Are you watching your favourite podcasts slide behind paywalls?

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Skanedog@reddit

It's especially annoying when you pay for ads free on Spotify but then the shows have in-built ads anyway because obvs they get fuck all from Spotify. Same is happening with Nebula, I took out a sub to that because so many of the YouTube videos I watched were on Thier anyway but now they're all shilling for Thier Patreons so I guess Nebula doesn't make them much scratch either.

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GrimQuim@reddit

>It's especially annoying when you pay for ads free on Spotify I've stopped using Spotify for podcasts, I've moved podcasts to Pocketcasts which is a better provider. Paying for ad free and having Spotify insert i's own ads and being gaslit that it's the podcaster doing adverts was too annoying.

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DeemonPankaik@reddit

What makes you think it's Spotify doing it and not the podcast creator?

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GrimQuim@reddit

I'm pretty sure that The Rest is Entrainment isn't recording adverts in french for when I'm in France.

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DeemonPankaik@reddit

I responded to another comment already, but it's not them, it's a company called ACast, a middleman between the podcast creator and hosting platform. They gather your data and put it into the podcast on behalf of the podcast creator. Spotify has the technology to allow them to do this, other podcast platforms might not.

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tobiasfunkgay@reddit

It’s ultimately still Spotify though if they’re enabling it on their platform. You wouldn’t say a particular website has no ads it’s just Google Adsense using your data to serve localised ads. It’s still that website owner that decided to enable those ads.

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GrimQuim@reddit

>Spotify has the technology to allow them to do this, other podcast platforms might not. Which is why my gripe is still with Spotify. And why I'm still happy to use Pocketcasts.

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HurpaHerpaHarpa@reddit

Ads are localised, and the same across podcasts.

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Flonkerton_Scranton@reddit

Thats not true on Spotify. I am in the UK and listen to lots of American podcasts. The ads are for edibles, and other items illegal to sell in the UK.

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HurpaHerpaHarpa@reddit

Seems to differ a bit, then. When I listen to English podcasts in the UK, I get English ads. Listening to the same pods back home, I get local ads.

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PoolRamen@reddit

It depends on who's buying ad spots given a target. I often get no ads on podcasts or purely US generic ads because the ad injection provider hasn't booked UK ads.

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zephyrmox@reddit

Spotify injects ads to podcasts.

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DeemonPankaik@reddit

I'd be willing to bet that's because of "ACast" They're essentially a middle-man between the podcast creator and wherever you listen (e.g. Spotify, apple music, etc) They'll gather all your data from everywhere they can and put targeted ads in all of the podcasts in their network based on that.

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open_formation@reddit

If you get more Patreon money, you can do more stuff, sometimes it's less about living and more about increasing production values. Also if income is uncertain, it's hard to work out whether you ever have enough of a safe buffer, especially if you hire someone else as a research assistant and get an editor etc. then end up trying to support five salaries.

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Brief-Junket-5514@reddit

I like how Spotify claims they can't do anything about this because the ads are just embedded in the podcast. Except: People have looked at their code and it's Spotify specific ad servers that the ads are getting pulled from. On their own websites the podcasters have either different or no adverts.

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Colleen987@reddit

This especially annoys me in groups of podcasts - I do add free the rest is history but I would pay a bit extra to have the rest is politics, money, entertainment too but I’m not paying full price for each

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throwaway_bluebell@reddit

I paid for a year sub of the history podcast Noiser... They advertised ad free on the website but they still have "Noiser ads" at the end of the podcast. I emailed them and they said they didn't class it as ads.

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BrightonTownCrier@reddit

I'd love to know what their definition of an ad is.

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wordsfromlee@reddit

Probably a third party.

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Bobo3076@reddit

Eh, the built in ads don’t bother me too much, cause the main podcast I listen to has a long intro song when the ads are done, so I just fast forward until I hear it.

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TheRealPyroManiac@reddit

Use sponsor block extension on YouTube alongside Adblock

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smallfaces@reddit

You mean alongside Ublock?

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TheRealPyroManiac@reddit

Yes

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katalyna78@reddit

Or use brave browser. Does it all automatically

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geeered@reddit

For YouTube at least you van get browser plugins that skip these ads i believe... at least when they have been out for a bit so someone has logged the position of the ads.

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SnooHamsters5480@reddit

I have noticed that pretty much all ads within podcast last almost exactly 1 minute. I just press the 15 second jump button 4 times every time an ad starts and basically skip the ad without missing any of the podcast.

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ExplorerOdd6548@reddit

I have no issue them promoting their patreons I just don’t care about raycons/better help/huel etc

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10tonterry@reddit

I agree that built in ads are annoying however if you’re listening on your mobile and have siri / ok google active you can use those functions to fast forward 2 mins or whatever the ad length.

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The-Baron-Von-Marlon@reddit (OP)

Yeh i feel that on spotify too! I just wonder how many people are paying on patreon. It'd cost me a fortune if i paid for all mine.

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Skanedog@reddit

I've got two I pay for, ones on an annual subscription so I often forget about it but then it's only £20 when it does, and the other is int that's run by someone I know and it's £2 a month. The rest, if I have to sit through the shitty in-stream ads and promos for your sponsors then I'm not paying your sub.

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abstract_groove@reddit

Pay a couple of quid a month to a couple of podcasts to remove ads and get extra episodes. I don’t mind paying a small amount to support people doing good things. I think of it as buying them a pint / coffee to say thanks.

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TJTheGamer1@reddit

I abandoned a podcast ive listened to for years after they started have pre roll ads, mid roll ads and ad reads they would do themselves all in the same episode. I get it, nothing is free, except this podcast also had a patreon supporting them for ages and definitely did not havr high production costs

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SithoDude@reddit

Today's podcast is brought to you by our sponsor: rAiD sHaDoW lEgEnDs!

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younevershouldnt@reddit

Not at all. Are there any shows in particular you are thinking of?

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PM-ME_UR_TINY-TITS@reddit

Thankfully not. What does boil my piss is no matter what app I use they love to shove in ads mid fucking sentence.

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Grimdotdotdot@reddit

You mean the podcatcher you use is adding adverts, not the people on the podcast itself? Podcast Addict is a good shout if you're on Android. Otherwise I hear good things about Pocketcast, but I've not tried that.

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PM-ME_UR_TINY-TITS@reddit

Most of the time yeah. It's sometimes both. I use pocketcast it does it fairly often.

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SerendipitousCrow@reddit

And the ads are often so much louder than the episode. Annoying especially as I listen as I go to sleep

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discoveredunknown@reddit

‘The Rest Is…’ series has entered the chat

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bacon_cake@reddit

So true. I used to listen to every episode of FUZE ENERGY but unfortunately now my FUZE ENERGY patience has worn too FUZE ENERGY.

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Thisoneissfwihope@reddit

It’s like 60% ads at this point. Also adding a ‘Rest is Sport’ on the weekend too. If I wanted to listen to that, I’d subscribe. I couldn’t give less of a shit about any of those subjects.

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discoveredunknown@reddit

It’s annoying because I don’t really MIND the ads, but Politics and Entertainmenr have an insidious amount of ads including mid-podcast adverts. Then there’s the paid endorsements to make it sound like part of the podcast and listening to Richard Osman talk about AirBnB or Sky makes my skin crawl.

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jamnut@reddit

Oh what a time does this and it fucks me off royally

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firthy@reddit

_Hey Siri!! Skip two minutes!_

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Suspicious-Brick@reddit

Harder to do when you are doing something though! I was weeding in the garden at the weekend listening through headphones so you have to stop, take gloves off, skip it forward, gloves on and start again. OP mentions they work in construction so probably similar for them.

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firthy@reddit

I just say the command out loud (you do need AirPods tbh). It’s about all Siri is good for…!

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OddlyDown@reddit

Don’t use Spotify for podcasts. It was always going to be toxic. If people stop listening to podcasts on it then people won’t move their podcasts to it and other closed platforms.

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The-Baron-Von-Marlon@reddit (OP)

Tbh it's just been my platform for 15 years. Thats the only why really

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Grimdotdotdot@reddit

The longer you wait to jump ship, the harder it's going to get. It'll never be easier to switch than it is right now.

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Successful_Buy3825@reddit

I’ve never seen a podcast that’s fully behind a paywall. I’ve seen a few that do the “base” show for free then put extra stuff behind paywalls

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The-Baron-Von-Marlon@reddit (OP)

Yeh so now alot are doing more extras than free. Rest is politics US is a good example

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DoctorRaulDuke@reddit

I refuse to listen to any of the Rest is... shows. Rest is Entertainment has extended ads that pretend to be part of the show. I don't mind ads but I mind being messed with. Plus, Gary Lineker surely has enough money by now.

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The-Baron-Von-Marlon@reddit (OP)

But i do like to imagine a bemused mooch watching lineker bang one in against west germany as prep for his onboarding 😂

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iain_1986@reddit

I used to listen to the magicians.podcast Went on for years 100 free episodes that were sponsor supported. Then a few years later they came back on Spotify and pulled all those episodes and put them behind a subscription along with new content. And not a cheap subscription (£15 a month I think)

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ChasingSloths@reddit

I know a lot of sponsors are investing much less in creator content now – I know a few people who make videos who are just not getting sponsorship offers any more, or they’re not paid enough to be worth doing.

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iain_1986@reddit

I get that But I do think it's a bit shitty to take previously free content already paid by sponsorship and pull it from feeds to put it behind a paywall

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Ok_Gazelle_24@reddit

at least two of my favourite podcasts have gone from being completely accessible apart from bonus episodes to putting their entire back catalogue behind a paywall - meaning you can't listen to anything older than the last year or so without coughing up. there are others who make the first episode of a series free and then require membership to access the rest. Wondery (recently bought out by amazon/audible) is particularly bad for this but a lot of podcast studios are heading this way.

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The-Baron-Von-Marlon@reddit (OP)

We have ways of making you talk just did that with their older ones too!

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escapingfromelba@reddit

Might be worth using a podcast app (I use podcastaddict) rather than Spotify as they still appear for me. It might well be the case that Spotify isn't as commercially sound for them.

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Ok_Gazelle_24@reddit

I'm not familiar with that one but American Scandal did it a while ago (i think its reasonably popular in the States. I listen to it occasionally while I fall asleep) and then The Compendium put their first 20ish episodes behind a paywall which felt really rogue to me because I'm pretty sure it's still just two guys recording in a spare room. The Compendium is not a big podcast so this felt quite ballsy. I'm glad I'd already listened to all the early stuff but it would definitely put me off as a new listener.

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Choccybizzle@reddit

Could you pay for one month and download the entire back catalogue in that month?

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Section101@reddit

There’s a really good fashion podcast called the cutting room floor that is completely behind a paywall. They have clips on YouTube that makes content go viral but you have to pay £5 a month on Paetron to watch or listen.

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The-Baron-Von-Marlon@reddit (OP)

The extras are starting to creep up and overtake the core with a lot of them. Or so it seems

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Supergoose5000@reddit

The enshitifcation begins Sell it cheap (or free) Get you hooked Raise the price through the roof Half that price with ads See: Uber,Netflix,deliveroo

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zephyrmox@reddit

Is it 'enshitification' where people running a podcast want to actually get paid for their efforts? it's completely different to uber, netflix, deliveroo.

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Bobo3076@reddit

Yes it still is, because people running podcast should be able to get paid without jumping through all these hoops.

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pajamakitten@reddit

You cannot get paid from out of nowhere though.

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bacon_cake@reddit

? And how are they meant to get paid? Either you pay a subscription or you listen to ads...

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zephyrmox@reddit

... and how do you propose they get paid?

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Sate_Hen@reddit

Yes. Entification is just a business strategy. Everything's turning to shit because youtube, twitter etc were running at a loss to get bums on seats but it can't run at a loss forever. It's the same strategy even if it's done by a small time content creator. It's not inherently good or bad. Sure corporations take it too far but the enshitification starts with them turning their loss making product around

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zephyrmox@reddit

Yes I know what it is, it's an annoying word that gets chucked out incorrectly here a lot. I do not see how that applies to small time podcast hosts wanting to get paid for what they do. Should they just not get paid for making stuff that other people enjoy?

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Sate_Hen@reddit

No absolutely they should. And a good way to break into it is to provide a good service for free to gain listenership and then start charging. What the end user sees is enshitification of the product they were using. It doesn't stop becoming enshitification because it's a small content creator instead of a multinational corperation I'm not criticising the practice, good for them, it's a smart model

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iain_1986@reddit

>And a good way to break into it is to provide a good service for free to gain listenership and then start charging. That isn't enshitification.

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zephyrmox@reddit

I just do not see any monetisation of previously free stuff as enshitificaiton. It's a different and more deliberately negative process.

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jiggjuggj0gg@reddit

Going to be fun when the AI companies start charging ridiculous fees once every business and organisation is entirely reliant on it.

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ppyil@reddit

We could also just decide to stop. Eventually these podcasts will cotton on to the fact that they can't make enough through their Patreon and will have to decide between a bigger market on YouTube or more money on Patreon. I reckon only the biggest podcasts can have any success with it.

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The-Baron-Von-Marlon@reddit (OP)

It's half worked. Im just not gonna pay but i do feel im missing out

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mimic@reddit

One reason I do like The Bugle (that and the puns), is that it has zero ads, though the other podcasts on their network do, which is a shame. But at least podcasts like Trashfuture, Quorators, or WTYP, have many main episodes which stand entirely on their own. Bonuses just for the real pod heads. I barely have the time to listen to the bonuses I do subscribe to 🙃 and that is a very low number.

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Speedboy7777@reddit

No. I listen to Elis and John (BBC Sounds), Socially distance Sports Bar and Three Bean Salad (Apple Podcast app). Only extra “bits” from the latter two are behind a Patreon sub, and I’m happy having it for free. Never felt the urge to subscribe.

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The-Baron-Von-Marlon@reddit (OP)

As a retro oner... i am with you. But honestly i do like 7 hours a day of podcasts during work so these just scratch the surface

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Speedboy7777@reddit

As we back Britain like Dave Masterman, really give BBC Sounds a go, there are hundreds, they’ll be definitely some you like.

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The-Baron-Von-Marlon@reddit (OP)

No i am totally with you. Ive just done this job for 6 years so ive rinsed so much older content. Also i have to say my love for elis and john is so deep i can talk for an hour about how their show is their own emotional journey. From the radio x days of "we cant cry" to them bawling after a message about a girls cancer journey. Tues and fridays give me a real boost.

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Speedboy7777@reddit

How tall is Brian May?

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ShinyHeadedCook@reddit

I Could Murder a Podcast and Last Podcast on the Left They do post some free ones, but more and more they are becoming bonus episodes you have to subscribe to

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Jamie2556@reddit

Most ones I listen to have one free and one paid per week and no ads. I only subscribe to one (Trashfuture) but it’s worth it to me for £5 a month to help them out, esp as their only other revenues seem to be merch and live shows.

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rikkiprince@reddit

Every podcast I listen to is free with ads, or you can pay for bonus material and no ads. I usually pick a couple to support each year, then rotate the next year.

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The-Baron-Von-Marlon@reddit (OP)

But that bonus is rapidly becoming a large part of the content

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rikkiprince@reddit

Not for the shows I listen to. Sorry to hear that's the case for the shows you listen to 🫤

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The-Baron-Von-Marlon@reddit (OP)

Ill live 😂

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Classic_Mammoth_9379@reddit

This is exactly why I refused to follow any of the podcasts I listened to when they moved to Spotify in the first place.

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Smartshark89@reddit

Most of mine have extras behind a paywall and the annoying thing is budpod and button boys have separate patrons

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TheToolman04@reddit

"If shit was valuable, your ar\*ehole would be taxed"

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Majick_L@reddit

I only watch 2 on YouTube, but one of them has just gone over to Netflix only for the visuals so I’ve switched to audio only for that one and now listen to it on a website called Player FM. It is making me miss episodes and fall back from it though as I don’t like an audio only experience, and I don’t use streaming subscriptions

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weeble182@reddit

Can you give some examples? Because I've not encountered any podcasts becoming exclusively paywalled personally. Sure lots have a side Patreon with additional content, but that's always a side choice and doesn't take away from the main show. And that's been going on for years now, isn't a new change, just an additional revenue stream for creatives, no beef with that

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djferris123@reddit

I think what OP means is podcasts like The Rest is History, British Scandal etc which do series which release series at once for subscribers but for regular listeners they have to wait weeks for that episode so if you subscribe or listen or whatever the term is on Spotify you scroll to "new releases" and it will be 1 episode you can listen to and then 3 locked episodes so it clogs up your feed

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TheGreatBatsby@reddit

> The Rest is History Not even the best history podcast in Britain.

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The-Baron-Von-Marlon@reddit (OP)

Hey!! You are in my head and my playlist!

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Cub3h@reddit

I use 'antennapod' and it only shows the episodes you can download.

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djferris123@reddit

I get through about 6 hours of podcasts a day while working so I'm always listening to loads of podcasts so it doesn't really matter to me if I have a whole series to listen to at once since I always have many other things to listen to... My other pet hate is when a company releases a new podcast and they promote it by putting either a clip at the end of all their other podcasts or release it in their other podcast feeds... Goalhanger released "The Bookclub" and I swear it popped up in my feed 3 or 4 times in all the Rest is podcast feeds

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The-Baron-Von-Marlon@reddit (OP)

Omfg... you actually are me. Massive massive ditto to all of the above

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Ok_Gazelle_24@reddit

personally I don't care about British Scandal doing that - studios have charged for early release for years, I care that American Scandal (same production company, but other podcasts have done it too) has put years worth of episodes that used to be free to listen to behind a paywall. they were released up to 8 years ago. but now listeners have to pay for them.

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Wretched_Colin@reddit

I used to listen to the Intercooler podcast on my iPhone. They have introduced some intricate subscription model, including online articles to read, which means that at least 80% of episodes on there are subscriber only. There’s no way to set it to only show the ones that I can listen to so it means sitting through the descriptions. Then, when I find one I can listen to, the first 5 minutes is them trying to sell a subscription, which is about £80.

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No-Photograph3463@reddit

Tbf the Intercooler is slightly different, as they make the product (online magazine essentially) and the podcast has only ever been used as a way to advertise it. Also all the other links that come through are audio versions of the article which is a brilliant idea and very inclusive, and I think it was subscribers that wanted it in Spotify as it means you can listen to it wherever, rather than having their app open all the time which when listening and driving would be tricky. It's still one of the best weekly automotive podcasts some I'm always going to listen, I just ignore the ad but accept it's needed to be able to keep listening

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Wretched_Colin@reddit

I’ve given up on The Intercooler. I unsubscribed on Apple. If they allowed me to filter out the Subscriber Only podcasts then I would still listen to it. The only way I can listen to it is to put the video of the podcast on the YouTube premium app and lock my phone so I don’t watch them talking. But that’s too much effort so I usually don’t do it. I subscribe to Smith and Sniff, although Patreon can be buggy, and other car content comes from Doug de Muro and Carwow on the telly through YouTube.

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merlybirds@reddit

Example from me is Sherlock & Co. Brilliant podcast, don't mind the ads (would rather my ad free Spotify subscription was actually ad free though). They have a LOT of bonus content hidden behind a paywall. Most of it is Patreon, which I am supportive of, but there's a lot on Spotify itself. I think it's marketed like a "mini adventure" every so often. It's a fictional podcast, we're following their lives, so it does feel like you're missing out on important content/character moments.

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The-Baron-Von-Marlon@reddit (OP)

Just a higher weighting towards bonus content now

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Flonkerton_Scranton@reddit

Locked or drowned in the same 4 ads ad infinitum

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Gazcobain@reddit

Yeah, my favourite podcast (Football Cliches) started a new subscription-based podcast last year. I just can't afford yet another subscription.

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Mental-Grape-7189@reddit

Watch Kill Tony start to finish. Should keep you busy for ages

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LloydCole@reddit

Threads like this are so lame and whiny. People complaining about both paying for podcasts and also free listening with ads.

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The-Baron-Von-Marlon@reddit (OP)

In our collective defence i think we all get it and i dont think anyone is genuinely out raged. Just feels like yet another thing grinding us down in a world that feels a bit....well.... fucked

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MartyDonovan@reddit

I know you're used to Spotify, and I get it, I used iTunes until it was no longer supported, and Google Podcasts until they got rid of it, always a pain to change what you're used to. I've been using AntennaPod since then, which is free, and doesn't show any locked episodes. I guess it might be a pain to integrate if I did want to pay, but I listen to some of the Goalhangar ones you mentioned and I don't even register that they have bonus content, I just mentally tune it out or skip 30s every time they start advertising or plugging something, and my feed isn't clogged up with anything I can't listen to.

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PracticeEast1423@reddit

The frustrating part is that the paywall rarely reflects the actual cost of production. A two person podcast recorded in a spare bedroom does not cost subscription money to sustain. What the paywall reflects is someone realising their audience is loyal enough to charge. The loyalty was built on being free. Monetising it by removing access is not a business model, it is a withdrawal.

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ChanceBranch1146@reddit

Do you work for free?

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ToastedCrumpet@reddit

Yeah it’s a bit different when it’s just two friends chatting in a room, barely edited, has volume issues etc compared to a real production with guests, competitions, listener participation and more. I’ve known people who’ve made me watch their podcasts made in their garden with random noises in the background thinking “why would you think anyone would pay for this?”

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fickle_tartan@reddit

Also for those more professional podcasts you have to factor in time for research etc, it's not just a cost for the actual production, but also the hosts time. You're paying them so that they can do it as a job and make a better/more interesting podcast.

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cosantoir@reddit

This exactly. I listen to Origin Story, and the amount of research that goes into each episode is huge. If I had a successfull podcast, I'd definitely put a price on my time.

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gridlockmain1@reddit

The people who record the podcasts have lives to sustain like anybody else doing a job. Should they not be paid for their work?

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NaniFarRoad@reddit

Nonsense - podcasts take time to organise and deliver regular episodes, research content, organise guests, etc. If you have a full time job, you can't sustain a podcast with weekly episodes. Paying a subscription secures the future of the podcast and improves its quality, unless you're in the minority of podcasters who got in early, picked up a huge following, and can live on ad revenue alone.

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zephyrmox@reddit

> The frustrating part is that the paywall rarely reflects the actual cost of production. A two person podcast recorded in a spare bedroom does not cost subscription money to sustain. Should everything simply cost what it makes to produce?

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TomfromLondon@reddit

Is it the same on other podcast apps? Might be worth checking the same ones on apple?

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Alert-Baby8791@reddit

I think it's even more annoying when they end episodes abruptly and start shilling for a patreon. I pay for Spotify Premium which is already expensive. I can't afford to pay for more things.

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clrthrn@reddit

Most of what I listen to also release the podcast for free but later than the paid version. So paid get it on Monday, I get it free on Thursday. But all the different streaming and pod services are starting to get on my nerves with the different tiers and access points. I am finding my way back to radio as the burden of choice and payment is removed.

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Zubi_Q@reddit

My favourite podcast is on YouTube and I use brave bowser to listen to it, as there are no ads 2nd favourite is on podchaser and that has no ads at all

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PinkyPeach1_2@reddit

I listen on Apple Podcasts and the amount of adverts in most podcasts is ridiculous. However I refuse to pay for ad free when it’s so easy to just skip through…

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SockSock@reddit

I love podcasts and think its amazing that so much new content is available for free everyday. Yes, they offer the opportunity to pay for more, I wouldn't expect it any other way. If a journalist publishes articles in a magazine or newspaper every week I wouldn't expect them to give me their new books for free, or access to every book or article they've ever written for free. They or their publishers choose their pricing model and I choose which of their content to consume, paid for or not. I'm old enough to have grown up without the internet so the amount of practically free content available now amazes me.

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jamnut@reddit

Yeah I can't see why this is an issue? Spotify is notorious for not paying musical artists enough, so why shouldn't podcast creators chase the bag? There's so much out there for £x a month that you could never listen to it all. I tend to sweat through the back catalogue of an existing pod I find until I'm caught up then it becomes part of my weekly listens. I've never been stumped for new content to listen to as I've either got the back catalogue or recent eps of my weeklies. Yes I might miss out on a fourth topic on Oh What a Time, or an additional hour per ep on Mike And Vitorrios Guide to Parenting, so what?

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Disastrous_Yak_1990@reddit

To be honest I don’t mind ads in it as long as they’re typical short radio ads. I do pay for premium, but, meh, as long as they get paid and carry on it’s all good. What I don’t like it them stopping to chat about a product for 10 mins. Looking at you No Such Thing as a Fish.

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Remarkable-Ad155@reddit

I hear this but very few people can afford to work for free. I'm sure that's something you yourself can relate to.

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Dissidant@reddit

Same boat, its not just your podcasts the adverts have encroached upon everything at this point. Subscriptions is one thing, but these days every service seems to also have the with/without ads as a sub option as well.

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Frostly4242@reddit

Which podcasts are doing that? I don't think any of the podcasts I listen to have ever disappeared completely behind a paywall. They will often have a patreon where you can get bonus episodes but main episode remains free. I pay for a few of these - mainly because I think creative people should get paid for their work, but also because I enjoy the bonus material.

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The-Baron-Von-Marlon@reddit (OP)

Im looking now... declassified club, we have ways of making you talk, rest is politics Us, sherlock & co, rest is entertainment... thats just today. Granted a lot of this is bonus but how much would just today cost me? Not even a peak day

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Frostly4242@reddit

A lot is bonus material? So the main episodes are free? I just looked at TRIP US on Audible and yesterday's episode was available to me without subscription.

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dreadnought001@reddit

I don't mind podcasts having free episodes and then extra paid versions on patreon etc but what's really annoying in some of the free versions is that they'll start discussing something and then say 'ah, actually I think we'll carry on talking about that on the patreon episode.' I listen to a video games podcast called Button Boys and it's started to creep in almost every week. Don't do that. It's shitty. If your free episodes are decent, people will subscribe to the Patreon, but don't bait and switch people.

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adreddit298@reddit

ITT: Waaah, I wanna be given content I enjoy, but fuck the people creating it trying to make any money. The entitlement is rank. People give their time and effort to produce this stuff. If they want to monetise it, that's their right. The (rightful) annoyance at the likes of Google and Spotify squeezing both sides shouldn't be bleeding into the content creators. Patreon, joining a channel etc are all very direct ways of showing appreciation and support for someone producing the content you like. You don't need to support them all, you can choose one or two and then rotate regularly, say every 6 months. If you like what they're doing, support them, or they won't be able to.

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The-Baron-Von-Marlon@reddit (OP)

Did you even read my post?

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adreddit298@reddit

Did you even read the comments on your post?

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The-Baron-Von-Marlon@reddit (OP)

Your comment doesnt reflect the content or tone of my post in anyway at all. But hey, you wanted to make a ranty speech. Good for you. We are all very impressed.

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adreddit298@reddit

>Your comment doesnt reflect the content or tone of my post in anyway at all. Correct. It reflects the content and tone of the comments. Hence the ITT. Because the comments on this thread are entitled. Is this your first week on Reddit or something? Chill out dude, you can't control everything, especially comments on a public forum.

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The-Baron-Von-Marlon@reddit (OP)

Ah i see. Id argue it wasnt clear and felt like you were replying to me but fine

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adreddit298@reddit

JFC

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The-Baron-Von-Marlon@reddit (OP)

Look some of us are old and dont know what ITT means 😂😂

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adreddit298@reddit

I'm old enough to remember not having the internet. Or a computer at home.

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The-Baron-Von-Marlon@reddit (OP)

So why do you talk like you're 17? Asking for some friends

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adreddit298@reddit

Which of my comments backs up your assertion?

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The-Baron-Von-Marlon@reddit (OP)

Your use of "waaah", ITT, JFC...

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The-Baron-Von-Marlon@reddit (OP)

Chill out dude

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The-Baron-Von-Marlon@reddit (OP)

Is this your first week on reddit? ... odd gatekeep

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The-Baron-Von-Marlon@reddit (OP)

Oh also a total failure to read the room. A nice fairly chill thread and you stomp in

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adreddit298@reddit

>A nice fairly chill thread and you stomp in Haha, fairly chill? It's filled with people whining about how they shouldn't be paying for their content, but nor should they be advertised at. The fact that you're so bent out of shape over my comment highlighting it demonstrates just how immature you are and how entitled you feel you are to everything be free. Pay, or accept advertising. Nothing is free.

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The-Baron-Von-Marlon@reddit (OP)

Immature... entitled.... Sorry. Just adding two more to my list.

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adreddit298@reddit

Two more new words?

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The-Baron-Von-Marlon@reddit (OP)

My list of reasons why you write like an american teenager...

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adreddit298@reddit

0 for 2 Not American Not a teenager Try again

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adreddit298@reddit

Not gatekeeping, apparently you don't know what that means either.

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adreddit298@reddit

All of which have been in common use for a while. Maybe you need to pay more attention to the world around you.

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Buh_Snarf@reddit

Been using Reddit for years and never heard of ITT.

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adreddit298@reddit

Thanks for your contribution

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zephyrmox@reddit

Yeah pretty baffled by the responses in this thread.

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The-Baron-Von-Marlon@reddit (OP)

Pls use ITT going forward. Thank you for your attention on this matter...

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adreddit298@reddit

Like I said, it's entitlement. There seems to be a pervasive view these days that everything should be provided at no cost, without recognising that quality content costs money, or has an opportunity cost, to produce. I think the downvotes to my comment show that this is a common viewpoint.

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fickle_tartan@reddit

>ITT: Waaah, I wanna be given content I enjoy, but fuck the people creating it trying to make any money. This was pretty much my thoughts too tbh, fuck the content creators right? Not like they spend hours upon hours researching/recording/editing, why should anyone pay for that? /s Every time JustEat/Deliveroo etc comes up on Reddit people lose their shit about the drivers not being paid a living wage etc, but no-one seemingly gives a fuck when it's a service they actually want.

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adreddit298@reddit

Yeah, it seems I touched a nerve with some people 😂 I bet they're the same people who have spent the last 15 years buying everything cheaply from Amazon, then complain when they can't go to a local store when they need to.

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ExplodingDogs82@reddit

I pay for Spotify family and I pretty much exclusively listen to podcasts. Everyone else on my plan is music only. It always frustrated me that podcasts still contain ads despite me paying for ‘ad free’ …something I could live with as I (partly) understand the rationale. Now seeing so many episodes are paywalled. One of my favourite podcasts is ‘Criminal’ and every three episodes there is a paywalled one badged as *Bonus* content. Part of the enshitification of the world.

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craftysooze@reddit

I stopped listening to criminal because the episodes seemed to get shorter and the adverts just increased. I don't mind shows having ads but it felt ridiculous to have to skip ads 3 times for a 20 minute episode.

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The-Baron-Von-Marlon@reddit (OP)

Amen

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Left-Paradox@reddit

I don't listen anywhere near 8 hours a day but I live in the BBC sounds podcasts eco system now Having gotten a little hooked on the goal hanger podcasts and wondery and getting super pissed off with wondery pay walling old content and then hearing the mighty podcasters selling out to in reading out adverts oh and the same goes the the high and mighty James O'Brien!! 😂

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lemonherring@reddit

I listen to most podcasts on Podbean - no subscription and sometimes the ads have been removed, too. I haven't had any issues yet, touch wood. I can't understand why people pay for things like Spotify et al.

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The-Baron-Von-Marlon@reddit (OP)

Tbh for me... habit i think

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This_Comedian3955@reddit

My favourite podcast has a weekly bonus (paywalled) episode which is more laid back and different topics than usual. I pay for it and enjoy it but I think most people aren’t missing anything if they don’t pay for it. It’s probably the most balanced paywall I’ve seen.

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_tym@reddit

I can solve one of your problems! https://audiobookbay.lu/ Happy sailing!

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The-Baron-Von-Marlon@reddit (OP)

Thanks dude!!

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EndPsychological2541@reddit

If you're interested, in the above link, but worried about sailing the seas.. I've got a private plex server where I keep all of my personal collection - you're able to download directly from plex. Happy to take requests.

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limestar90@reddit

Oh I would be interested. How would that work?

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EndPsychological2541@reddit

Drop me a DM with an email address - accept the plex invite, then you're free to browse my server.

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limestar90@reddit

Thank you, just DM you

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AbjectGovernment1247@reddit

Thank you!

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VulkanCurze@reddit

I guess I'm kinda lucky in what I listen to? Maybe? I do get locked episodes as well but all the podcasts I listen to, they haven't changed anything from when they didn't have a patreon. If they released a new ep on a Friday, it's still out for free on a Friday, it's just a case of, if your a patron you can listen to that episode up to a week early.

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Consistent-Pirate-23@reddit

I used to produce and co-host a podcast. We were massively against ads and sponsorship, to the point it made it so we just minimised our losses. Annoys me that ads could have been sneaked on by platforms we were added to by our hosting company

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UnderHisEye1411@reddit

Capitalist greed ruins literally everything it touches.

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Karloss_93@reddit

The greed comes from the platforms in a lot of the cases. There are of course some big companies and A list celebrities doing podcasts (and YouTube ext..) but there are also a lot of smaller creatives just trying to pursue a passion and make ends meet. I pay a monthly membership for Bunch of Amateurs on YouTube because Rich seems like a nice guy and works hard to put out good content. For my membership I get 2 x hour long episodes a week, plus behind the scenes and editor updates. They've got 200k subscribers on YouTube and I think over 500k on TikTok and Rich has said that memberships are the only thing keeping the lights on because the income is so low from the other platforms. How much money is YouTube and Tiktok making from all his content that he barely sees a penny of.

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StillJustJones@reddit

BBC Sounds has some of the best audio content going. Audiobooks, audio dramas, comedy, documentaries and so much more.

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The-Baron-Von-Marlon@reddit (OP)

I know. I just had a lovely routine going and it feels like it got a bit broken

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Choccybizzle@reddit

I pay a monthly fee for 2 podcasts. Quickly Kevin (and subsequently Let’s Be Having You), and Greatest Of All Talk. I don’t mind supporting people I genuinely enjoy and what is essentially a tenner a month seems fair for the product I get.

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The-Baron-Von-Marlon@reddit (OP)

I love love love QK. Just couldnt get on with LBHY. I think josh did more heavy lifting than i realised

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bookishnatasha89@reddit

I listen to a lot of true crime content and I have become a Pateron of some in the past to find out that I couldn't even access all of the locked content that way. There's one in particular where they'll have gaps of eight weeks between episodes, and for all of those eight weeks the only episodes they release are for paying listeners only so I just stopped listening. I'm a Pateron for my favourite podcaster only. He releases a journal entry for his Paterons every week, a bonus episode every so often and he's currently doing two episodes per week that I get to listen to a day early with no ads so that'll do me - he's also an independent podcaster which makes me want to back him more.

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The-Baron-Von-Marlon@reddit (OP)

How much is he?

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dwvl@reddit

If it's not on BBC Sounds, I don't listen to it.

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mcfedr@reddit

now they blocked bbc sounds outside the uk. it seems like one of the most smallminded moves

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The-Baron-Von-Marlon@reddit (OP)

Elis and john will always have my heart

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ThePeake@reddit

Consider seeing if your local library offers audiobooks through BorrowBox or a similar service.

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katalyna78@reddit

Radio4 might be worth a listen. They cover a lot of different topics and all ad free. Great comedy too.

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Trequartista7777@reddit

Not really slide behind pay walls but I am seeing other things. So for example I listen to the Last Podcast on the Left, they went Spotify exclusive a few years ago and then that deal ended, they have had Patreon since the very beginning and recently they removed some videos from YouTube as they're now on netflix, but audio versions are still there in the usual podcast places. I do pay £5 a month for the You Don't Even Like This Show Patreon, ,discovered that back when it was called Unpopular Opinion, basically a former Cracked writer and his comedian buddies talking politics, local US news , conspiracies etc it's quite fun. They're never going to become particularly huge but I don't mind paying for the bonus episodes as they have knocked out a lot of content over the years

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FEMXIII@reddit

I pay for a month when I find a good podcast, download the whole thing and re-host it for myself via self hosted audiobookshelf. I cycle subs and catch up :)

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The-Baron-Von-Marlon@reddit (OP)

Nice!!! I like

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Ok-Airline-7167@reddit

Spotify buying up exclusive rights and locking content was always going to lead here. The moment podcasting became a platform business rather than an open format, the paywall was inevitable. RSS feeds and independent hosting still exist and a lot of good shows have stayed there deliberately because the creators do not want this exact situation. Worth hunting those out before everything consolidates further.

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LemmysCodPiece@reddit

I self host my podcasts. I will never go back.

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Familiar-Woodpecker5@reddit

You can get free audiobooks with BorrowBox, linked to your library.

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The-Baron-Von-Marlon@reddit (OP)

I got books on audible. My brain just cant handle books for 8 hours a day 😂

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Familiar-Woodpecker5@reddit

Looks like my brain can’t process your actual question either 🤣

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The-Baron-Von-Marlon@reddit (OP)

Haha. It's really more of a vent 😂. The question is "amyone else also want to vent??".

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HistoricalPickle@reddit

Go on your local council website and see if the library has BorrowBox. Sign up to the library, download the BorrowBox app and you can borrow audiobooks for free with your library account. It works like a physical library in that only one copy can be rented at a time but there’s a fairly good choice available.

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fleurmadelaine@reddit

Have you tried your local library for audiobooks? Mine uses an app called Libby and that’s how I listen to a lot.

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The-Baron-Von-Marlon@reddit (OP)

I have audible for books so that part is fine. I just cant do books all day

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Wrong-Comfortable849@reddit

Pay for ad free, but they still make money from ads for people who don’t pay so it’s a win win for the creators.

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mumwifealcoholic@reddit

That is annoying... But I won't pay ( extra). Entertainment isn't a necessity. Corpos keep doing it, because they know ya'll will keep paying. They think you stupid.

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GoldenArchmage@reddit

I believe 'Last Podcast on the Left' tried this for a while. It eventually became free to download again because I imagine that this did a real number on their subscriber count. I would argue that we're still in a situation where there are still so many good podcasts on any number of topics that going behind a paywall will kill your listenership.

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Flaramon@reddit

Pretty much everything is going behind paywalls of some sort. There's no regulations preventing them from being so anal about it, and worse, there's no meaningful customer push back against the introductions. The only way to convey your dislike is to express complete disinterest in any service that does it. So yes; it's not going anywhere; only going to get worse. We can use ad-blockers to help limit our exposure for now but, soon enough, advertisements will be embedded within the stream so you can't skip them. At that point, we've made a full circle from TV, to Streaming, to TV.

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The-Baron-Von-Marlon@reddit (OP)

Honestly i could live with ads. Maybe even more. I just cannot fathom more subscriptions

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Recent-Walrus-3366@reddit

What do you listen to?

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