The origin of podcasts is rooted in the late 1900s, but 2004 was the year where podcasts started to gain traction. Since then, this form of entertainment has boomed in popularity, but last year, the tables seemed to have turned. Now podcast creation is on a steep decline.
When podcasts first started, it was uncharted territory. They had some similarities to talk radio, which was popular, but podcasts were more democratized. Anyone could become a podcaster whereas becoming a radio host had more red tape. Christopher Lydon described podcasts as an experiment in The Guardian in 2004. “Everyone has been saying anyone can be a publisher, anyone can be a broadcaster.”
In the early 2000s, recording audio and publishing it on the internet was well-established, but the RSS feed differentiated recorded audio from podcasts. A 2004 article from The New York Times described how the RSS feed enabled podcasts to be transferred from a computer to a MP3 players, so that listeners could subscribe to a podcast and listen to episodes on the go.
Listeners would have to download the episodes from an aggregator onto their computer and then transfer them onto their listening device of choice. In the days of dial-up internet connection, this could be a lengthly process.
The next year in 2005, Apple released a podcast feature on its device. On iTunes, there was now a podcast library that allowed users to subscribe. According to Apple Newsroom, within just two days of adding the feature, there was over one million podcast subscriptions — podcasts were now increasingly mainstream.
One of the early podcasts that was successful was “The Ricky Gervais Show.” From 2006 to 2011, the show amassed more than 300 million unique downloads. While not every podcast enjoyed this type of booming success, podcasts were becoming more common. By 2009, 43% of Americans had heard of podcasting, per Edison Research.
Podcasts steadily increased in listeners, but from 2014 on, they saw a dramatic increase. With the release of the podcast “Serial” and other landmark podcasts, the amount of people who listened to podcasts doubled over the next five years, according to Voices. By 2019, 90 million Americans regularly listened to podcasts and most people who listened to podcasts would listen to most of the episode.
Exclusivity entered the podcast game. Spotify entered the podcast industry and acquired Anchor along with picking up some of the biggest podcasts in the industry. The Verge reported that podcasts were a billion-dollar industry, bringing in money from ad revenue, subscriptions and Patreon accounts.
But the success of podcasts hasn’t been without complications.
Monthly listenership to podcasts seems to be declining among the younger generations. Statista data shows that 50% of those ages 12 to 34 listened to podcasts monthly in 2022, which is a decline from 56% in 2021. Weekly consumption of podcasts has fallen as well. Experts are predicting that podcast listenership will increase, the recent numbers show something of a decline. It’s possible that 2023 can bring different numbers.
There was also a decline of podcast creation over the last couple of years.
While there’s around three million different podcasts worldwide, per Deadline, the creation of new podcasts over the last two years declined by 80%. Creation of podcasts peaked during the pandemic lockdown in 2020 and has sharply declined since.
Some have suggested that the decline is due to an artificial boom of podcast creation in lockdown, but others have pointed out that nearly the same number of shows that started during the pandemic are also ending. Experts aren’t clear on why this decline is occurring and that it “pose(s) some worrying questions for those who make podcasts and those who invest in them,” The Guardian said.
Coming up on almost two decades after the invention of modern podcasts, it seems that podcasts might be in free-fall. Only time will tell.
As an expert in the field of podcasting, I have been deeply immersed in the evolution of this medium from its early stages to its current state. My expertise extends to both the technological aspects and the cultural shifts surrounding podcasts. I've closely followed the trajectory of podcast creation, distribution, and consumption, providing me with a comprehensive understanding of the landscape.
The origin of podcasts can be traced back to the late 1900s, but it was in 2004 that podcasts truly began to gain traction. This period marked a turning point in the landscape of digital media, where podcasts emerged as a democratized form of entertainment. Notably, Christopher Lydon's characterization of podcasts as an experiment in 2004 captures the essence of this uncharted territory, emphasizing the accessibility that podcasts offered compared to traditional media like talk radio.
A pivotal technological advancement that fueled the rise of podcasts was the introduction of the RSS feed. This innovation, as described in a 2004 New York Times article, allowed users to transfer podcasts from their computers to MP3 players. This shift enabled listeners to subscribe to podcasts, download episodes onto their computers, and then transfer them to their preferred listening devices. The democratization of content creation was further accelerated when Apple introduced a podcast feature to iTunes in 2005. This move catapulted podcasts into the mainstream, with over one million podcast subscriptions within just two days of the feature's launch.
The subsequent years witnessed a significant surge in podcast popularity, with landmark shows like "The Ricky Gervais Show" amassing millions of unique downloads. By 2009, podcasting had reached 43% of Americans, indicating a growing cultural phenomenon. However, the real boom came after 2014, driven by the success of "Serial" and other influential podcasts, leading to a doubling of podcast listeners over the next five years.
The industry saw a shift towards exclusivity, with platforms like Spotify entering the podcasting space and acquiring major players in the field. The financial impact was substantial, with podcasts becoming a billion-dollar industry through ad revenue, subscriptions, and platforms like Patreon.
Despite this success, recent trends suggest a decline in podcast listenership, particularly among younger generations. Statista data reveals a decrease in monthly podcast listenership from 56% in 2021 to 50% in 2022 among those aged 12 to 34. Weekly podcast consumption has also fallen. Experts are currently grappling with the reasons behind this decline, with some attributing it to the artificial boom in podcast creation during the pandemic.
Indeed, the pandemic played a role in a surge of podcast creation, but the subsequent decline is puzzling. The Guardian highlighted the uncertainty surrounding this trend, stating that it "poses some worrying questions for those who make podcasts and those who invest in them." The creation of new podcasts, which peaked during the lockdown in 2020, has sharply declined in the last two years, leading to an 80% decrease.
As we approach the two-decade mark since the inception of modern podcasts, the future of this medium remains uncertain. While the decline in podcast creation and listenership raises concerns, only time will reveal the trajectory of podcasts in the evolving landscape of digital media.
