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WebProNews recently spoke with popular radio and podcast personality Adam Carolla. After being fired from his radio show, he started a podcast and after just two weeks, it reached 2.4 million downloads. Some people consider him a pioneer in podcasting, but he doesn’t seem to really think of it that way. "I was doing a radio show, and then they fired me," he says.

Should you wait until you lose your job to start trying something new? Tell us what you think. 

His friend then told him he should do a podcast. After explaining to him what a podcast was, he convinced Carolla to sign on. "I’m flattered that people think of me as some sort of podcast pioneer," Carolla tells WebProNews. "There are people who were doing it before I was doing it. There will be people doing it after I was doing it. We didn’t invent anything. Maybe we were a little more consistent about it or approached it in a little different way, and you know, if people like to give me more credit than I deserve, I’m always willing to take it."

"But you know also, the whole pioneering thing, you know a lot of people say, ‘well, you got in on the ground floor of this’ and they act like you bought Macintosh or Apple stock, you know, in 1979," he continues. "It’s not quite the same. It’s more like…I always tell people, ‘the guys who played in the NFL in the 50′s were sort of pioneers, but those guys made 8 grand a year, and had to work at used car lots during the off season with no benefits,’ so pioneer…not necessarily a rich pioneer…you’d be much better off playing in the NFL now and making millions of dollars, so it’s somewhat analogous in that it’s nice to be known as the first guy to the party and the pioneer and all that stuff, but on the other hand, you don’t get rich just because you were there first."

Inspiring words for anyone who may think they are late to the game at this point. The fact is that it’s still very early in the game, particularly when it comes to monetization. 

"When it comes to advertisers and monetizing the podcast, there’s nothing that people have done and are aware of and so when you’re trying to get ad dollars from companies and they have traditionally used terrestrial radio and print and cable television and network television and sky writing and banners on the back of airplanes and blimps and everything else, this is new," says Carolla. "And people are a little weird about new, and it’s sort of like…I remember about ten years ago, people wanted us to eat ostrich meat, and they’d go ‘well it tastes like beef and it’s lean and it has less fat than beef and it’s better for you and it’s cheaper per pound, and people went…’I don’t know. I never ate ostrich growing up. That seems weird to me.’ and you’re like what’s the difference…"

"So there’s that little transition, and you can tell them until you’re blue in the face ‘hey, it’s better and it’s leaner and it’s cheaper and it’s whatever’, and they’re still like, ‘I want a burger.’ So that’s what you’re dealing with," continues. "Now eventually, you start getting people going ‘hey, I tried that ostrich burger and it’s pretty solid,’ and then eventually, their kids grow up eating ostrich burger and it makes no difference to them, and they start preferring it over the beef, because it’s cheaper and leaner and whatever else it is. So there is that transition where no matter how much you tell them, and how good it is for them, there’s still [the] old school that goes, ‘I don’t know.’ But, we’ve seen all that change in the last six months. I mean it just changed. People are stepping up. They’re advertising. They’re getting their checkbooks out. They’re not writing anything on them, but they’re getting the checkbook out…but they understand, a couple hundred thousand people’s a couple hundred thousand people. It doesn’t matter what they’re listening to or how they’re listening to it."

As far as content production, Carolla doesn’t see new media as much different than old media. "There’s not much to it. It’s not that different….everyone tries to kind of spin it into something different, but you get a microphone, and sometimes you get a camera, and you sit there and talk, and you tell jokes or you have some provocative conversation, and either people want to hear it or see it or they don’t, and you put it up on the computer vs. the TV set or on an MP3 player vs. the car stereo or radio, but either way, it’s just you talking and people listening…"

Carolla’s talking about podcasting, but you can see where this logic would apply across the whole new media board.

Is new media really that different than old media? Share your thoughts.

I’m wondering this because two public events about podcasting I’d been due to speak at during the next month have been cancelled because of lack of interest.

The first one was a big surprise which I heard about yesterday – Podcasting 101, the half-day pre-conference workshop at the New Communications Forum 2008 that my podcasting partner Shel Holtz and I were due to lead on April 22 (next Tuesday). The plan was I would join in remotely from the UK via video link.

But as I gather less than a handful of people had signed up, it won’t be happening at all now.

Next is Podcasting for Business, a one-day workshop that I was leading for Melcrum on May 20 in London. Melcrum cancelled it a week or so ago as not a single person had signed up for it.

What we’ve done now is rolled the topic into a broader one-day workshop on social media that’s scheduled for June 17.

In both cases, the event organizers promoted the workshops. To no avail, it seems clear.

Are these signals of a broader trend, if it is that – lack of interest in podcasting for business? Or maybe lack of interest in attending a paid-for event to learn about it?

Perhaps interest in podcasting as a business tool has peaked. Maybe not so much in the US but it looks like that in the UK. Indeed, I’ve never really seen any strong interest in business podcasting here outside of the mainstream media and some financial institutions’ marketing-casts.

How do you see it? Is business podcasting dead?

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Out of the 65 million listeners, 25 million will be active users who tune in once a week. "As the US podcasting industry matures it is unquestionably creating a listening audience," says Paul Verna, eMarketer Senior Analyst and author of the new report, Podcast Audience: Seeking Riches in Niches, "And along with a larger audience comes increases in advertising spending tied to podcasts."

Because of the audience growth, U.S. spending on podcast advertising will increase to $435 million in 2012, up from $165 million in 2007.

The reason for the growth of the podcasting audience can be attributed to a number of factors. Growing awareness of podcasting along with radio’s use and promotion of the medium. In addition the ease of consumption for podcast content, more portable players and smart phones with reasonable mobile data plans.

"No one will argue that mobile devices and communication are becoming widespread," says Mr. Verna. "Even so, the majority of podcasts are actually experienced on PCs, not portable devices."
 

The good news is that US audience numbers should grow from a total audience of 18.5 million in 2007 to a whopping 65 million by 2012. Also good news, the amount spent on podcast advertising should grow from $165 million to $435 million by 2012.

But, let’s take a closer look at the numbers:

If you read the small print, you’ll see that "total podcast audience" is made up of "individuals who have ever downloaded a podcast." What does that mean? Well, it certainly must include those that have downloaded a single podcast, thought to themselves "this sucks" and then went back to listening to their radio or mp3 player.

But wait, it gets worse!

That number also includes anyone from "ages 3+." Huh? OK, last time I checked, 3-year olds were not listening to podcasts and making buying decisions based on the ads they hear.

With that in mind let’s turn our attention to a more meaningful number: those active podcast listeners that download at least one podcast a week. That bloated number of 65 million drops to just 25 million. That’s 25 million, including toddlers!

OK, I admit, 25 million is still a pretty impressive number, but it’s still not stellar growth for the medium, is it? Especially when one analyst is calling for the industry to already hit maturation.

Are you disappointed with the growth of podcasts? Do you include podcasts in your advertising budget?

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I will attempt to recap some of our highlights for those who couldn’t wake up at 8am

For those companies or individuals that may be determining whether or not to start a podcast, the group consensus was that an evaluation of assets is necessary. The following are some questions to ask:

• Do you have interesting content?
• Who cares?
• What is the information value? Are you providing valuable information at no cost?
• What is your dedication for keeping it going?

Additionally, we also defined the following specific business benefits to podcasting, listed below:

• Extra SEO Juice (thanks to video/audio)
• Brand Building/Image Changing
• Portability (providing on-demand information)
• Affordability
• Ease of Use
• Long Shelf Life

Like I said, these are tidbits, so feel free to continue the conversation by adding additional thoughts in our comments section below.

I also wanted to say thanks again to everyone for coming and contributing to a great discussion. Hope to see you next month!

(These SMC pictures are thanks to Wayne Sutton, who broke out his camera phone, uploaded pictures to Flickr, and Twittered it to all his followers in true social media style and fashion….. Click here to view the album)

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Clients’ offices, in hotels, airports, at conferences, you name the place, opportunities often arise for recording a conversation that may end up as a podcast.

My preferred portable audio recorder remains the Microtrack 24/96, about which I wrote an enthusiastic review in 2006 just after I bought it. My enthusiasm for it hasn’t dimmed in spite of the product support issue (resolved) I had with the supplier I bought it from.

Manufacturer M-Audio launched the Microtrack II late last year which looks pretty good (but for me, not a compelling enough upgrade).

I sometimes get asked about microphones with a portable device. The Microtrack comes with its own mic but is it good enough?

That’s actually one of the questions asked in an email I received the other day from Craig Martin in New Zealand. Craig co-presents The Indie Travel Podcast, a weekly show with travel ideas and advice for independent travellers, backpackers and anyone with itchy feet.

He’s looking for some specific advice:

[…] I’ve been looking for a light recorder that will put up with a life lived constantly on the road. My wife and I travel incessantly and we podcast weekly which makes for interesting sound quality at times!

Rather than simply reply only to Craig, I thought I’d offer some thoughts to Craig’s questions here in case anyone else might find the answers helpful. And any podcasters who read this, maybe you might add some thoughts for Craig’s benefit.

Q: Do you use an external mic along with the Microtrack? If so, which one and would you recommend it?

In almost every experience I’ve had with the Microtrack, the supplied electret condenser microphone is all you really need.

It’s great for recording interviews with one or a couple of people. Not so good for recording, eg, meetings, where you have different distances between people.

For situations like that, though, any single microphone will present challenges. If you want to capture everyone’s voice clearly, the best bet would be individual microphones or, at least, a couple strategically placed in order to capture voices at reasonably consistent levels.

Then you’re talking about a different situation altogether than just simply using a portable device like the Microtrack. You’d probably need to consider using a computer with a mixer so it can take multiple audio inputs.

I have used an external mic with the Microtrack – a Shure C606 cardioid microphone – that plugs in to the 1/4-inch input. But I did not hear any noticeable difference in recorded sound quality from using the supplied mic.

My short answer, then – the supplied microphone is all you need for voice recording such as interviews or, in Craig’s case, travelogues.

Q: Have you heard much about the Microtrack 2? Good or bad in comparison?

This is the new model I mentioned above, the successor to the Microtrack 24/96.

I don’t know anyone who has one yet. From the description from M-Audio, it looks the same as the model it replaces, albeit a dark grey rather than the silver colour of the 24/96.

It does have a number of enhancements, however, including:

• Wider dynamic range at the input stage.
• A peak limiter which helps to stop fast transients causing the unit to clip.
• A USB 2.0 interface, allowing for higher data-transfer rates to a computer.
• You can record files that are larger than 2GB.
• You can place markers in Broadcast WAV Files (BWFs) during recording, allowing for track start points in a live recording, for example, to be noted.

The 24/96 model is no longer sold (although you can find examples on places like eBay).

If I didn’t already have the older model (which works just fine), or if I were doing more on-the-road recordings than I currently do, I would definitely buy the Microtrack II.

Q: Do you think it’s sturdy enough to live in a backpack?

Hmm, that’s a good question.

My Microtrack lives in my laptop travel bag which is usually lumped in there with the laptop PC, cables, power supplies, other gadgets, etc.

That’s not the same kind of bag as a backpack, nor is it likely to experience the same kind of treatment a backpack typically would.

If it were me, I’d take extra care with it in a travel environment such as Craig’s. Priority accessory purchase: a sturdy travel case for it.

So a hesitant yes, I do think it’s sturdy enough to live in a backpack but you do need to treat it with care and some respect!

Q: Your sound quality using it sounds better than a "record to laptop with built in mic". Would you agree or do you significantly play with sound levels?

I definitely agree with that.

I still have the first portable digital recorder I bought in early 2005, an iRiver iFP-790, which also lives in the laptop bag (or in my trouser pocket). The built-in mic on that is tiny, smaller than most laptop mics, yet recorded sound quality is amazing, almost as good as the Microtrack’s.

My point is that a typical laptop built-in microphone is nowhere near as good as almost any portable recording device’s microphone.

As for sound levels, it’s a rare recording on a portable recorder that doesn’t need some editing and tweaking in an audio editing application.

At the very least, if you record in uncompressed WAV format (as you can on the Microtrack), you’ll need something to convert the file to compressed MP3, the podcasting standard.

I use Adobe Audition, currently the latest version 3 that supports Windows Vista. There’s also Audacity – a favourite of many podcasters – which is open source and free, and comes in versions for Windows, Mac and Linux.

An essential tool to complement your editing software is Levelator. This free application automagically adjusts audio levels so that your WAV audio file ends up as, well, as perfect as can be.

Couldn’t live without the Levelator!

Ok, so these are my thoughts on Craig’s questions. If you have anything to add (or subtract) please feel free to do so in the comments.

Finally, I’d add that questions like these are addressed in some detail in How to Do Everything with Podcasting, the book my podcasting partner Shel Holtz and I produced last summer.

Just a small plug

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According to Wizzard Media, this means an increase in download requests of nearly 300 percent occurred between 2006 and 2007.  That’s not at all bad for something that rarely gets discussed.  Also, lest anyone write the information off as self-promotional exaggerations, Marshall Kirkpatrick voiced his support for the idea of growth.

"While online media consumption numbers are notoriously hard to verify, Wizzard’s have some serious merit," he wrote.  Kirkpatrick also noted, "Wizzard raised $7.5 million in funding this summer," so other people also have faith in both the company and podcasting.

Look for the growth trend to continue in 2008 – as the writers’ strike drags on, all types of Web content are likely to become more popular.  Also, the online ad market has been identified as one of the safer financial bets available, so money will likely continue to flow, as well.

Want some tips on how to start (or continue) podcasting?  Kara Ratliff covered the topic earlier this week.

Similar to blogging, podcasting is a medium that B2B marketers remain on the fence about. Are they worth the time investment? Should you start a podcast to generate leads? I would say probably not, at least if that’s your only motivation.

Podcasts work because they have an appeal of authenticity. There is power in the human voice. And that’s why they are a great way to positively inform and educate your audience. If that’s a goal you have, then read on.

Think of podcasts as content pieces to use as part a lead nurturing program. If you’re going to start podcasting don’t just do one and see what happens. A good podcast requires a commitment to do more than one to build your audience.

Here are some podcast ideas you can try:

• Ideas or tips of the day, week or month
• Talk radio complete with topic and call-in listeners
• Short interviews with thought leaders and industry experts
• Recording speeches, webinars or teleconferences for later distribution
• Promote an upcoming event by giving a preview of the speaker or content

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Why hasn’t audio podcasting become mainstream?

I utterly reject the argument posited by some very smart people (like Chris Brogan) that the explosion of online video is to blame. With respect to those who have made this case, I have to shake my head in disbelief. If the popularity of video could stifle the growth of audio, why didn’t the introduction of television kill radio? There certainly were enough pundits in the 1940s who believed TV spelled doom for radio, but in fact radio thrived and grew to become more profitable than ever. It did so by adapting based on its remaining strengths.

The appeal of watching Don Imus (before his fall from grace) on MSNBC. What was visually appealing about watching a guy sit behind a desk with studio monitors over his ears talking into a microphone? Radio is much better at talk and music than TV is. And when people couldn’t focus 100% of their attention on a video screen, radio entertained them while they kept their eyes elsewhere (like the road, for instance; people who read while they drive scare the shit out of me).

Chris also suggests that the incursion of traditional radio into the audio podcasting space is detrimental. But look at the most viewed videos on YouTube. How much there is original content? The list I’m looking at includes Saturday Night Live clips, scenes from soccer games, Japanese soap operas and other appropriated content.

Another point in favor of audio podcasting comes from Rob Walch, host of Podcast 411, in an email exchange we had on the subject:

It is much easier to compete against a Radio station – there is not much difference in Audio quality when you listen on your iPod between a “Professional” recording and one done by us indie podcasters.

Personally, I find most of the video podcasts to be worthless as video; I’d much rather listen to them. What’s the appeal of watching some guy talk into his webcam? Why should I have to watch that? If you’re going to produce something as video, for God’s sake please make it visually compelling. That’s what I love about shows like Geek Brief TV and Rocketboom: There’s something to actually look at.

And let’s not forget that video requires your complete attention. Audio is the only medium to which we can pay attention while we’re doing something else.

So if Internet video’s phenomenonal rise isn’t to blaim for the stagnation in podcasting’s growth, what is? The answer, I believe, is infrastructure. There is not a simple infrastructure common across the podcasting world that makes it drop-dead easy to download podcasts and transfer them to a portable device.

Offloading video isn’t that big an issue. Most people watch online videos (whether they’re podcasts or not) on their computers. The appeal of podcasting is the ability to listen while you’re walking the dog, mowing the lawn, or (as I am right now) sitting on another tedious goddam cross-country flight.

How you subscribe is not standardized. How podcatchers and MP3 devices work is not standardized. While most people who read this blog have probably figured out how to deal with podcasts and RSS feeds and the like, my mom would be completely lost. I guarantee you she would listen to FIR if she could; she reads my books, after all, even though she has no clue what they’re talking about. But books all work alike. Bookstores work alike.

I’m not expecting a resolution to this situation any time soon because there is no profit-motivated industry that would benefit through the cooperative development of a consistent, standardized infrastructure. In the book ”The Death of Competition,” which I read several years ago, author James F. Moore talks about “coopetition,” competing companies working together to create an ecosystem that supports the growth of all players. Moore points to the videogame industry as an example. Companies like Ninentendo, SEGA, and Atari joined forces to create the gaming infrastructure. No, an Atari game wouldn’t play in a Nintendo device, but the distribution channels and other aspects of the infrastructure needed to exist before the various platforms could prosper.

There is no similar profit-motivated ecosystem in podcasting, and I don’t believe one is on the horizon. So podcasting’s growth will continue to be incremental—volunteers take more time to promote an infrastructure than businesses—but continue to grow it will.

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Yahoo To Axe Podcast Search

Well, "kill" is a strong word. You might use "stamped down and crowded back onto its own turf," forever in the shadow of its burgeoning video brother. Like with radio, there will always be people you’d rather hear than see, and vice versa, and always a place where listening is more appropriate than ogling.

In the year 2005, podcasting was all the buzz; anybody with a mic and some software could make their own show, upload it to iTunes and someone, somewhere could download it to their iPod — still a relatively new phenomenon.

But in that same year another phenomenon was budding, a whisper of a site called YouTube that rapidly began stealing thunder. And that October, the video iPod was released, just the right size for YouTubers.

Audio podcasting then, sort of went the way of ham radio – an outlet for hobbyists and those who’d rather not be lens-to-snout with a camera.

That’s not to say there’s not a place for audio. After all, radio’s still alive and kicking after all these years. It’s just to say that podcasting sort of missed its hour in the spotlight. Just as the mainstream was starting to understand what it even was, in walk YouTube and iPod’s younger brother to steal the show.

Chalk up the impending death of Yahoo’s podcast search site to whatever cause you like, but the site is scheduled for demolition on Halloween. This is Yahoo’s least traversed property, says PCPro, which means either a lack of interest or a lack of promotion, for there are, presumably, enough enthusiasts out there to keep a niche site like that afloat.