Hmm, in the vein of “Anything public radio can do, Apple can do better,” here are a few words about Apple’s interest in “original podcasts” and competing with Spotify.
Spotify? Wasn’t that yesterday’s news? Ah, but then, so were podcasts.
Let’s take a look:
Audio series are now officially the current “next big thing,” so we here at TVWriter™ thought we’d devote today to articles explaining what the shouting’s all about.
We agree, by the way, with the general thought that audio’s day has come, but we also can’t keep from wondering, “Why the hell does the Old/Big Media gang insist on referring to recent developments as podcasts?”
What’re you geezers hiding, huh? Huh?
Yeah, that’s it, baby. Aural, as in “of the ear.” Whether you call them audio series or audio dramas or entertainment podcasts, scripted series of the type that once dominated the airwaves way back when your grandparents were kids are in the midst of a rebirth, and we’re glad to see it.
Podimo, a Copenhagen-based startup building what it hopes will become Europe’s “Netflix for podcasts,” has raised €6 million in seed funding prior to launch. The round is co-led by Germany’s E.ventures and Denmark’s Heartcore, reflecting the young company’s two planned country launches later this year.
As regular TVWriter™ visitors surely must know by now, we’re huge fans of audio drama AKA audio series. (How come nobody ever refers to it as audio comedy? Huh?)
In fact, we’re so fanatical about it that we actually created a special PEOPLE’S PILOT 2019 entry fee of only $25 a pop, plus special prizes for top scoring entries for both audio series and web series. (Yes, this is a shameless plug. Not sorry about that at all.)
Meanwhile, back at the point of this post: We’ve been listening to mucho audio series lately and are here today to suggest that y’all do too. We also suggest that a good place to begin your immersion in this media is via Narada Radio Company, where you’ll find a selection that…well, that set this TVWriter™ minion’s imagination on fire. And it just may do the same thing for you.
When is a TV or web series not a TV or web series?
When it’s an audio series. Erm, a podcast, um…how ’bout we just say when it’s something new, unique, and wonderful like the new fictional comedy series podcast I’m Gonna Be Kevin Bacon, in which some old actor name of Kevin Bacon plays – no, not Kevin Bacon but another old actor called “Randy Beslow,” an angry and embittered actor who lost the starring role in Footloose to Bacon and is riding the trail of revenge.
Or, as Kevin Bacon himself put it last week: