Podcasting Still Has a Lack of Diversity
The need to either figure out discovery or simply develop more diverse programs is becoming more pressing, thanks to the rising numbers of podcast listeners — monthly podcast listeners hit 24 percent of all Americans in 2016, up from 21 percent in the year previous. “It’s no secret that podcasts are primarily consumed by white, middle/upper-class audiences,” said Stuart Last, COO of AudioBoom. From the press release on the study:
Cross-Promotion Might Help
People have suggested a variety of solutions. One is to cross-promote in order to highlight podcasts that might otherwise be overlooked by less-diverse gatekeepers of the industry. From Wired in 2015: […] 34 percent think using technology to boost the ease of discovering diverse podcasts would help solve the issue.” AudioBoom’s own survey backs this up: 31 percent of informed minorities polled think that “finding undiscovered podcast talent (i.e. hosts, producers, etc.)” would lead to be diverse listeners.
Podcast-Surfacing Software Could Be At Fault
A slightly larger number of respondents had a different idea: They’re not the only ones complaining about the programming constraints that have made discovering the perfect podcast so tough. Audible’s SVP of Original Content Eric Nuzum thinks the same, citing low retention numbers from another podcast report earlier this week: Just like poor face-detecting camera algorithms or an audio-based UI that can’t understand accents, any software that can’t surface podcasts that all potential listeners will enjoy is leaving money on the table.
