Recipe for a Killer Podcast Application

By on July 16, 2006 in Tech

While doing last night’s RanchoCast, I thought of an application that would not only bring podcasting to the masses, but would also be very useful for current podcast listeners. I’m going to tell some smart guy or gal somewhere how to put themselves on the Web 2.0 map.

I have said before and I’ll say again, that as long as podcasting is technologically or psychologically tied to iPods and other portable music players, it will never reach the mainstream. Nobody I know, either socially or professionally, uses an iPod or other portable music player. Not one person. A couple of people I know have iPods, but they tell me that after the initial thrill of having one wore off, the iPods got relegated to a drawer somewhere, rarely to see the light of day.

Granted, I’m sure lots of kids and college students have iPods, and if you don’t mind ignoring millions and millions of grownups with lots of disposable cash, then so be it.

But if you want to bring podcasting to the masses, some things are going to have to change.

First, you have to understand that grownups who listen to podcasts generally do not listen on an iPod. We have made some progress integrating computer-listening features into podcasts. The Delicious playtagger supports this (as an aside, am I the only one who noticed that all of the Delicious buzz went stone silent as soon as Yahoo bought it?), as does the new play button in Feedburner feeds.

But there is another place where grownups listen to even more of their music, talk shows and audio books- in the car. Which leads me to my recipe for a killer podcast application.

Want to be famous and actually make some money too? Then create this-

An application, online or local, that allows a user to subscribe to podcasts and organize their subscription lists.

Allow them to listen to the podcasts online or to download them into an iPod.

Here comes the new and important part…

Create an easy to implement way to have selected podcasts automatically burned to a CD-R every week or so, with each podcast to be a separate track. After it is set up, the application would simply prompt the user to insert a CD-R every so often, at which time it would burn that week’s podcasts onto a CD-R that could be listened to in the car.

The application would also create a text document with the track numbers, names, dates and descriptions of the podcasts. That document could be printed and used as a listening reference. Label maker developers could write plug-ins that would allow the automatic printing of jewel case labels or, even better, templates for applications, like my Primera printer, that print on the CD-R itself.

Have the podcast name and date burned on the CD-R as CD Text.

Most car stereos can play MP3′s now, so that would be the default setting- for more capacity. But there would also be an option to burn the CD-R in CDA format so older car stereos could also play it. CD-R’s are almost free these days, so cost is not a factor.

Plus, the CD-R’s would allow the user to create an archive of podcasts and to share good ones with friends.

People would happily pay for this product. And if you wanted to be true to the Web 2.0 mantra and get some of the allegedly infinite ad revenue, you could place ads on the application pages, if it’s an online application, or on the CD-R between the podcasts themselves. Perhaps there would be a cheaper version of the application that has brief ads between the podcasts and a full-priced version that doesn’t.

I realize that you can burn podcasts to CD-R’s now, but it’s simply more trouble than most people are willing to go to for a concept they don’t fully understand or embrace. To get to where the population and the dollars are, you have to make it easy for people to say yes.

Let me say it again, the customers we are trying to sell to are not geeks like us. They want something that is (a) easy, and (b) cool and useful, but in that order. Too many Web 2.0 developers get it backwards. You have to make it easy to say yes, because it will always be easy to say no.

Take podcasting into the cars and trucks of the masses and you’ll see podcasting really take off.

Otherwise it’s just too easy to say no.

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About Kent

Reader, writer, arithmeticer. Proprietor of Newsome.Org, a tech, music and life blog.
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  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/06916059688851649812 Tom Reynolds

    It’s something that I’ve been thinking of as well. However I think that your solution is a ‘halfway house’ solution.More and more vehicles are being built with iPod integration as standard. In the UK I’ve seen car players that will take a memory stick.The problem is this, and it’s one that you touch on. It takes effort to burn some podcasts to a CD. I’ also guess that a lot of people don’t archive the podcasts.Every time you get into a car you’d have to spend ‘X’ amount of time in chosing the right podcast.I wish I had the solution – I’m guessing a radio player with a built in removeable flash memory, coupled with syncing software is the way to go.Either that or a WiFi in the car that can link to your home network. Something for the geeks only though – but where the geeks lead others will follow.All of which have the disadvantage that your idea doesn’t have – the need for new hardware, a slow purpose.If I had the right iea I may well make a large amount of money from it. As I’m still poor…well…work it out…

  • Ken Yarmosh

    I have said before and I’ll say again, that as long as podcasting is technologically or psychologically tied to iPods and other portable music players, it will never reach the mainstream. Nobody I know, either socially or professionally, uses an iPod or other portable music player. Not one person. A couple of people I know have iPods, but they tell me that after the initial thrill of having one wore off, the iPods got relegated to a drawer somewhere, rarely to see the light of day.Wow. That is so off, I think you need to look beyond your peer group. As a 20-something, I don’t see people put down their iPods down. That’s even truer for teens and the like.Podcasting would take off more if the podcasts could actually be managed by the players (i.e., they’d require Internet connectivity). The problem is the way that people need to subscribe via a computer and then sync. As a podcast subscriber, that is the main reason I don’t regularly keep up with my podcasts – it requires too much effort.Still, I agree with your underlying premise, which is that consuming podcasts needs to be simpler and more accessible.

  • Anonymous

    iTunes and the iPod already solve this problem in a *much* simpler manner. Basically, you only need to subscribe to a podcast in iTunes and then its automatically copied to your iPod if you haven’t listened to it (or removed if you did). So, as long as you can connect your iPod to your car (which is a trivial modification even for old cars) – you’re all set. No need to worry about burning CDs, the costs associated with that, etc. I think that your solution is really assuming that people don’t want iPods – which I don’t believe is true (literally everyone I know has one and uses it at least every day or two). It may be your point of view, and that’s fine, but for those that do have an iPod, the functionality you seek is implemented and the integration is braindead simple.

  • http://www.planforconquest.com/ vonDirschl

    I agree that it is all about the car. When we can get the ‘net in the car, radio is finished. Podcasting does that. All the technology is there, and it is easy as hell.Subscribe to podcast. Set up Itunes to automatically download and transfer recent episodes to Ipod. Bring to car. Use $40 Ipod transmitter that allows you to listen to podcast on your radio. Available at all electronics stores.Listen to podcast. Plug in Ipod at night for latest updates and to recharge battery. Repeat. I am currently doing this everyday and I can’t keep up with all the great content. Make no mistake, this is a paradigm shift. Why archive all the podcasts when they are already archived on the ‘net or on your hard drive? Why fill up landfill with plastic discs when you don’t need to? Podcasts are an episodic experience, not repetition.Those folks you talk about that don’t have one or don’t use one are not early adopters, plain and simple. Be it Ipod or thumb drive, the concept is the same. And now with video podcasts that use compression ratios that look good on even big screen tv, look out for the next paradigm shift in the living room.

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/01486076997237539934 RichardQuerin

    Hi Kent,You’re reading my mind. See this post I wrote a while back. Two issues to think of:1. An audio CD can only hold about 80min. Barely one podcast in many cases, sometime not enough for a single one in others.2. Screw the IPod connector for cars! Give us 1/8″ minijacks!! ANY mp3 player would be great and easy for car use if the manufacturers simply provided a 1/8″ minijack to connect an auxiliary source. If I had of known more about podcasts when I bought my Pioneer deck I would have bought a model with a 1/8″ jack believe me.3. I would be wary of overcomplicating the issue of podcast details, titling and labelling etc.. I simply gather up my mp3′s and burn ‘em to a CD-RW. I have 4 discs in circulation which I then rotate in and out as they get listened to. Podcasts are transient by nature. It’s a consumable. They are all archived online anyway. I’m not sure if messing around with a second layer of storage would help or hinder it for the mainstream.4. The main problem with my system is in a lack of aggregating/burning/deleting automation. Currently I use Ipodder Lemon and manually drag the latest files into a folder for burning. Fine for me. Yecch for the mainstream user.5. It honestly boggles my mind that more people aren’t listening this way already. When I switched from earbuds to listening on my car deck the change was incredible. Much much better.

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/01486076997237539934 RichardQuerin

    ..err.. well that was somewhat more than “two issues” to think of now wasn’t it. ;)

  • http://www.podcastready.com/ Bryan Haardt