The Feed 2020 Recap and Look Back

We celebrated year 6 of The Feed this year!

Here are some fun 2020 podcast points:

  • We featured seventy-two 30 second podcast promos.
  • We featured 19 pieces of audio feedback from our audience.
  • We created 31 hours 57 minutes worth of content.
  • We had a total of 96,416 IAB downloads in 2020
  • Our top user agent (other than Apple Podcasts) was Overcast
  • Our top destination (other than the RSS feed) was our Podcast Page

Cool, huh?

Spotify vs Apple Podcasts was the running story

Our second episode this year started covering the erroneous narrative in media coverage that Spotify was bigger than Apple Podcasts.

In our last episode of 2020, both Rob and I had this ongoing narrative as one of our podcast predictions for 2021 – for some reason those covering podcasting seem to be holding on to this one.

Spotify and Other Players

There is no denying that Spotify is making big moves!

Joe Rogan going exclusive with them. Wut?

Podcast episodes on Spotify being taken down due to all those DMCA takedown notices bringing a lot of heartache and hair-pulling to many podcasters.

Hey, a new place to get your stats! Spotify for Podcasters is here.

And on that note, so is Google Podcasts Manager.

This year, we are truly at the place where we can say, listen wherever you listen to audio – Audible/Amazon Music are in the house!

Of course the pandemic and its effect on the industry

Advertising really took a hit.

Download numbers were hit, but started to rebound nicely.

But all of that did not slow down all the acquisitions that look to be only ramping up.

If you listen to our show, especially this year you will get a play by play in each episode of real download data and its impact from the pandemic.

Privacy and Podcasting Round 2

In mid-year 2019, Rob began to really speak into privacy concerns in the podcasting industry and it continued throughout 2020.

Privacy laws are changing all over the world and will continue to be front and center as leadership globally transitions.

Stay in the know of the privacy and podcasting conversation and so much more by scrolling through our episodes below.

We look forward to another year of podcasting and bringing you the best podcasting commentary and analysis out there with a slight libsyn bias 😉

OH! And make sure that you sign up for our special The Feed newsletter, to have direct access to all the stories we cover as well as a visual representation of our stats!

Updating your copyright, what’s available via public domain, not everyone is getting the Apple emails from Apple Podcasts, Google gives us some key insights into getting your podcast website ready for 2020, Spotify brings their own streaming ad insertion technology and more!

Apple creating podcasts to support their Apple TV plus offerings
Apple creating podcasts to support their TV+ offerings, the Music Modernization Act, more into Google Podcasts and your podcast website, Rob’s new Facebook policies, DMCA takedown notices, geographic and user agent stats and we finish off with a discussion all about the whole Spotify is bigger than Apple Podcasts narrative out there!

Breaking down the Apple email in early February, where you should look for your Spotify stats, Castro’s new promoted podcasts feature! What are good download numbers after you launch? What does being at the top of the Apple Podcasts really mean? listens vs downloads, a really bad one star review, chatting about the IAB Privacy and Compliance Unit and of course stats! It’s mean and median number time!

Apple hiring all kinds of positions Spotify announced some podcasting updates on their app Spotify says their podcast service is not a music distribution tool Audio Hijack vs eCamm Call Recorder The Podcast Academy + Golden Mic Castro feedback IAB vs unique Geographic and user agent

On this episode Apple hiring all kinds of positions, and you get the scoop, Spotify announced some podcasting cool updates on their app, Spotify says their podcast service is not a music distribution tool, and some are getting their show pulled, Audio Hijack vs eCamm Call Recorder, which one is better? Discussing The Podcast Academy + Golden Mic, Castro feedback, IAB vs unique download numbers and of course stats, this time, geographic and user agents.

The new Libsyn release which includes Headliner integration, yipeee (ya’ll people are really digging it), discussing the PRX privacy summit, the podcast academy, all kinds of feedback and of course stats stats stats! The latest mean, median, user agent and geographic!

Communication from the president of Libsyn, Laurie Simms. Tips for remote recording. How the pandemic is affecting downloads – with actual data. What is happening to podcast advertising during this time. Why your audience is the most important thing ever. Shows being taken off Spotify. The difference between listens and downloads. And oh goodness all kinds of stats!

The new redesigned Google Podcasts app and it’s in iOS, more clarification on Google Play Music, more on pandemic titles best practices, what if you want your podcast out of a specific podcast app, what do you do? Cool Ad Stitching functionality in Libsyn Pro. Should you use Zoom to podcast? Oi vs Oy, Podcast Discoverability Survey results and of course stats, mean and median.

Covering, #Reviews4Good, the iPhone SE and podcasters, COVID-19 episode takedown updates AGAIN, ad buyer data, update on the Podcast Discovery survey, and of course stats stats stats! Geographic and user agent! Plus many, many more in between topics.

Tons of details on all things Google Podcasts Manager! Then, we move on to jobs in podcasting, so much about feedback about Cleanfeed, some very interesting Facebook updates, Libsyn player automation, what if someone uses YOUR podcast name, a massive breakdown of the podfader types and of course we’ve got a crazy amount of stats.


Update on the Google Podcasts Manager, the new Libsyn Support Widget, PodcastOne acquired by LiveXLive, Luminary cash troubles, the pre-obituary of Google Play Music, Podcast Addict removed from the Google Play App store and so much more! Including geographic, user agent stats and an update on pandemic downloads.
A Special Intro. Joe Rogan/Spotify deal, Call Her Daddy, Apple and podcasting, public raw podcasting data, issues with pandemic-centric titles – yes AGAIN – its a total thing, feedback about We Are Podcasts, and we have the latest podcasting stats, this time focusing on COVID stats only – plus, of course, a lot more.

A round-up of cancelled podcasting conferences, embed player specific download numbers, the Rodecaster Pro firmware update, the best one star review ever, the Podcast Academy is opening up, Apple pulling podcast apps from China, first steps to start a podcast, getting your show on IMDB, stats! This time it’s median and mean plus an update on pandemic impact numbers.

BTS of how Rob G ended up as Chairperson of The Podcast Academy, and you won’t believe it! Levelator updated for Catalina, SiriusXM acquires Simplecast, Spotify signs more exclusive deals, Skype/eCamm Call Recorder issues, call in number services for your show, does episode level artwork matter? Episodic vs serial podcast stats, Twitter audio, advanced stats, this time geographic and user agent and oh so much more!
We discuss Gaana, Stitcher sold to Sirius XM, follow up on show ownership + contracts, the Zoom H8, the evil of podcast attribution, the 300 episode limit in Apple Podcasts, and The Latino Podcast Listener Report data with special guest Tom Webster from Edison Research and of course stats!

Update on the Gaana Destination, and now Audible/Amazon Music! We answer FAQs, Gimlet being sued and how that could affect the rest of us, the RIAA and all those DMCA takedown notices to podcasters, do Apple chart positions really matter? Stats, geographic, user agent and bonus language stats!

Covering the Zoom PodTrak P4, Apple Podcasts directory troubles, Inside Podcasting news, more on the RIAA and podcast takedowns, tips on optimizing your podcast description, mean and median stats and so much more!
A bit on the the Zoom PodTrack P4, awesome vanity headphones, more on the Stitcher purchase, podcast artwork woes, rebranding your podcast advice, pirated podcasts on Anchor, there is no compliant only IAB certified stats, and of course Geographic and user agent stats! Plus so much more.
Some important news from Amazon Music/Audible, the latest Overcast beta that’s all about privacy, Patreon becoming a unicorn, missing JRE episodes from Spotify, audio version of your episodes on YouTube, an email from Apple, why downloads are just one piece of measurement, Apple Watch no longer being counted by the AIB, our latest mean and median numbers and so much more!
Covering, the Libsyn 5 beta! Get the scoop! News about Player.FM, new hires at Apple, what’s up with iOS 14 for podcasters, what podcast apps support video podcasts? The Podcast Index and of COURSE the latest user agent stats with some surprising preliminary Amazon Music numbers!
The iPhone event and what it means to podcasters, update on podcast apps that support video podcasts, Amazon Music troubleshooting, another easy win for podcast growth, speaking of growth, the difference between a spike and growth, recommending podcast artwork, a podcast privacy soap box, and geographic and user agent stats.
The iPhone event and what it means to podcasters, update on podcast apps that support video podcasts, Amazon Music troubleshooting, another easy win for podcast growth, speaking of growth, the difference between a spike and growth, recommending podcast artwork, a podcast privacy soap box, and geographic and user agent stats.
Apple getting you ready for the end of the year via their holiday submission deadliness, getting their podcast strategy going with Jon Stewart, podcasts in Audible, when a podcaster is put into solitary confinement because of his podcast, an Elsie soapbox and of course stats, it’s mean and median number time!
Who is the Soapy the libsyn mascot? iHeartMedia, Spotify, Voxnest and Megaphone news, Stitcher issues, more fun new gear from Zoom, search in Audible, pro-privacy former presidential candidate fails at podcasting privacy and of course, the latest in geographic and user agent with a bonus of Q3 breakdowns of Apple Podcasts’ top categories!
On this episode, the new Apple Podcasts Web player, do ratings for your show really matter? Why some platforms are great for some shows and not others, people downloading your back-catalogue is a thing, measuring podcast growth from your download data, and mean and median numbers! (With bonus insight into Android vs iOS) and so many other great insight!

The Feed 2020 is over! And we cover Elsie’s goat going viral, the iOS 14 privacy update, is there a benefit to doing ‘seasons?’ The Golden Crane Awards, Chartable updates, AirPods Max, Elsie & Rob 2021 podcast predictions, plus of course stats, geographic and user agent!

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