A Podcast About Podcasting – Andreessen Horowitz - a16z Podcast

It’s a podcast about podcasting! About the state of the industry, that is. Because a lot has changed since we recorded “a podcast about podcasts” about four years ago: podcasts, and interest in podcasting — listening, making, building — is growing. But by how much, exactly? (since various stats are constantly floating around and often out of context); and what do we even know (given that no one really knows what a download is)?

And in fact, how do we define “podcasts”: Should the definition include audio books… why not music, too, then? So much of the podcasting ecosystem — from editing tools to the notion of a “CD phase” to music companies like Spotify doing more audio deals — stems from the legacy of the music industry. But other analogies — like that of the web and of blogging! —...

It’s a podcast about podcasting! About the state of the industry, that is. Because a lot has changed since we recorded “a podcast about podcasts” about four years ago: podcasts, and interest in podcasting — listening, making, building — is growing. But by how much, exactly? (since various stats are constantly floating around and often out of context); and what do we even know (given that no one really knows what a download is)?

And in fact, how do we define “podcasts”: Should the definition include audio books… why not music, too, then? So much of the podcasting ecosystem — from editing tools to the notion of a “CD phase” to music companies like Spotify doing more audio deals — stems from the legacy of the music industry. But other analogies — like that of the web and of blogging! — may be more useful for understanding the podcasting ecosystem, too. Heck, we even throw in an analogy of container ships (yes, the ocean kind!) to help out there...