Are Big Companies Poisoning Podcasting?

July 14, 2025 Dave Jackson 0 Comments

Are Spotify and YouTube poisoning podcasting?

I keep hearing how “What used to work in the past – doesn't work anymore? Well I disagree. Making great content that resonates with your audience has been around since the early days of radio, and if it make them FEEL something, you've got something that is golden.

Giant companies always put profit over people, and with the latest AI band called the Velvet Sundown which has six figure streams. Why are AI Bands better than real musicians?

They don't get sick
They don't complain about not getting paid
They can provide more music, more frequently

So if the world starts to accept AI artists, if you're Spotify, why wouldn't you introduce an AI podcaster to deliver an evergreen topic? Spotify could promote it to make it popular and then run advertising against it and not have to worry about splitting the revenue with a podcaster.

Both YouTube and Spotify entice you in with free services, and then once you grow dependent on them, they can do whatever they want and you don't have a lot of control. If you say the wrong thing, you're kicked off the platform. Rosanne Barr (who is Jewish) for saying something deemed hate speech about Jewish people while she is herself Jewish. It was Sarcasm. Rosanne started her career as a comedian.

Big Companies Often Put Profit Over Doing the Right Thing

Purdue Pharma has been accused of mislabeling opioids that lead to lots of overdoses. Johnson and Johnson faced lawsuits about cancer and talcum power. Wells Fargo was fined millions for having employees open millions of account without the customer consent. I could go on and assemble a very long list. Just keep your eyes open, and watch as these companies that have come into podcasting with free offerings to interrupt the space, take control and bend it to suit their needs (not those of the host or the listener).

Sponsor Magnet Book Review

The Ultimate Book on Sponsorships/Partnerships, “Sponsor Magnet: How to Attract, Price, & Execute Your Dream Brand Partnerships” by Justin Moore. It is THE book for those looking to create partnerships with brand (not just a one time payment).

The book shows you how to find out who to talk to, what to say, how to say it, and to overdeliver to they keep sponsoring the show. The audio book has bonus content that was very cool as you hear people talking about putting the strategies into practice. You can get it on Audible if you're more of a listener than reader.

Why Are We Still Asking What a Podcast Is?

A podcast is an audio, video, or PDF file delivered via RSS. There, no go back to work. Over the years different delivery methods had different names. Radio was delivered over radio frequencies. Books were delivered on paper. Movies were on film. Cable TV was delivered over a cable. A podcast is delivered over an RSS feed. I'm not sure why were are confused. Oh that's right. YouTube.

YouTube decided that a YouTube video was a podcast because they felt like it. A YouTuber is delivered via a YouTube channel. Hence' a “YouTuber.” The part that is very frustrating is YouTuber is saying a video that goes from YouTube to YouTube music is the exact same thing as one delivered worldwide to millions of apps via RSS. That's like saying a vinyl record is the exact same thing as a CD. It may be the same content, but it's not the same thing.

When artists put out an Album, you could see how many people bought the album with a breakdown of formats ( Cassettes, CDs, Vinyl, 8-Track). I would say we do the same thing, Joe Rogan has 1 million downloads 850,000 are via Podcast and 150,000 are via YouTube. Then we could accurately report on the health of YouTube and Podcasting separately. In the same way we call a group of songs an “Album” we could call a group of episodes a “Show.”

Takeaways:

If you're hunting for sponsors, check out the book ‘Sponsor Magnet' – it's a game changer.
Podcasts don't need to follow trends; old-school content is still valuable and effective.
Big corporations could ruin podcasting, so let's just not invite them to the party.
YouTube is saying things that make no sense. A CD is not a cassette.
Spotify seems to have issue always delivering all the facts about their activities.
Hashtags no longer carry any clout on instagram per Brock Johnson
A podcast is audio, video or pdf delivered via RSS
Podcasting existed before people put in advertisements, and it will exist if advertising goes away. Advertising is ONE way to monetize.

Join the School of Podcasting

Are you looking to start your own podcast but don't know where to begin? Look no further than the School of Podcasting. Our comprehensive online courses and one-on-one coaching will teach you everything you need to know, from equipment and editing, to marketing and monetization. With our proven methods and expert instructors, you'll be creating high-quality, engaging content in no time. Say goodbye to the frustration and uncertainty, and hello to a successful podcasting career with the School of Podcasting

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Dave Jackson

About the Author

Owner of the School of Podcasting. Also produces the "Ask the Podcast Coach." He is also the author of the book "More Podcast Money" and is a regular speaker at podcasting and media conventions.

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