MWGblog

At both the Podcast Academy and the Podcast Expo, we have been showing people The Levelator. We promised it would be available by Saturday and I am pleased to report that slightly after midnight it went live. Those of you who have seen it and asked about availability it is here. If you don’t know about what it is, or what it does, follow the link; Doug Kaye has done a good job of explaining why podcasters are so excited about The Levelator. Did I mention it is free? [Link]

Here is a history of podcasting that gets it right: this is a rarity. Given that every other recent podcast related press release seems to mention a yet unknown participant as a “podcast pioneer,” it is refreshing to see a report that takes the time to dig in to the whole story. Notice that, in addition to the usual suspects (myself included), they take the time to mention, Chris Lydon, IT Conversations, Kevin Marks, Harold Gilchrist and Bloggercon 2003 - all signs of proper research. Dan and I worked hard to get it right in our book. It is nice to see a web version available for all to read.

If I were Podcast Ready, all I could say is “Thank you Apple!” As could be predicted, the blogs are buzzing with reaction to the C&D letter Podcast Ready received from Apple’s legal department. Now I admit, I am a silver lining kind of guy so let’s just look at this.

1. A C&D letter is just that, a letter. C&D letters go out all the time without resulting in legal battles. Yes it carries a threat of potential legal action from Apple, but that is the reason it is so valuable. You can’t buy publicity like this. Podcast Ready, which up until now had to compete with the rest of the world via press releases for attention, just got an “e-ticket” ride to major media coverage. “Thank you Apple!”

2. For all the podcasters who never knew or heard of Podcast Ready, they have now. I don’t use any of their software or services nor had I dug too deeply into their website, but I did yesterday. My guess: there are many new Podcast Ready “experts” around the net today. “Thank you Apple!”

3. The timing could not have been better. Podcast Ready made, for them I have to believe, a major investment in being the lead sponsor at this coming week’s Podcast and Portable Media Expo. Their booth will be front and center as the throngs of podcasters and podcast fans stream into the exhibit hall. Most will now stop by to share their thoughts and sense of solidarity. Who knows, maybe they will become customers or users as a result. “Thank you Apple!”

4. This is a P.R. person’s dream. All the press in attendance at the Expo will now have a juicy question to ask the Podcast Ready team and I bet they will spend the next few days crafting a response. (Always nice to have a week to craft a “spontaneous” answer to a question you know you will get.) You can have a field day coming up with responses; they should start a page on their blog and make it a contest. “Thank you Apple!”

5. Since, this is the first time the story involves the term “pod” as part of the larger word “podcast” there are many people who have a vested interest in the outcome. That means each time they post about this, comment in a presentation or speak to the press, they will be referring back to Podcast Ready as the genesis of the story. “Thank you Apple!”

6. At the extreme, every time someone smashes their iPod in protest, people will think of Podcast Ready. “Thank you Apple!”

I am struggling to find the downside. Even if they do cave and change their name I bet they could come up with a way to get Apple to pay the freight and then some; Apple does not want to loose this one, it is not worth the gamble. My real question, when is Danny Gregoire, the one guy who can make a claim for a trademark on the term going to send his C&D to Apple?

I am always surprised that one of the most common questions I get is about mic flags. This is probably because I have described the “magical” power of the mic flag in a number of presentations I have given. It is amazing how a square cube with a logo on it will open doors. People who might never take you seriously see that flag and suddenly gravitate towards you. I suggest them to all podcasters who are serious about their efforts. It is a great way to get your brand and name into the media as well as just creating general awareness and a professional appearance. We have used mic flags with great effect at Grape Radio. Up until now though, the question was always where to get a professional looking one. I never had an answer. The truth was I got spoiled early on when doing work for Disney, their Broadcast Services always supplied me with the appropriate custom made flag. For the Grape Radio flags we were left to making them ourselves using peel and stick labels placed on a mic flag “blank”.

I have found the solution. When looking for some new mic flags for GigaVox, Paul Figgiani pointed me to Impact PBS. All I can say is wow! These are nicer than the ones I get at Disney. Best of all for podcasters, there is no minimum order. You can get them one at a time if need be. As you can see from the pictures, they have a wide assortment to choose from including a unique flag made for the RE-20 shock mount. The graphics are sharp and clearly visible, all sides of the flags are finished and they use nice foam in the center to accommodate any microphone. I am really impressed. If you are looking to make a statement with your microphone, check them out. In fact, I like these so much I have asked Glenn who runs Impact PBS to be on Behind The Mic. [link]

I wanted to send out a big congratulations to my partners at Grape Radio. It was announced today that Grape Radio is the recipient of the Podcast and Portable Media Expo’s 2006 “Podcast of the Year”. I know the whole team works hard to produce a quality podcast and is honored with this recognition for their efforts. The award is to be presented at an event on Friday evening at the Expo. Congratulations also to Leo Laporte for being chosen as “Person of the Year in Podcasting.” Great job guys! Why not make it a Grape Day?

I feel a bit like Jason Calacanis of old, I just paid our podcasting staff at GigaVox Media for August. Wow! That was real money. Who says you can’t make money in podcasting? The cool thing is these are independent contributors responsible for our audio and website editing for the network pages. I remember Jason’s posts about the checks he had to sign. We are small enough that I still need to generate the payments myself, (I’d love it if someone just brought in the checks to sign like in my last company, but we all need to start somewhere.) I always feel good when a single payment requires a W-9 from someone. My favorite question: “why do you need a W-9?”, because we paid you enough that the government cares! Congratulations and thank you to the entire 55 member GigaVox Media team, this was our biggest payment month ever since IT Conversations, the first podcast network, started over 3 years ago. Wait until you see what we have up our sleeve next!

It is no secret I am on the side of the podcaster when it comes to monetization. One of the most common opportunities that presents itself for podcasters is an offer from a manufacturer or marketer/wholesaler to give away some of their product for free to listeners of your show. Now at first blush, this sounds like a great idea right? Your audience will love you for giving away free product. Hold on and think it through. It is always a good idea to do something for you audience, but if you want to charge $500 or $1000 to sponsor your show, should you forgo that to give away a $50 product for free? Your listeners benefit, your sponsor gets what they want and you are left in the contest fulfillment business with no revenue. Doesn’t sound all that great to me. Your audience is worth something, whether it is a sponsor message or a giveaway. (My partners and I at Grape Radio have a set price for a giveaway on the show: $500. We consider it separate from the main sponsor rate: $1300.) Consider setting a give-a-way or contest rate, otherwise you are working for free. For more thoughts take a listen to this week’s Podcast Brothers.

As those who are listening to the podcast content we feature on the GIgaVox Media Network know, we have been fortunate to have some great sponsors jump aboard quickly. What is particularly pleasing to me is that both companies that are sponsoring the series on the Podcast Academy channel are companies that I have been doing business with since I started podcasting. My first digital recorder was a Marantz PMD 670 (I now own three Marantz units) and I have bought all my audio processing gear from BSW. It is nice to see that they both recognize the potential in the podcast marketplace.

I updated the Speaking engagements page earlier this week. Late September / early October is going to be busy. Lots of exciting GigaVox stuff happening and, in addition to the Podcast Academy and Portable Media Expo presentations, I have been asked to address the Public Television DTV Symposium in Iowa in early October. (Quite an impressive list of sponsors.)

Check out Behind The Mic for an interesting interview with the creator of PodPress, Dan Kuykendall, a great podcasting plugin for WordPress.

A friend of mine sent me the link for these crazy wheels. Make sure to watch the video (where it says “Click here to see them in action…”) to get the full effect. What better way than to spend 12- 20K on wheels? [Link]