there is some real value appearing on the podcast front - and it's not just cool stuff to listen to - it's starting to look like the value chain that will help to extend and support podcasting as it grows in popularity is being filled in, both w/ creative and tactical components...
if a podcast can convert a passive subscriber/listener to an active fan/consumer it's providing real value to the full chain, whether it's via a transaction or marketing opportunity. and to me, that's an interesting shift towards the monitization of podcasting - conversion being a necessary shift that will help fulfill the potential of podcasting's business models. not that every podcast or podcast category needs to be monitizable - only the ones that expect to scale will need it or instead some other funding source (for example an independently wealthy benefactor)...
some examples of the paradigm shifts are:
reel reviews - michael geoghegan's honest and insightful podcast of movie reviews. now i've been listening to michael for awhile, but his review of riding monsters really did it for me. i am a lifetime surfer (those who are too will understand what this means) - i lived in hawaii as a teenager, california as an adult and have regularly surfed in every condition (including being out on an ~18-20' day at a famous big wave spot on an island off baja - though that was more about being there and surviving than it was about surfing). over the years, i've watched lots of real surf movies, usually they're sponsored by someone like billibong or quicksilver, and though i've enjoyed them and even the mainstream surf movies like the two endless summers, big wednesday and blue crush, i'm really not drawn to them now since i'm landlocked on the east coast (watching surfing when you can't surf can be a painful experience). but michael's review of riding giants put the film into perspective for me, it's a piece of surf history, well documented by stacy peralta, the same guy that did dogtown and z-boys - a movie about skateboarding that both my boys and i loved. so michael converted me from a listener to a consumer - i will buy riding giants only because i listened to his excellent review. and i'm sure others, whether they have a surfing background or not will do the same if michael's review resonated w/ them the way it did w/ me. that ability to convert is a powerful ability...
all the great music oriented podcasts - tracks up the tree, insomnia radio, rock and roll geek show, coverville, evil genius chronicles all play either indie or permission-based music, discuss the bands and their distribution philosophies. it is so easy to get exposed to new music, download and/or buy after listening to these podcasts. so whether the band is simply seeking exposure or truly hoping to drive transactions - these music oriented podcasts are providing value and a platform, which is again beneficial for the full chain: podcaster, listener, consumer and talent. and at a very low cost to all comparatively. again, very powerful to expose and convert...
much needed infrastructure - one of the hardest working men in podcasting has got to be eric rice. through his company, audioblog.com he is attempting to create a piece of podcasting infrastructure, an easy to use podcasting asp that should be useful and intuitive for both mainstream and sophisticated folks to leverage. also, i know adam and dave are discussing crafting a company to do what appears to be something similar - and that's a good thing. having multiple product choices and competition can only help to add value - again across the chain. on the client side of podcatching - tools like ipodderx (mac) and sparks (windows) are really progressing towards the transparent catching and sync'ing of podcasts. the closer they get to the simplicity of say itunes, the better...
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