Invasion of the pods: Are there too many podcasts?

A recent report from Chartable reveals some alarming numbers on just how many new podcasts are being created on a weekly basis – numbers which might deter you from starting your own – but is podcast saturation really that much of an issue?

Guest post by James Shotwell of Haulix

A new report sheds an alarming light on the number of podcasts in existence, but should the rising show count deter you from launching something new?

Podcasts are here to stay. Many have known that to be true for years, but the long-form audio medium continues to find new listeners with each passing week. Musicians, artists, experts, and random everyday humans from all corners of the Earth are creating shows that cover every topic imaginable, and several are finding massive success along the way. We’ve told you to start one before, and we still believe you should.

But a new report has some creators thinking twice about their future in podcasting. According to Chartable, more than 17,000 new podcasts were launched every week in 2020. That amounts to more than 800,000 new podcasts for the year.

Now we know what you’re thinking: That is a lot of podcasts. We felt the same way at first, but then we considered a few data points that Chartable’s report does now:

• Many podcasts never have a second episode. They start and die overnight.
• Those 800,000 podcasts cover hundreds of thousands of topics.
• Not every podcast is available on every platform.
• Not every podcast is available in every country.
• All or most of those podcasts do not feature YOU.

Music podcasting is mainly non-artists talking about artists they love. Musicians and groups using podcasting to engage and develop their community are far rarer, and that’s a shame.

In this Music Biz update, host James Shotwell looks at the data and offers advice to anyone, especially musicians, that may be thinking twice about starting a podcast. He explains the benefits that podcasting can offer to artists of any size and even provides resources to help you start.

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James Shotwell is the Director of Customer Engagement at Haulix and host of the company’s podcast, Inside Music. He is also a public speaker known for promoting careers in the entertainment industry, as well as an entertainment journalist with over a decade of experience. His bylines include Rolling Stone, Alternative Press, Substream Magazine, Nu Sound, and Under The Gun Review, among other popular outlets.