nots that we are experiencing. It was inspired and written after volunteer work that I was doing serving food to the homeless in a soup kitchen in Croydon located in the south east of Melbourne.

Having suffered through a period of homelessness and watching a longtime friend recently go through a similar experience with homelessness and all the complications that come with it motivated me to express the feelings of mental anguish and helplessness associated with being homeless.

The music we are creating is... very much a reconnection to the reason why I was inspired to do it in the first place, it's really just a kind of let's get back to the basics mindset and write and play the sort of music that would shake the window panes off the local pub, it definitely does have a very primitive aspect to it all.

Right now we are... Still working on songs for my next album and have had to re-record most of the songs on an analogue desk to get the type of punchy guitar rock sound I was looking for, so hopefully that will be ready early to mid 2019

LINKS:  https://m.facebook.com/Ivanbeecroftmusic https://twitter.com/beecroft_ivan https://instagram.com/_u/ivanbeecroft?r=sun1 @ivanbeecroft https://youtu.be/hoK4CX3k5Mo https://soundcloud.com/grapesofwrath-720450260/inequality

Artist: PUBLIKA New Release: Falling

Genre: pop-rock

Located in: : London, UK

This song is.. electro-pop song, the result of a new wave of 80's and expressed in the electro sound of the current influences. this song can take you to the state of spirit that was originally felt when it was composed.

The music we are creating is.. All my music background it's opened through this song

Right now we are..  Right now we have discovered new age, new sounds and we tried to stay original but new. We hope that next album, that will be released very soon, to be more fit to our inside feelings.

LINKS:  https://youtu.be/GVREZWeTsks https://twitter.com/publika_music instagram.com/publikaband https://twitter.com/publika_music/status/1063854191188295680?s=21

Artist: Black Rose Reception New Release: House of the rising sun Genre: hard rock

Located in: Covington,IN. US

This song is... New breed of outlaw rock n roll.

The music we are creating is... We orchestrated this song with our own unique sound and style.

Right now we are...New tracks to be released in 2019.

LINKS:  https://www.reverbnation.com/blackrosereception/song/29174528-house-of-the-rising-sun https://twitter.com/blackroserecept  https://www.facebook.com/BlackRoseReceptionMusic https://www.instagram.com/blackrosereceptio http://store.cdbaby.com/cd/blackrosereception4 https://open.spotify.com/artist/58nTAqgZXO7kvkhJRGlGbH https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/1434351929

Artist: PyraKite

New Release: Patagonian Hills

Genre: Rock, singersongwriter, alternative rock

Located in: : Falun, Dalarna

This song is... the first one of the album 7 Steps. It’s about a journey I made through South America with a icluded trip to Antarctica and the Easter Islands. The feeling I wanted to catch was that of a photo collage, random pictures, feelings and thought passing by the observer. It’s a mellow, moody, mystical start off of the album I think.

The music we are creating is... This is the last single of the our journey and it connects back to the very start as it is the first song of the album. 
 PyraKite gives you a poetic and mystical journey through the classic rock and pop genre. Some may say PyraKite has a unique uplifting and fresh sound.  
 7 Steps is a concept album, which means that it's best experienced from start 'til end. The story of 7 steps (with it's 7 tracks) has got just as many layers to it as you wish.  The journey starts in Antarctica and ends up in space. The music has a happy melodramatic vibe to it and has been compared to the sound of Pink Floyd, Prefab Sprout, The Beatles and Steely Dan mixed with a bit of grunge and poetic touch to it. You might also find a bit of Ben Folds Five, Paul Simon or Rival Sons in there.  
 Hopefully the journey will be both mine and yours

Right now we are... We’re about to sum up our year of 2018. A great first year and our debut 7 Steps. We’re looking out to see if we can reach our goal of 100 000 Spotify streams by the end of the year. Hopefully we’ll get there!

LINKS:  https://open.spotify.com/track/6F4QH0fleckFCV1MWwGlqL?si=GQ2PHvBnRISBmnLiBBk2_A

Website & social media links: www.pyrakite.com www.facebook.com/pyrakite www.instagram.com/pyrakite www.twitter.com/pyrakite

Artist: A Day Amongst Martyrs

New Release: Shadows

Genre: Alternative rock

Located in: Suffolk county ny

This song is... Called Shadows its about looking deep within ones self and comming to terms with accepting failure and mistakes in life and turning them into something beautiful

The music we are creating is... Everyone is a martyr to their own convictions wether love money anger fear doubt these are all things that make us human and unique so this is why we tell these stories to engage the audience and let them know someone understands and is going thru the same thing

Right now we are... We are on the verge of a new album called Forever in Three Days

LINKS: Www.reverbnation.com/adayamongstmartyrs Www.instagram.com/adayamongstmartyrs Www.facebook.com/adayamongstmartyrs Www.twitter.com/adayamongstmartyrs

Artist: Atomic Kavemen New Release: Shining Genre: Metal

Located in: : SF Bay Area

This song is... It's like a brawl between Faith No More and Black Sabbath, with Danzig goading them on

The music we are creating is... This is both our first song, and it's present form, our newest. Its the kind of track that crosses over between hard rock and heavy metal.

Right now we are.. Rehearsing and writing new songs like crazy. We expect to start playing bay area venues in April.

LINKS:  https://www.reverbnation.com/atomickavemen https://open.spotify.com/track/7qqW5BRdP5d4JZh6WC1r5i https://twitter.com/atomickavemen https://www.facebook.com/atomickavemen

Artist: VOVKULAKA

New Release: Darkness Calling

Genre: Metal

Located in: Odessa, Ukraine

This song is... A grinding dose of groove Metal with throbbing Dubstep passages.

The music we are creating is... Dark, Angry, Evil Metal...

Right now we are...Releasing new Singles, working on our CD, and plotting our Live Shows.

LINKS:  Twitter.com/VovkulakaMusic YouTube.com/VovkulakMusic Facebook.com/VovkulakaFanPage

Artist: Thomas Thunder

New Release: The Bull

Genre: Progressive Rock

Located in: : Boston, Ma

The Bull is a Progressive Rock and Metal song that incorporates a variety of instrumentation. Guitars, bass, drums, keyboards, synth strings, brass and woodwinds. Combining traditional "rock" instruments with classical symphonic instruments is truly an auditory treat. This song is a continuation of my love for Progressive Rock. The driving beat reminds me of a bull running through a china shop. On a personal note, my family owns a French Bulldog, and she "bulldozes" into a room, jumping on furniture and knocking over pillows and everything else in her way. I was inspired to write this song because of her. This song is "Cupcake the French Bulldog's" anthem.

Right now we are... I'm happy about working on a live video of my song Night Terrors. I'm working on a Youtube channel to promote my songs and drumming videos, too. I'm also writing a few new songs.

LINKS: https://www.instagram.com/thomasthunder11 https://twitter.com/ThomasThunder10 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiKv0UfB9-Sh6rtaMKIGDRQ

Artist: Kid Norkjen

New Release: Red light Green light

Genre: singer-songwriter-rock

Located in: Trondheim, Norway

The new Kid Norkjen single is recorded in Nashville with great session players (The A team). Musically inspired by George Harrison and the Traveling Wilburys, the lyric ask the difficult question what is red light and what is green light in a a relation.

The music we are creating is... A new album is coming up in February 2019 and this is the single that hopefully will make some interest for the album.

Right now we are... The new album recorded in Nashville will be my best

LINKS: spotify:album:4pj9GoOquKpnkTvgUYS0Q2 https://www.facebook.com/kid.norkjen https://twitter.com/NorvaldKjenstad https://www.instagram.com/norkjen

Artist: 4-Fo-Rela New Release: Rela Demic Genre: Electronica, Rock

Located in: Wood River, Illinois

This song is... DJ Co1 recording producer & Disc Jockey for 4-Fo-Rela has released "RelaDemic".. "RelaDemic is a modern day electronic track from the heart of the Midwest. With hard drum n bass and amazing ambient sounds RelaDemic will satisfy any listeners need for new electronic sound. "RelaDemic" is a powerfull push back into the music scene for DJ Co1 and he plans to entertain the masses in 2019.

The music we are creating is... The Music created is cutting edge, new tech & just simply powerful.

Right now we are... Super excited our new Rela Radio Show on Monday Nights. Putting Independent music into listeners ears.

LINKS:  https://www.reverbnation.com/4forelainc http://www.facebook.com/4forelainc http://www.4forela.com

Google Ads Changes Affecting Small Businesses

Google Ads Changes Affecting Small Businesses written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing

Marketing Podcast with John Jantsch on Changes to Google Ads

Google has recently made some drastic changes to their ads program—starting with a name change, from Google AdWords to Google Ads. Some of the changes are technical, like tweaks to the interface. Others represent fundamental shifts in the way Google views advertising. These will affect more than just your Google advertising efforts, but also how you approach other marketing tactics, SEO, and content.

Google is the dominant force in online advertising, so you can’t afford to ignore what they’re doing. Here, I’ll walk you through the most important changes and new features that small business owners need to be aware of.

Goodbye, AdWords

The biggest change is that we have known the primary Google ad tool as AdWords. Now, they’ve dropped Words, and it is just Google Ads. This is more than just a technicality, I think it signals a fundamental shift in the way they’re viewing advertising.

When Google originally launched their ad product, advertising was all about keywords, but times have changed. Google is so much more than just a search engine at this point, and the change in name reflects their omnipresence on the web.

The new name indicates a move towards a more comprehensive approach, one that will incorporate machine learning and behavioral tracking to better understand the true intent behind people’s actions online.

Google Ads on Your Desktop

One of the other significant changes small business marketers will see is that there is now an application you can download to your desktop: AdWords Editor.

Similar to the Facebook editor, the idea here is that you can now download your campaigns, work on them offline, and then upload them again. This means that you’re not stuck sitting on the platform the entire time, and can now get more work done if you’re offline and on the move.

Google Sheets Integration

If you’re not already familiar with Google Sheets, it’s essentially a free, online version of Microsoft Excel. The integration with the new ads program allows you to pull reporting from Google Ads and into Google Sheets.

Doing so allows you greater flexibility in parsing the data. You can filter by your own criteria, create reports, and track data more easily. This will be particularly useful for agencies or consultants who need to create reports for multiple clients.

New Comprehensive Campaigns

With their new advertising program, Google is providing additional support to small business advertisers, allowing those who don’t have the time or energy to create their own campaigns to leave that all in Google’s hands.

The skeptic in me feels that there is a tradeoff between convenience and value. They make it very easy for you to give them a budget and they’ll do the legwork, but you’re also handing over control and the appropriate measures to monitor and adjust how that money is spent. Without visibility into what’s actually being done to market your business, how can you understand how to get better results in the future?

Local Ads: Google allows you to create one campaign that will propagate against search, maps, places, pages, display, and even YouTube. This means you only have to design one campaign to be used across all of their many platforms, while Google makes the decisions about how to best tailor the approach in each place.

Lead Ads: A new unit on YouTube, Lead Ads allows you to collect an email address through an ad message. This is similar to Facebook’s Lead Ads, which have been around for a while.

Responsive Search Ads: You create a pool of headlines and descriptions, and Google tests each of those possible combinations to determine which is most successful. Depending on how many concepts you create, you can end up with thousands of possible combinations—it’s A/B testing in hyperdrive. This is designed to help you lift click-through and conversion rates significantly.

What About Organic Search?

While these new campaigns are great for those who are taking advantage of the Google Ads platform, what about those marketers or small business owners who are putting all of their faith in the power of organic search?

These new ads will drive up conversion rates, as Google continues to do the analytics on what makes the most successful campaigns for its paid advertisers. In addition to being successful, these ads are also huge. They still contain extensions, and so they are going to take over. This will only serve to force organic results further and further down the page. Those users searching on a mobile device will have to scroll for a very long time before hitting the first organic result.

The message here for small business marketers is that you can’t ignore Google Ads. You still need to have a comprehensive marketing system with other tactics, including social media and content, as a means to get into organic search. But at the same time, you can’t ignore paid advertising.

Google Local Services Ads

The last item, which does not impact everyone yet, is Local Services Ads from Google. Formerly known as Home Service Ads, Local Services Ads are currently focused on tradespeople, technicians, and providers of other services to homeowners, with plans to expand to additional categories.

Business owners must apply to be in this program and become “Google Guaranteed,” which means that they’ll have to clear a background check and Google will provide a money-back guarantee to anyone unhappy with the company’s services.

This comes at a price: Google does not send users directly to a website when they click on this type of ad. Google uses a tracking phone number so that they’re able to see which leads are generated from these ads; the business owner is then charged for those leads. And rather than charging a nominal fee per click, Google will now ask for $25-$100 per lead, depending on category and competition, because they’ve delivered a verifiable lead.

This new approach allows Google to be fully involved in the lead generation process, which gives them valuable information about the way people are searching for services and also allows them to charge small business owners a greater fee than they would for pay-per-click advertising.

As we see advertising moving more towards a focus on intent, a shift that is powered by machine learning and artificial intelligence, we will see Google Ads encroach more and more in the search space. Google has created a system that encourages you to give them more of your ad budget, and while you certainly can’t ignore Google Ads as a part of your overall strategy, I would argue that there’s still great benefit in attending to your other marketing channels.

If you are struggling with managing the rapidly-changing online advertising landscape, Duct Tape Marketing can do an audit for you. Our Total Online Presence Audit is a comprehensive review of your assets online, including your ads. We can assess your strengths and weaknesses, and point you in the right direction.

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