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{{short description|Type of audio digital media}}
'''[[Image:Feed-icon.svg|thumb|125px|right|An orange square with [[wave]]s indicates that an [[RSS feed]] is present on a web page. This icon was introduced by [[Mozilla Firefox]] and by mutual agreement the same icon has also been adopted by Microsoft [[Internet Explorer]] and [[Opera (Internet suite)|Opera]].]]
{{other uses}}
A '''podcast''' is a media file which is distributed over the [[Internet]] using [[Web syndication|syndication]] [[Web feed|feeds]], for playback on [[Portable Media player|portable media players]] and [[personal computers]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://technology.guardian.co.uk/weekly/story/0,16376,1683937,00.html|title=Short shrift|date=2006-01-12|accessdate=2007-02-23|publisher=The Guardian|last=Arthur|first=Charles and Jack Schofield}}</ref> Like '[[radio]]', it can mean both the content and the method of syndication. The latter may also be termed '''podcasting'''. The [[Talk show host|host]] or [[author]] of a podcast is often called a '''podcaster'''. The term "podcast" is a [[portmanteau]] of the name of [[Apple Inc.|Apple's]] portable music player, the [[iPod]], and [[broadcast]]; a pod refers to a container of some sort and the idea of [[broadcasting]] to a container or ''pod'' correctly describes the process of podcasting. More about the name itself can be found in the [[History of podcasting]] article.
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[[File:Serial Podcast.jpg|thumb|An episode of a podcast playing on a smartphone]]
A '''podcast''' is a [[Radio program|program]] made available in digital format for [[download]] over the [[Internet]].<ref>{{cite dictionary |url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/podcast|title=Podcast |dictionary=Cambridge Dictionary |edition=Online |access-date=April 21, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/podcast|title = Definition of PODCAST|website=[[Merriam-Webster Dictionary]]|access-date=April 20, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/podcast|title=Podcast Definition & Meaning |website=Britannica Dictionary }}</ref> Typically, a podcast is an [[Episode|episodic]] series of [[digital audio]] [[Computer file|files]] that users can download to a personal device or stream to listen to at a time of their choosing. Podcasts are primarily an audio medium, but some distribute in video, either as their primary content or as a supplement to audio;<ref name="NYTimes2024VideoPodcasts"/> popularised in recent years by video platform [[YouTube]].<ref name="NYTimes2024VideoPodcasts"/> In 2025, [[Bloomberg News|Bloomberg]] reported that a billion people are watching podcasts on YouTube every month.<ref name="Bberg 25-3-25">{{cite news |title=A Billion People are Watching Podcasts on YouTube Every Month |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-02-26/a-billion-people-are-watching-podcasts-on-youtube-every-month |access-date=25 March 2025 |work=[[Bloomberg News]] |date=25 March 2025}}</ref>
 
A podcast series usually features one or more recurring hosts engaged in a discussion about a particular topic or current event. Discussion and content within a podcast can range from carefully scripted to completely improvised. Podcasts combine elaborate and artistic sound production with thematic concerns ranging from scientific research to [[Slice of life|slice-of-life]] [[journalism]]. Many podcast series provide an associated website or page with links and show notes, guest biographies, transcripts, additional resources, commentary, and occasionally a community forum dedicated to discussing the show's content.
Though podcasters' web sites may also offer direct [[download]] or [[streaming media|streaming]] of their content, a podcast is distinguished from other digital audio formats by its ability to be downloaded automatically, using software capable of reading feed formats such as [[RSS (file format)|RSS]] or [[Atom (standard)|Atom]].
 
The cost to the consumer is low, and many podcasts are free to download. Some podcasts are underwritten by corporations or sponsored, with the inclusion of [[commercial advertisement]]s. In other cases, a podcast could be a business venture supported by some combination of a paid [[subscription model]], advertising or product delivered after sale. Because podcast content is often free, podcasting is often classified as a [[Disruptive innovation|disruptive]] [[Media (communication)|medium]], adverse to the maintenance of traditional [[revenue model]]s.
== Mechanics ==
The publish/subscribe model of podcasting is a version of [[push technology]], in that the information provider chooses which files to offer in a feed and the subscriber chooses among available feed channels. While the user is not "pulling" individual files from the Web, there is a strong "pull" aspect in that the receiver is free to subscribe to (or unsubscribe from) a vast array of channels. Earlier Internet "push" services (e.g., [[PointCast (dotcom)|PointCast]]) allowed a much more limited selection of content.
 
Podcasting is the preparation and distribution of audio or video files using [[RSS]] feeds to the devices of subscribed users. A podcaster normally buys this service from a podcast hosting company such as [[SoundCloud]] or [[Libsyn]]. Hosting companies then distribute these media files to podcast directories and streaming services, such as [[Apple Inc.|Apple]] and [[Spotify]], which users can listen to on their [[Smartphone|smartphones]] or digital music and multimedia players.
Podcasting is an automatic mechanism whereby multimedia [[computer file]]s are transferred from a [[Server (computing)|server]] to a [[client (computing)|client]], which pulls down XML files containing the Internet addresses of the media files. In general, these files contain [[Sound|audio]] or [[video]], but also could be [[digital image|images]], text, [[Portable Document Format|PDF]], or any file type.
 
{{As of|2024|June}}, there are at least 3,369,942 podcasts and 199,483,500 episodes.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Podcast Stats: How many podcasts are there? |url=https://www.listennotes.com/podcast-stats/ |access-date=June 22, 2024 |website=Listen Notes |language=en}}</ref>
The content provider begins by making a file (for example, an [[MP3]] audio file) available on the Internet. This is usually done by posting the file on a publicly available [[webserver]]; however, [[BitTorrent]] trackers also have been used, and it is not technically necessary that the file be publicly accessible. The only requirement is that the file be accessible through some known [[Uniform Resource Identifier|URI]] (a general-purpose Internet [[address]]). This file is often referred to as one ''episode'' of a podcast.
 
== Etymology ==
The content provider then acknowledges the existence of that file by referencing it in another file known as the ''feed''. The feed is a list of the URLs by which episodes of the show may be accessed. This list is usually published in [[RSS]] format (although [[Atom (standard)|Atom]] can also be used), which provides other information, such as publish date, titles, and accompanying text descriptions of the series and each of its episodes. The feed may contain entries for all episodes in the series, but is typically limited to a short list of the most recent episodes, as is the case with many news feeds. Standard podcasts consist of a feed from one author. More recently multiple authors have been able to contribute episodes to a single podcast feed using concepts such as [[public podcasting]] and [[social podcasting]].
"Podcast" is a [[portmanteau]] of "[[iPod]]" and "[[Broadcasting|broadcast]]".<ref>{{cite web|last=|first=|year=2012|title=Podcast Production|url=http://isites.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=k1967&pageid=icb.page23750|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120710232048/http://isites.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=k1967&pageid=icb.page23750|archive-date=July 10, 2012|access-date=July 10, 2012|website=[[Harvard Graduate School of Education]]|language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="oxford">{{cite web|title=Definition of Podcast in English|url=https://www.lexico.com/definition/podcast|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191214090441/https://www.lexico.com/definition/podcast|archive-date=December 14, 2019|url-status=live|access-date=August 16, 2021|website=[[Lexico]]|language=en-GB}}</ref><ref name="Podcasting History">{{cite web|last=Watson|first=Stephanie|date=March 26, 2005|title=How Podcasting Works § Podcasting History|url=https://computer.howstuffworks.com/internet/basics/podcasting1.htm|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200716160234/https://computer.howstuffworks.com/internet/basics/podcasting1.htm|archive-date=July 16, 2020|access-date=November 15, 2017|website=[[HowStuffWorks]]|language=en}}</ref> The earliest use of "podcasting" was traced to ''[[The Guardian]]'' columnist and [[BBC]] journalist [[Ben Hammersley]], who coined it in early February 2004 while writing an article for ''The Guardian'' newspaper.<ref>{{cite web |last=Hammersley |first=Ben |author-link=Ben Hammersley |date=February 12, 2004 |title=Why Online Radio Is Booming |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2004/feb/12/broadcasting.digitalmedia |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040227152751/http://www.guardian.co.uk/online/story/0,3605,1145689,00.html |archive-date=February 27, 2004 |access-date=November 16, 2017 |website=[[The Guardian]] |language=en-GB |quote=But what to call it? Audioblogging? Podcasting? GuerillaMedia?}}</ref><ref name="padding">{{cite AV media |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p038m811 |title=The Man Who Accidentally Invented the Word 'Podcast' |date=November 20, 2015 |last=Sawyer |first=Miranda |author-link=Miranda Sawyer |type=Radio broadcast |language=en-GB |access-date=November 15, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151121190024/http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p038m811 |archive-date=November 21, 2015 |url-status=live |format=MP4 Audio |website=[[BBC Radio 4]]}}</ref> The term was first used in the audioblogging community in September 2004, when Danny Gregoire introduced it in a message to the iPodder-dev mailing list,<ref>{{cite web|last=Gregoire|first=Danny|date=September 12, 2004|title=How to Handle Getting Past Episodes?|url=http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ipodder-dev/message/41|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130413074906/http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ipodder-dev/message/41|archive-date=April 13, 2013|access-date=July 4, 2020|website=[[Yahoo Groups]]|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Owens|first=Simon|date=February 6, 2015|title=Slate's Podcast Audience Has Tripled in a Year, and Its Bet on Audio Over Video Continues to Pay Off|url=https://www.niemanlab.org/2015/02/slates-podcast-audience-has-tripled-in-a-year-and-its-bet-on-audio-over-video-continues-to-pay-off/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201206212044/https://www.niemanlab.org/2015/02/slates-podcast-audience-has-tripled-in-a-year-and-its-bet-on-audio-over-video-continues-to-pay-off/|archive-date=December 6, 2020|access-date=December 6, 2020|website=Nieman Lab|language=en-US}}</ref> from where it was adopted by podcaster [[Adam Curry]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Levy|first=Steven|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YZfetA8UfE8C|title=The Perfect Thing: How the iPod Shuffles Commerce, Culture, and Coolness|date=October 23, 2006|publisher=Simon & Schuster|isbn=978-0-7432-8522-3|page=239|language=en|access-date=July 4, 2020|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200704200922/https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=YZfetA8UfE8C|archive-date=July 4, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> Despite the etymology, the content can be accessed using any computer or similar device that can play media files. The term "podcast" predates [[Apple Inc.|Apple's]] addition of podcasting features to the iPod and the [[iTunes]] software.<ref>{{cite web|date=June 28, 2005|title=Apple Brings Podcasts Into iTunes|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4631051.stm|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191214090434/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4631051.stm|archive-date=December 14, 2019|access-date=November 15, 2017|website=[[BBC News]]|language=en-GB}}</ref>
 
==History==
The content provider posts the feed on a webserver. The ___location at which the feed is posted is expected to be permanent. This ___location is known as the ''feed URI'' (or, perhaps more often, ''feed [[URL]]''). The content provider makes this feed URI known to the intended audience.
{{Main|History of podcasting}}
 
In September 2000,<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.mp3newswire.net/stories/2000/ego.html | title=I2Go eGo | access-date=August 8, 2009 | archive-date=February 24, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200224095257/http://www.mp3newswire.net/stories/2000/ego.html | url-status=dead }}</ref> early [[MP3 player]] manufacturer i2Go offered a service called MyAudio2Go.com which allowed users to download news stories for listening on a PC or MP3 player. The service was available for about a year until i2Go's demise in 2001.<ref>{{cite news |last=Credeur |first=Mary Jane |date=September 10, 2001 |title=2Go is gone after burning through $7 million |newspaper=Atlanta Business Chronicle |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2001/09/10/newscolumn1.html}}</ref>
A consumer uses a type of software known as an ''[[aggregator]]'', sometimes called a ''podcatcher'' or ''podcast receiver'', to subscribe to and manage their feeds.
 
In October 2000, the concept of attaching sound and video files in [[RSS]] feeds was proposed in a draft by [[Tristan Louis]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Louis|first=Tristan|date=October 13, 2000|title=Suggestion for RSS 0.92 Specification|url=https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/syndication/conversations/topics/698|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131031070818/http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/syndication/conversations/topics/698|archive-date=October 31, 2013|access-date=July 24, 2020|website=groups.yahoo.com|language=en-US}}</ref> The idea was implemented by [[Dave Winer]], a software developer and an author of the RSS format.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Pot|first=Justin|date=August 24, 2013|title=The Evolution of the Podcast – How a Medium Was Born [Geek History]|url=https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/the-evolution-of-the-podcast-how-a-medium-was-born-geek-history/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201206171553/https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/the-evolution-of-the-podcast-how-a-medium-was-born-geek-history/|archive-date=December 6, 2020|access-date=December 6, 2020|website=MakeUseOf|language=en-US}}</ref>
A podcast specific aggregator is usually an always-on program which starts when the computer is started and runs in the background. They work exactly like any [[newsreader]] each at a specified interval, such as every two hours. If the feed data has substantively changed from when it was previously checked (or if the feed was just added to the application's list), the program determines the ___location of the most recent item and automatically downloads it to the user's portable media players; 80% are consumed on the PC onto which they are downloaded, or deleted from the PC without being listened to.<ref>Dixon, Colin; Greeson, Michael. [http://news.digitaltrends.com/talkback109.html "Recasting the Concept of Podcasting: Part I."] TDG Research. [[March 23]], [[2006]]. Accessed [[October 8]], [[2006]].</ref> Many applications also automatically transfer the newly downloaded episodes available to a user's portable media player.
 
In August 2004, Adam Curry launched his show ''[[Daily Source Code]]'',
The downloaded episodes can then be played, replayed, or archived as with any other computer file or stored to an MP3 player.
focused on chronicling his everyday life, delivering news, and discussions about the development of podcasting. Curry promoted new and emerging internet audio shows in an attempt to gain traction in the development of what would come to be known as podcasting.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Geoghegan|first1=Michael W.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WkAzn9TfL9gC&pg=PA4|title=Podcast Solutions: The Complete Guide to Audio and Video Podcasting|last2=Klass|first2=Dan|date=November 4, 2007|publisher=[[Apress]]|isbn=978-1-59059-905-1|edition=2nd|___location=New York|page=4|access-date=November 15, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200820011111/https://books.google.com/books?id=WkAzn9TfL9gC&lpg=PR2&pg=PA4|archive-date=August 20, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Benson|first=Richard|date=November 14, 2019|title=An Aural History of the Podcast: The History of the Podcast (By Those Who Helped Make Them a Thing)|language=en|work=Esquire Middle East|url=https://www.esquireme.com/content/40979-an-aural-history-of-the-podcast|access-date=December 6, 2020}}</ref> ''Daily Source Code'' was initially directed at podcast developers. As its audience became interested in the format, these developers were inspired to create and produce their own projects and a community of pioneer podcasters quickly developed.<ref name="Origins">{{cite web |last=Ciccarelli |first=Stephanie |date=August 27, 2013 |title=History of Podcasting |url=https://www.voices.com/resources/articles/podcasting/history-of-podcasting |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130827145619/http://www.voices.com/resources/articles/podcasting/history-of-podcasting |archive-date=August 27, 2013 |website=[[Voices.com]]}}</ref>
 
iPodderX, released in September 2004 by August Trometer and based on earlier work by Ray Slakinski, was the first GUI application for podcasts.<ref name="wired1">[https://www.wired.com/2004/10/ipodderx-speaks/ IPodderX Speaks with RSS] - Wired, 5 October 2024</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=March 16, 2013|title=Podcast|url=http://www.redorbit.com/education/reference_library/technology_1/internet/1112804661/podcast/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130630060559/http://www.redorbit.com/education/reference_library/technology_1/internet/1112804661/podcast/|archive-date=June 30, 2013|access-date=December 6, 2020|website=redOrbit|language=en}}</ref>
To conserve [[bandwidth]], users may opt to search for content using an online podcast directory. Some directories allow people to listen online and initially become familiar with the content provided from an RSS feed before deciding to subscribe. For most broadband users, bandwidth is generally not a major consideration; it could fairly be stated that podcasting itself is a technology that came with the increases in global bandwidth and broadband popularity.
 
In June 2005, [[Apple Inc|Apple]] released iTunes 4.9, which added formal support for podcasts, thus negating the need to use a separate program in order to download and transfer them to a mobile device. Additionally, Apple issued [[cease-and-desist]] orders to many podcast application developers and service providers for using the term "iPod" or "Pod" in their products' names.<ref>{{cite web|last=Blass|first=Evan|date=September 24, 2006|title=With "Pod" on Lockdown, Apple Goes After "Podcast"|url=https://www.engadget.com/2006/09/24/with-pod-on-lockdown-apple-goes-after-podcast/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190204160204/https://www.engadget.com/2006/09/24/with-pod-on-lockdown-apple-goes-after-podcast/|archive-date=February 4, 2019|access-date=November 15, 2017|website=[[Engadget]]|language=en}}</ref>
== Other uses ==
{{main|Uses of podcasting}}
Podcasting's initial appeal was to allow individuals to distribute their own "radio shows," but the system quickly became used in a wide variety of other ways, including distribution of school lessons,<ref>http://www.map100.com/mapinteresting.php/podcasts-increasing-in-popularity/</ref> official and unofficial audio tours of museums, conference meeting alerts and updates, and by police departments to distribute public safety messages. For example, the [[Wikipedia:Pediaphon|Pediaphon]] project provides dynamically generated podcasts of all English and German language Wikipedia articles.
 
[[File:Podcasts (iOS).svg|thumb|125px|The logo used by [[Apple Inc|Apple]] to represent podcasting in [[Apple Podcasts]]]]
Podcasting is becoming increasingly popular in education. Podcasts enable students and teachers to share information with anyone anytime. If a student is absent, she can download the podcast of the recorded lesson. It can be a tool for teachers or administrators to communicate curriculum, assignments and other information with parents and the community. Teachers can record [[book talk]]s, vocabulary or foreign language lessons, international pen pal letters (podcast pals!), music performance, interviews, debates. Podcasting can be a publishing tool for student oral presentations. [[Video podcast]]s can be used in all these ways as well.
 
By 2007, audio podcasts were doing what was historically accomplished via radio broadcasts, which had been the source of radio [[Talk radio|talk shows]] and [[All-news radio|news programs]] since the 1930s. This shift occurred as a result of the evolution of internet capabilities along with increased consumer access to cheaper hardware and software for audio recording and editing.<ref name="Digital">{{Cite web |last=Digital |first=Pinkston |title=Pinkston – The Rise of the Podcast |url=https://pinkston.co/the-rise-of-the-podcast |date=March 2021|access-date=August 21, 2022 |website=Pinkston |language=en-US}}</ref>
==Podcast trademark claims and disputes==
 
As of early 2019, the podcasting industry still generated little overall revenue,<ref name="Smith2019">{{cite news |first1=Gerry |last1=Smith |title=Everybody Makes Podcasts. Can Anyone Make Them Profitable? |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2019-02-22/everybody-makes-podcasts-can-spotify-make-them-profitable |access-date=December 20, 2019 |work=Bloomberg Businessweek |publisher=Bloomberg L.P |date=February 22, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191022235022/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2019-02-22/everybody-makes-podcasts-can-spotify-make-them-profitable |archive-date=October 22, 2019}}</ref> although the number of persons listening to podcasts continued to grow steadily. Edison Research, which issues the Podcast Consumer quarterly tracking-report, estimated that 90 million persons in the U.S. had listened to a podcast in January 2019.<ref name="EdisonResearch2019">{{cite web |author1 =Staff |title=The Podcast Consumer 2019 |url =http://www.edisonresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Edison-Research-Podcast-Consumer-2019.pdf |website=edisonresearch.com |publisher=Edison Research |access-date=December 20, 2019 |archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20191126171833/https://www.edisonresearch.com/the-podcast-consumer-2019/ |archive-date=November 26, 2019 |page=8 |date=April 5, 2019}}</ref> In 2020, 58% of the population of South Korea and 40% of the population of Spain had listened to a podcast in the last month; 12.5% of the UK population had listened to a podcast in the last week; and 22% of the United States population listened to at least one podcast weekly.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Sawyer |first=Miranda |date=May 3, 2020 |title=It's boom time for podcasts – but will going mainstream kill the magic? |language=en-GB |work=The Observer |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/may/03/its-boom-time-for-podcasts-but-will-going-mainstream-kill-the-magic |access-date=May 3, 2020|issn=0029-7712}}</ref> The form is also acclaimed for its low [[Overhead (business)|overhead]] for creators to start and maintain podcasting, merely requiring a microphone, a computer or mobile device, and associated software to edit and upload the final product. Some form of [[acoustic quieting]] is also often utilised.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Smith |first=Steve |date=November 22, 2016 |title=Podcasts: Can They Hear Us Now |url =http://www.econtentmag.com/Articles/Column/Follow-the-Money/Podcasts-Can-They-Hear-Us-Now-114172.htm |magazine =EContent |publisher =[[Information Today, Inc.]] |volume =39 |issue =8 |page =9 |access-date=November 15, 2017|archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20190716190250/http://www.econtentmag.com/Articles/Column/Follow-the-Money/Podcasts-Can-They-Hear-Us-Now-114172.htm|archive-date=July 16, 2019}}</ref>
In 2005, it was reported that Former MTV employee [[Adam Curry]] had anonymously edited the podcasting entry on Wikipedia to remove credits from other people and to inflate his role in its creation.<ref>[http://www.cadenhead.org/workbench/news/2818/adam-curry-caught-sticky-wiki Adam Curry Caught in Sticky Wiki]</ref>
 
===IP issues in trademark and patent law===
In [[February 5]], [[2005]], Shae Spencer Management LLC of [[Fairport, New York]] filed a trademark application to register PODCAST for an 'online prerecorded radio program over the internet'.<ref>[http://thettablog.blogspot.com/2005/03/pto-letters-of-protest-podcast.html PTO Letters of Protest: The "PODCAST" Paradigm]</ref> In 2005-9-9, United States Patent and Trademark Office rejected the application. The rejection notice cited [[Wikipedia]]'s Podcast entry had described the history of the term.<ref>[http://www.niallkennedy.com/blog/archives/2006/01/podcast-tradema.html Podcast trademark rejection cites Wikipedia]</ref>
====Trademark applications====
Between February March 10 and 25, 2005, Shae Spencer Management, LLC of [[Fairport, New York]] filed a trademark application to register the term "podcast" for an "online pre-recorded radio program over the internet". On September 9, 2005, the [[United States Patent and Trademark Office]] (USPTO) rejected the application, citing [[Wikipedia]]'s entry on "Podcast" as describing the history of the term. The company amended their application in March 2006, but the USPTO rejected the amended application as not sufficiently differentiated from the original. In November 2006, the application was marked as abandoned.<ref>{{cite web |title=Podcast Trademark Rejection Documents |url=http://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=78564869&caseType=SERIAL_NO&searchType=documentSearch |access-date=November 15, 2017|website=[[United States Patent and Trademark Office|USPTO]] |language=en}}</ref>
 
====Apple trademark protections====
In [[September 26]], [[2006]], It was reported that [[Apple Computer]] started to crackdown on businesses using the word 'pod' in product and company names. Apple sent a cease-and-desist order last week to [[Podcast Ready]], which markets an application known as [[myPodder]]. Lawyers for Apple contended that the term 'pod' has been used by the public to refer to Apple's music player so extensively that it falls under Apple's trademark protection.<ref>[http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2164984/apple-goes-pod-makers Apple cracks down on use of the word 'pod']</ref> It was speculated that activity was part of a bigger campaign for Apple to expand the scope of its existing [[iPod]] trademark, which included trademarking 'IPODCAST', 'IPOD Socks', 'POD'.<ref>[http://www.macrumors.com/2006/09/25/podcast-trademark-controversy/ Podcast Trademark Controversy <nowiki>[Updated]</nowiki>]</ref> On [[November 16]], [[2006]], Apple Trademark Department returned a letter claiming Apple does not object to third party usage of 'podcast' to refer to to podcasting services, and Apple does not license the term.<ref>[http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=309396084&size=l Apple letter].</ref>
On September 26, 2004, it was reported that [[Apple Inc.]] had started to crack down on businesses using the string "POD", in product and company names. Apple sent a cease-and-desist letter that week to Podcast Ready, Inc., which markets an application known as "myPodder".<ref>{{cite web |last=Holliman |first=Russell |date=September 26, 2006 |title=Podcast Ready Receives Cease & Desist from Apple Computer |url=http://www.podcastready.com/info.php?section=8&page=41 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061005015828/http://www.podcastready.com/info.php?section=8&page=41 |archive-date=October 5, 2006 |access-date=December 7, 2020 |website=Podcast Ready |language=en}}</ref> Lawyers for Apple contended that the term "pod" had been used by the public to refer to Apple's music player so extensively that it falls under Apple's trademark cover.<ref>{{cite web |last=Heater |first=Brian |date=March 24, 2009 |title=Apple's Legal Team Going After 'Pod' People |url=https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2343732,00.asp |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190402084638/https://www.pcmag.com/news/238446/apples-legal-team-going-after-pod-people |archive-date=April 2, 2019 |access-date=November 15, 2017 |website=[[PC Magazine]] |language=en}}</ref> Such activity was speculated to be part of a bigger campaign for Apple to expand the scope of its existing iPod trademark, which included trademarking "IPOD", "IPODCAST", and "POD".<ref>{{cite web |last=Longo |first=Jeffrey |date=September 25, 2006 |title=Podcast Trademark Controversy |url=https://www.macrumors.com/2006/09/25/podcast-trademark-controversy/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806104950/https://www.macrumors.com/2006/09/25/podcast-trademark-controversy/ |archive-date=August 6, 2020 |access-date=November 15, 2017 |website=[[MacRumors]] |language=en}}</ref> On November 16, 2006, the Apple Trademark Department stated that "Apple does not object to third-party usage of the generic term 'podcast' to accurately refer to podcasting services" and that "Apple does not license the term". However, no statement was made as to whether or not Apple believed they held rights to it.<ref>{{cite web |date=November 16, 2006 |title=Copy of the Letter from Apple Trademark Department |url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/theglobalgeekpodcast/309396084/sizes/l/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806064033/https://www.flickr.com/photos/theglobalgeekpodcast/309396084/sizes/l/|archive-date=August 6, 2020 |access-date=November 15, 2017 |website=[[Flickr]] |publisher=Global Geek Podcast |language=en}}</ref>
 
===Existing=Personal trademarksAudio lawsuits====
[[Personal Audio LLC (patent holding company)|Personal Audio]], a company referred to as a "[[patent troll]]" by the [[Electronic Frontier Foundation]] (EFF),<ref name="EFF">{{cite web |last=Nazer |first=Daniel |date=May 30, 2013 |title=Help Save Podcasting! |url=https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2013/05/help-save-podcasting |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111231341/https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2013/05/help-save-podcasting |archive-date=November 11, 2020 |access-date=November 15, 2017 |website=[[Electronic Frontier Foundation|EFF]] |language=en}}</ref> filed a patent on podcasting in 2009 for a claimed invention in 1996.<ref>{{cite web |date=October 2, 1996 |title=System for Disseminating Media Content Representing Episodes in a Serialized Sequence |url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US8112504 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112030342/https://patents.google.com/patent/US8112504 |archive-date=November 12, 2020 |access-date=November 15, 2017 |website=[[Google Patents]] |language=en}}</ref> In February 2013, Personal Audio started suing high-profile podcasters for royalties,<ref name="EFF" /> including [[The Adam Carolla Show (podcast)|''The Adam Carolla Show'']] and the ''[[HowStuffWorks]]'' podcasts.<ref>{{cite web |last=Samuels |first=Julie |date=February 5, 2013 |title=Podcasting Community Faces Patent Troll Threat; EFF Wants to Help |url=https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2013/02/podcasting-community-faces-patent-troll-threat-eff-wants-help |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112015829/https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2013/02/podcasting-community-faces-patent-troll-threat-eff-wants-help |archive-date=November 12, 2020 |access-date=November 15, 2017 |website=EFF |language=en |quote=Personal Audio is claiming that it owns a patent that covers podcasting technology.}}</ref> In October 2013, the EFF filed a petition with the US Trademark Office to invalidate the Personal Audio patent.<ref>{{cite web |date=April 21, 2014 |title=EFF v. Personal Audio LLC |url=https://www.eff.org/cases/eff-v-personal-audio-llc |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806070516/https://www.eff.org/cases/eff-v-personal-audio-llc |archive-date=August 6, 2020 |access-date=November 15, 2017 |website=EFF |language=en}}</ref> On August 18, 2014, the EFF announced that Adam Carolla had settled with Personal Audio.<ref>{{cite web |last=Nazer |first=Daniel |date=August 18, 2014 |title=The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Adam Carolla's Settlement with the Podcasting Troll |url=https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2014/08/good-bad-and-ugly-adam-carollas-settlement-podcasting-troll |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112000224/https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2014/08/good-bad-and-ugly-adam-carollas-settlement-podcasting-troll |archive-date=November 12, 2020 |access-date=November 15, 2017 |website=EFF |language=en}}</ref> Finally, on April 10, 2015, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office invalidated five provisions of Personal Audio's podcasting patent.<ref>{{cite news |last=Fung |first=Brian |date=April 10, 2015 |title=How the Government Just Protected Some of Your Favorite Podcasts |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2015/04/10/how-the-government-just-protected-your-favorite-podcasts/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191103185649/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2015/04/10/how-the-government-just-protected-your-favorite-podcasts/|archive-date=November 3, 2019 |access-date=November 15, 2017 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |language=en-US}}</ref>
 
==Production and listening==
As of [[September 19]], [[2005]], known trademarks that capitalize on podcast include: Podcast Realty, GuidePod, PodGizmo, Pod-Casting, MyPod, Podvertiser, ePodcast, PodCabin, Podcaster, PodShop, PodKitchen, Podgram, GodPod and Podcast.<ref>[http://www.podcastingnews.com/archives/2005/09/podcast_tradema.html Podcast Trademark Gold Rush]</ref>
[[File:Podcasting-wcwc.jpg|thumb|Podcasting studio in What Cheer Writers Club in Providence, Rhode Island]]
 
A podcast generator maintains a central list of the files on a [[server (computing)|server]] as a [[web feed]] that one can access through the [[Internet]]. The listener or viewer uses special [[client (computing)|client]] [[application software]] on a computer or media player, known as a [[List of podcast clients|podcast client]], which accesses this web feed, checks it for updates, and downloads any new files in the series. This process can be automated to download new files automatically, so it may seem to listeners as though podcasters broadcast or "[[Push technology|push]]" new episodes to them. Podcast files can be stored locally on the user's device, or streamed directly. There are several different mobile applications that allow people to follow and listen to podcasts. Many of these applications allow users to download podcasts or stream them on demand. Most podcast players or applications allow listeners to skip around the podcast and to control the playback speed.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.iphonelife.com/content/how-to-listen-to-podcast-faster-speed|title=How to Change Playback Speed of a Podcast Playing Too Fast or Too Slow – iPhone Life|date=April 6, 2017|access-date=September 5, 2021}}</ref> Much podcast listening occurs during [[commuting]]; because of restrictions on [[travel during the COVID-19 pandemic]], the number of unique listeners in the US decreased by 15% in the last three weeks of March 2020.{{r|wells20200616}}
As of February 2007, there have been 24 attempts to register trademarks containing the word 'PODCAST' in United States, but only 'PODCAST READY' from ''Podcast Ready, Inc.'' was approved.<ref>[http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=toc&state=ebk0n.1.1&p_search=searchss&p_L=50&BackReference=&p_plural=yes&p_s_PARA1=&p_tagrepl%7E%3A=PARA1%24LD&expr=PARA1+AND+PARA2&p_s_PARA2=podcast&p_tagrepl%7E%3A=PARA2%24COMB&p_op_ALL=AND&a_default=search&a_search=Submit+Query&a_search=Submit+Query List of US podcast trademarks]</ref>
 
Podcasting has been considered a [[Technological convergence|converged medium]]<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Berry|first=Richard|year=2015|title=Serial and Ten Years of Podcasting: Has the Medium Grown up?|url=https://www.academia.edu/16351759|url-status=live|journal=Radio, Sounds & Internet|language=en-GB|volume=|pages=299–209|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200704195706/https://www.academia.edu/16351759/Serial_and_ten_years_of_podcasting_has_the_medium_finally_grown_up|archive-date=July 4, 2020|access-date=July 4, 2020|via=Academia.edu}}</ref> (a medium that brings together audio, [[World Wide Web|the web]] and [[portable media player]]s), as well as a [[Disruptive innovation|disruptive technology]] that has caused some individuals in [[radio broadcasting]] to reconsider established practices and preconceptions about audiences, consumption, production and distribution.<ref name="Willipod">{{cite journal|last=Berry|first=Richard|date=May 1, 2006|title=Will the iPod Kill the Radio Star? Profiling Podcasting as Radio|url=https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/dd3e/cbf595a01e5b81aae98cd8e693eb8b9f29b3.pdf|url-status=live|journal=[[Convergence (journal)|Convergence]]|language=en-GB|volume=12|issue=2|pages=143–162|doi=10.1177/1354856506066522|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200226233023/https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/dd3e/cbf595a01e5b81aae98cd8e693eb8b9f29b3.pdf|archive-date=February 26, 2020|access-date=July 4, 2020|via=|s2cid=111593307| issn=1354-8565 }}</ref> ''[[The New York Times]]'' reported in 2025 that podcasts have become an alternative to [[late-night talk show]] appearances or magazine covers for public figures to promote their projects, owing to its friendlier, more intimate setting which allows the guest to be more candid.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/14/business/media/taylor-swift-podcast-celebrity-interviews.html |title=Even Taylor Swift can't resist podcasts, the celebrity safe space |last=Testa |first=Jessica |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=August 14, 2025 |access-date=August 17, 2025 |url-access=limited}}</ref>
== See also ==
 
* [[Autocast]]ing (the automatic generation of podcasts from text-only sources)
Podcasts can be produced at little to no cost and are usually disseminated free-of-charge, which sets this medium apart from the traditional 20th-century model of [[Gatekeeper|"gate-kept"]] media and their production tools.<ref name="Willipod" /> Podcasters can, however, still monetize their podcasts by allowing [[company|companies]] to purchase [[advertising|ad]] time. They can also garner support from listeners through crowdfunding [[website]]s like [[Patreon]], which provide special extras and content to listeners for a fee.
* [[Blogcast]]ing (the blogging podcast)
 
<!--
==Types of podcasts==
* [[Podcatcher]] (List of Software solutions for subscribing, listening and watching of Podcasts)
Podcasts vary in style, format, and topical content. Podcasts are partially patterned on previous media genres but depart from them systematically in certain computationally observable [[stylistics|stylistic]] respects.<ref>{{cite conference| last1 = Clifton| first1 = Ann| last2 = Reddy| first2 = Sravana| last3 = Yu| first3 = Yongze| last4 = Pappu| first4 = Aasish| last5 = Rezapour| first5 = Rezvaneh| last6 = Bonab| first6 = Hamed| last7 = Eskevich| first7 = Maria| last8 = Jones| first8 = Gareth| author-link8 = Gareth Jones (computer scientist)| last9 = Karlgren| first9 = Jussi| author-link9 = Jussi Karlgren | last10 = Carterette| first10 = Ben| last11 = Jones| first11 = Rosie| title = 100,000 podcasts: A spoken English document corpus| book-title = Proceedings of the 28th International Conference on Computational Linguistics (COLING)| publisher = International Committee on Computational Linguistics| date = 2020| ___location = Marseille| url = https://aclanthology.org/2020.coling-main.519/| access-date = August 12, 2022 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal| last = Karlgren| first = Jussi| author-link = Jussi Karlgren| title = Lexical variation in English language podcasts, editorial media, and social media| url=https://nejlt.ep.liu.se/article/view/3566| journal=North European Journal of Language Technology| language=en-UK| volume = 8| issue = 1| publisher = NEALT| date = August 2022| doi = 10.3384/nejlt.2000-1533| access-date = August 12, 2022| doi-access = free}}
-->
</ref> The conventions and constraints which govern that variation are emerging and vary over time and markets; podcast listeners have various preferences of styles but conventions to address them and communicate about them are still unformed.<ref>
* [[Social media]] (for other forms of consumer created content)
{{cite conference| last1 = Martikainen| first1 = Katariina| last2 = Karlgren| first2 = Jussi| author-link2 = Jussi Karlgren| last3 = Truong| first3 = Khiet P| title = Exploring audio-based stylistic variation in podcasts| book-title = Proceedings of Interspeech 2022| publisher = IEEE| date = September 2022| ___location = Incheon, Korea| url = https://interspeech2022.org}}
* [[Streaming media]]
</ref><ref>{{cite thesis |type=MSc |last=Martikainen |first=Katariina |date=2020 |title=Audio-based stylistic characteristics of Podcasts for search and recommendation: a user and computational analysis |publisher=University of Twente}}</ref> Some current examples of types of podcasts are given below. This list is likely to change as new types of content, new technology to consume podcasts, and new use cases emerge.<ref>{{cite journal| last1 = Jones| first1 = Gareth| author-link1 = Gareth Jones (computer scientist)| last2 = Eskevich| first2 = Maria| last3 = Carterette| first3 = Ben| author-link3 = Ben Carterette| last4 = Correia| first4 = Joana| last5 = Jones| first5 = Rosie| last6 = Karlgren| first6 = Jussi| author-link6 = Jussi Karlgren| last7 = Soboroff| first7 = Ian| journal = SIGIR Forum| volume = 56| issue = 1| title = Report on the 1st Workshop on Audio Collection Human Interaction (AudioCHI 2022) at CHIIR 2022| publisher = ACM SIGIR| date = June 2022| pages = 1–5| doi = 10.1145/3582524.3582534| s2cid = 256304995| language = en-UK| url = https://nejlt.ep.liu.se/article/view/3566| access-date = August 12, 2022| url-access = subscription}}</ref>
 
===Video podcasts===
[[File:The Crab Nebula NASA.ogv|thumb|A video podcast on the [[Crab Nebula]] created by [[NASA]]]]
 
A video podcast is a podcast that features video content.<ref name="NYTimes2024VideoPodcasts">{{cite news |last=Ugwu |first=Reggie |date=April 26, 2024 |page=1 (Section C) |title=With YouTube Booming, Podcast Creators Get Camera-Ready<!--online title, print title: 'Podcasters Turn Toward The Camera'--> |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/26/arts/podcasts-video-youtube-audio.html |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url= |archive-date= |work=[[The New York Times]] |quote=To some, 'video podcasts' are a contradiction in terms. That hasn’t made them any less popular.}}</ref><ref name="NYTimes2025VideoPodcasts">{{cite news |last=Bernstein |first=Joseph |date=July 20, 2025 |title=Who Is Watching All These Podcasts? |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/20/style/podcast-video-audience.html |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url= |archive-date= |work=[[The New York Times]] |quote=An audio-only medium spawned a giant industry that is now largely focused on video.}}</ref> [[Web television]] series are often distributed as video podcasts. ''Dead End Days, a'' serialized [[Black comedy|dark comedy]] about zombies released from October 31, 2003, through 2004, is commonly believed to be the first video podcast.<ref>{{cite web |last=Ellis |first=Jessica |date=2008 |title=What is a Video Podcast? |url=http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-video-podcast.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809194203/http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-video-podcast.htm |archive-date=August 9, 2020 |access-date=November 15, 2017 |website=Wise Geek |language=en}}</ref>
 
===Enhanced podcasts===
An enhanced podcast, also known as a '''slidecast''', is a type of podcast that combines audio with a [[slide show]] presentation. It is similar to a [[video podcast]] in that it combines dynamically generated imagery with audio synchronization, but it is different in that it uses [[presentation software]] to create the imagery and the sequence of display separately from the time of the original audio podcast recording.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Salter|first1=Diane|last2=Purgathofer|first2=Peter|date=January 2010|title=Students use of Laptops in Large Lecture Classes: Distraction, Partial Attention or Productive Use?|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228862722|journal=Aurora|language=en-US|volume=|pages=|via=Research Gate}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/224161712 |doi=10.1109/IPCC.2010.5530021|isbn=978-1-4244-8145-3|s2cid=11253131 |chapter=Slidecast yourself: Exploring the possibilities of a new online presentation tool |title=2010 IEEE International Professional Communication Conference |year=2010 |last1=Casteleyn |first1=Jordi |last2=Mottart |first2=Andre |pages=255–261 }}</ref> ''[[The Free Dictionary]]'', ''YourDictionary'', and ''[[PCMag|PC Magazine]]'' define an enhanced podcast as "an electronic slide show delivered as a podcast".<ref>{{Cite web|title=enhanced podcast|url=https://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/enhanced+podcast|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160313145450/https://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/enhanced+podcast|archive-date=March 13, 2016|access-date=January 19, 2021|website=TheFreeDictionary.com|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Enhanced-podcast Meaning: Best 1 Definitions of Enhanced-podcast|url=https://www.yourdictionary.com/enhanced-podcast#computer|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170622231712/https://www.yourdictionary.com/enhanced-podcast|archive-date=June 22, 2017|access-date=January 19, 2021|website=www.yourdictionary.com|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Definition of enhanced podcast|url=https://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/enhanced-podcast|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201022152210/https://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/enhanced-podcast|archive-date=October 22, 2020|access-date=January 19, 2021|website=PC Magazine|language=en-US}}</ref> Enhanced podcasts are podcasts that incorporate graphics and chapters.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Breen|first=Christopher|date=December 12, 2012|title=How to Create Podcast Chapters|url=https://www.macworld.com/article/2019713/how-to-create-podcast-chapters.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201020164926/https://www.macworld.com/article/2019713/how-to-create-podcast-chapters.html|archive-date=October 20, 2020|access-date=January 19, 2021|website=Macworld|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Breen|first=Christopher|date=March 28, 2013|title=How We Produce Our Podcasts|url=https://www.macworld.com/article/2030512/how-we-produce-our-podcasts.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030014045/https://www.macworld.com/article/2030512/how-we-produce-our-podcasts.html|archive-date=October 30, 2020|access-date=January 19, 2021|website=Macworld|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Breen|first=Christopher|date=March 28, 2013|title=Producing the Macworld Podcast|url=https://www.macworld.com/article/1142519/producing_macworld_podcast.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030014045/https://www.macworld.com/article/2030512/how-we-produce-our-podcasts.html|archive-date=October 30, 2020|access-date=January 19, 2021|website=Macworld|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Frakes|first=Dan|date=December 12, 2006|title=Podcasting Presentations|url=https://www.macworld.com/article/1054367/profcast.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170508233828/https://www.macworld.com/article/1054367/profcast.html|archive-date=May 8, 2017|access-date=January 19, 2021|website=Macworld|language=en-US}}</ref> iTunes developed an enhanced podcast feature called "Audio Hyperlinking" that they patented in 2012.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Etherington|first=Darrell|date=August 8, 2013|title=Apple Developing Audio Hyperlinks, A Way For Audio Streams To Link To Other Media Or Control Devices|url=https://techcrunch.com/2013/08/08/apple-developing-audio-hyperlinks-a-way-for-audio-streams-to-link-to-other-media-or-control-devices/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190218215441/https://techcrunch.com/2013/08/08/apple-developing-audio-hyperlinks-a-way-for-audio-streams-to-link-to-other-media-or-control-devices/|archive-date=February 18, 2019|access-date=January 19, 2021|website=TechCrunch|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Apple's 'audio hyperlink' tech can control devices with inaudible sonic pulses|first=Mikey |last=Campbell |date= August 8, 2013|url=https://appleinsider.com/articles/13/08/08/apples-audio-hyperlink-tech-can-control-devices-with-inaudible-sonic-pulses|access-date=January 24, 2021|website=AppleInsider|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=United States Patent Application: 0130204413|url=http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&u=/netahtml/PTO/search-adv.html&r=3&p=1&f=G&l=50&d=PG01&S1=(20130808.PD.+AND+700/94.CCLS.)&OS=pd/8/8/2013+and+ccl/700/94&RS=(PD/20130808+AND+CCL/700/94)|access-date=January 24, 2021|website=appft.uspto.gov}}</ref> Enhanced podcasts can be used by businesses or in education.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Petricone|first=Elena|date=|title=Cast away: Incorporating slidecasts into your online presence can distinguish your business from competitors|url=https://top-consultant.com/ThoughtLeadership/Article/_1957|access-date=January 2, 2021|website=Top Consultant|publisher=Emerson Consulting Group|language=en-US|archive-date=August 13, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210813010202/https://top-consultant.com/ThoughtLeadership/Article/_1957|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Weller|first=Marxtin|date=April 29, 2012|title=The Virtues of Blogging as Scholarly Activity|url=https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-virtues-of-blogging-as-scholarly-activity/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210119025752/https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-virtues-of-blogging-as-scholarly-activity/|archive-date=January 19, 2021|access-date=January 19, 2021|website=The Chronicle of Higher Education|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last1=Reyna|first1=Jorge|last2=Stanford|first2=Carole|date=2009|title=Use of Slidecasts in Higher Education Settings: a Pilotproject|url=https://www.ascilite.org/conferences/auckland09/procs/reyna-2-poster.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180914123308/https://www.ascilite.org/conferences/auckland09/procs/reyna-2-poster.pdf|archive-date=September 14, 2018|access-date=January 20, 2021|website=Ascilite|language=en-US}}</ref> Enhanced podcasts can be created using QuickTime AAC or Windows Media files.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Ratcliffe|first1=Mitch|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w9dWuncv70EC|title=Podcasting Bible|last2=Mack|first2=Steve|date=February 11, 2008|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=978-0-470-37759-8|pages=296–300|language=en}}</ref> Enhanced podcasts were first used in 2006.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Morris|first1=Tee|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4moj8hh0d9EC|title=Expert Podcasting Practices For Dummies|last2=Terra|first2=Evo|last3=Williams|first3=Ryan C.|date=January 7, 2008|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=978-0-470-25919-1|pages=185–201|language=en|chapter=24}}</ref>
 
===Fiction podcast===
A fiction podcast (also referred to as a "scripted podcast" or "audio drama")<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sites.psu.edu/rachelstof/2019/09/13/so-what-is-an-audio-drama/|title=So, What Is an Audio Drama?|date=September 13, 2019|publisher=Penn State University|access-date=December 19, 2022}}</ref> is similar to a [[radio drama]], but in podcast form. They deliver a fictional story, usually told over multiple episodes and seasons, using multiple voice actors, dialogue, [[sound effects]], and music to enrich the story.<ref>{{cite news|title=Fiction Podcasts: The Medium Giving Rise to a New Generation of Audio Storytellers|last=Skinner|first=Oliver|date=July 30, 2020|work=Voices.com|url=https://www.voices.com/blog/fiction-podcasts/|access-date=January 20, 2021}}</ref> Fiction podcasts have attracted a number of well-known actors as voice talents, including [[Demi Moore]] and [[Matthew McConaughey]]<ref>{{cite news|title=From Demi Moore to Matthew McConaughey, Screen Stars Are Turning to Podcasts|last=Kornelis|first=Chris|date=December 25, 2020|work=The Wall Street Journal|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/from-demi-moore-to-matthew-mcconaughey-screen-stars-are-turning-to-podcasts-11608915600|access-date=January 19, 2021}}</ref> as well as from content producers like [[Netflix]], [[Spotify]], [[Marvel Comics]], and [[DC Comics]].<ref>{{cite news|title= Netflix Creates Its First Scripted Podcast, As An Extension To TV Show|date=November 1, 2019|work=Inside Radio|url=http://www.insideradio.com/podcastnewsdaily/netflix-creates-its-first-scripted-podcast-as-an-extension-to-tv-show/article_ad4805b4-fcc7-11e9-8028-fb826fe80b0f.html|access-date=January 20, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Wolverine: The Long Night opens up the possibilities for a Marvel Podcast Universe|last=White|first=Jordan|date=May 30, 2018|work=The Verge|url=https://www.theverge.com/2018/5/30/17409704/wolverine-the-long-night-marvel-podcast-universe-interview-behind-the-scenes|access-date=January 20, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title= DC, Spotify Cut Deal for Multiple Scripted Podcast Series|last=Jennings|first=Collier|date=July 18, 2020|website=CBR |url=https://www.cbr.com/dc-spotify-cut-deal-multiple-podcast-series/}}</ref> Unlike other genres, downloads of fiction podcasts increased by 19% early in the COVID-19 pandemic.<ref name=wells20200616>{{cite web |last1=Wells |first1=Madeline |title=This surround-sound thriller podcast is perfect for pandemic walks |url=https://www.sfgate.com/sf-culture/article/Podcast-walks-Left-Right-Game-fiction-mystery-15309460.php |website=SFGate |accessdate=16 June 2020 |date=2 June 2020}}</ref>
 
===Podcast novels===
A podcast novel (also known as a "serialized audiobook" or "podcast audiobook") is a literary form that combines the concepts of a podcast and an [[audiobook]]. Like a traditional [[novel]], a podcast novel is a work of literary fiction; however, it is recorded into episodes that are delivered online over a period of time. The episodes may be delivered automatically via RSS or through a website, blog, or other syndication method. Episodes can be released on a regular schedule, e.g., once a week, or irregularly as each episode is completed. In the same manner as audiobooks, some podcast novels are elaborately narrated with sound effects and separate voice actors for each character, similar to a radio play or scripted podcast, but many have a single narrator and few or no sound effects.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Florin|first=Hector|date=January 31, 2009|title=Podcasting Your Novel: Publishing's Next Wave?|url=http://content.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1872381,00.html|url-status=live|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806101246/http://content.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1872381,00.html|archive-date=August 6, 2020|access-date=November 15, 2017}}</ref>
 
Some podcast novelists give away a free podcast version of their book as a form of promotion.<ref>{{cite web|last=Cadelago|first=Chris|date=April 5, 2008|title=Take My Book. It's Free|url=http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/Take-my-book-It-s-free-3288454.php|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201022160625/http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/Take-my-book-It-s-free-3288454.php|archive-date=October 22, 2020|access-date=November 15, 2017|website=[[San Francisco Chronicle]]|language=en}}</ref> On occasion such novelists have secured publishing contracts to have their novels printed.<ref name="aftv">{{cite web|last=Newman|first=Andrew Adam|date=March 1, 2007|title=Authors Find Their Voice, and Audience, in Podcasts|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/01/books/01podb.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201123115523/https://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/01/books/01podb.html|archive-date=November 23, 2020|access-date=November 15, 2017|website=[[The New York Times]]|language=en-US}}</ref> Podcast novelists have commented that podcasting their novels lets them build audiences even if they cannot get a publisher to buy their books. These audiences then make it easier to secure a printing deal with a publisher at a later date. These podcast novelists also claim the exposure that releasing a free podcast gains them makes up for the fact that they are giving away their work for free.<ref>{{cite web|last=Gaughran|first=David|date=September 5, 2011|title="Free" Really Can Make You Money – A Dialogue with Moses Siregar III|url=https://davidgaughran.wordpress.com/2011/09/05/free-really-can-make-you-money-a-dialogue-with-moses-siregar-iii/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111014074238/https://davidgaughran.wordpress.com/2011/09/05/free-really-can-make-you-money-a-dialogue-with-moses-siregar-iii/|archive-date=October 14, 2011|access-date=November 15, 2017|website=Let's Get Digital|language=en-IE}}</ref>
 
=== Live podcasts ===
A number of podcasts are recorded either in total or for specific episodes in front of a live audience. Ticket sales allow the podcasters an additional way of monetizing. Some podcasts create specific live shows to tour which are not necessarily included on the podcast feed. Events including the London Podcast Festival,<ref>{{Cite web|last=Arboine|first=Niellah|date=August 21, 2019|title=How to Get 20% off Tickets to the London Podcast Festival|url=https://www.bustle.com/p/the-london-podcast-festival-2019-is-coming-so-soon-heres-how-to-get-20-off-your-tix-18684950|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806063932/https://www.bustle.com/p/the-london-podcast-festival-2019-is-coming-so-soon-heres-how-to-get-20-off-your-tix-18684950|archive-date=August 6, 2020|access-date=March 9, 2020|website=Bustle|language=en-GB}}</ref> [[SF Sketchfest]]<ref>{{Cite web|date=December 6, 2019|title=SF Sketchfest Announces Additions to Festival Lineup|url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/san-francisco/article/SF-SKETCHFEST-Announces-Additions-To-Festival-Lineup-20191206|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201117094012/https://www.broadwayworld.com/san-francisco/article/SF-SKETCHFEST-Announces-Additions-To-Festival-Lineup-20191206|first=A.A. |last=Cristi|archive-date=November 17, 2020|access-date=March 9, 2020|website=[[Broadway World]]|language=en-US}}</ref> and others regularly give a platform for podcasters to perform live to audiences.
 
==Technology==
===Software===
Podcast episodes are widely stored and encoded in the [[MP3|mp3 digital audio format]] and then hosted on [[Dedicated hosting service|dedicated]] or [[Shared web hosting service|shared]] webserver space.<ref name="Blubrry">{{Cite web |title=Technical history of podcasting |url=https://blubrry.com/manual/about-podcasting/history-of-podcasting-new/technical-history-of-podcasting/ |access-date=May 29, 2022 |website=Blubrry Podcasting |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=July 5, 2021 |title=How to host and distribute a podcast |url=https://www.audio-harvest.com/blog/how-to-host-and-distribute-a-podcast/ |first= Dieter|last= Van De Walle|access-date=May 29, 2022 |website=AudioHarvest |language=en-GB}}</ref> Syndication of podcasts' episodes across various websites and platforms is based on [[RSS]] feeds, an [[XML]]-formatted file citing information about the episode and the podcast itself.<ref name="Blubrry"/>
 
===Hardware===
[[File:2023022603 Elan Connect frontalseitlich links (2) 2023.jpg|thumb|Web/DAB+/FM/podcast radio from [[Pure (company)|Pure]]|alt=Radio on a white surface.|250x250px]]
The most basic equipment for a podcast is a [[computer]] and a [[microphone]]. It is helpful to have a [[soundproofing|sound-proof]] room and [[headphones]]. The computer should have a recording or streaming application installed.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/podcast-how-to-start-best-equipment-804418/ |title=How to Start a Podcast: 7 Things These Experts Say You'll Need |last=Chan |first=Tim |date=March 30, 2020 |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |access-date=July 19, 2021}}</ref> Typical microphones for podcasting are connected using [[USB]].<ref name=Wired2021>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.wired.com/story/best-podcast-and-livestream-gear/ |title=Here's the Gear You Need to Start Your Own Podcast |last=Hall |first=Parker |magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] |date=February 18, 2022|access-date=July 19, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/product-recommendations/product-recommendations-lists/the-rolling-stone-audio-awards-2021-1157080/ |title=The Rolling Stone Audio Awards 2021 |first1=Tim |last1=Chan |first2=Brandt |last2=Ranj |first3=John |last3=Lonsdale |first4=Sage |last4=Anderson |date=April 28, 2021 |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |access-date=July 18, 2021}}</ref> If the podcast involves two or more people, each person requires a microphone, and a USB audio interface is needed to mix them together. If the podcast includes video, then a separate [[webcam]] might be needed, and additional lighting.<ref name=Wired2021/>
 
== Global market ==
The number of Chinese podcast listeners exceeded 220 million in 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |title=China's podcast industry flourishes with growing listeners |url=https://english.news.cn/20240626/ff51e939da424367a2480ce953f492c7/c.html |access-date=2025-07-01 |website=english.news.cn |language=en}}</ref> India has emerged as the third-largest podcast listening market after China and the US, with over 57.6 million listeners.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rego |first=Natasha |date=May 29, 2021 |title=Hear and Now: Inside India's Podcast Boom |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/lifestyle/art-culture/hear-and-now-inside-india-s-podcast-boom-101622272494892.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210601005515/https://www.hindustantimes.com/lifestyle/art-culture/hear-and-now-inside-india-s-podcast-boom-101622272494892.html |archive-date=June 1, 2021 |access-date=February 19, 2022 |website=[[Hindustan Times]] |publisher=[[HT Media]] |language=en-IN}}</ref> According to ''[[The Free Press Journal]]'', in 2021 "India will have 95 million Podcast monthly active users", which is thirty-four percent more than the previous year.<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 13, 2021 |title=India to See 95 MN Podcast Users by 2021 End; Up 34%: Report |url=https://www.freepressjournal.in/business/india-to-see-95-mn-podcast-users-by-2021-end-up-34-report |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211213100635/https://www.freepressjournal.in/business/india-to-see-95-mn-podcast-users-by-2021-end-up-34-report |archive-date=December 13, 2021 |access-date=February 19, 2022 |website=[[The Free Press Journal]] |publisher=Indian National Press |language=en-IN}}</ref>
 
==See also==
* [[:Category:Lists of podcasts|Lists of podcasts]]
* [[List of podcast clients]]
* [[List of podcasting companies]]
* [[Uses of podcasting]]
* [[Internet radio]]
* [[MP3 blog]]
* [[Webcast]]
* [[User-generated content]]
* [[Video podcast]] vodcast - vodcasting (video podcasting)
* [[Screencast]] - screen capture video recording
* [[Photofeed]] (image podcasting)
* [[Podcasting directories]]
 
== Further reading ==
===Syndication===
* Geoghegan, Michael W.; Klass, Dan (August 16, 2005). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=WkAzn9TfL9gC Podcast Solutions: The Complete Guide to Podcasting]''. [[Apress]]. {{ISBN|9781430200543}}.
*[[RSS|RSS ]]
* Meinzer, Kristen (August 6, 2019). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=pyd5DwAAQBAJ So You Want to Start a Podcast: Finding Your Voice, Telling Your Story, and Building a Community That Will Listen]''. [[William Morrow and Company|William Morrow]]. {{ISBN|9780062936684}}.
*[[Atom (standard)|Atom]]
* Morris, Tee; Tomasi, Chuck (September 15, 2017). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=TaY2DwAAQBAJ Podcasting For Dummies]''. [[Wiley (publisher)|Wiley]]. {{ISBN|9781119412267}}.
*[[OPML]]
* {{cite report|last1=Shearer|first1=Elisa|last2=Liedke|first2=Jacob|last3=Matsa|first3=Katerina Eva|last4=Lipka|first4=Michael|last5=Jurkowitz|first5=Mark|date=April 18, 2023|title=Podcasts as a Source of News and Information|publisher=Pew Research Center|url=https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2023/04/PJ_2023.04.18_Podcasts_FINAL.pdf|access-date=August 11, 2025}}
* {{cite report|last1=Stocking|first1=Galen|last2=Matsa|first2=Katerina Eva|last3=Naseer|first3=Sarah|last4=St. Aubin|first4=Christopher|last5=Shearer|first5=Elisa|last6=Jurkowitz|first6=Mark|last7=Ghosh|first7=Shreenita|date=June 15, 2023|title=A Profile of the Top-Ranked Podcasts in the U.S.|publisher=Pew Research Center|url=https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2023/06/PJ_2023.06.15_Podcasts-Audit_FINAL.pdf|access-date=August 11, 2025}}
 
==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}
<div class="references-small"><references/></div>
 
== External links ==
{{Spoken Wikipedia|EnWikipedia -Podcasting Podcast (spoken by AI voice).oggmp3|2005-12-05date=30 October 2024}}
{{Wiktionary}}
{{wikibooks|Podcasting}}
* [http://wiki.creativecommons.org/Welcome_To_The_Podcasting_Legal_Guide Creative Commons Podcasting Legal Guide]
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Please do not add links to individual podcasts, podcast software, podcast cons or podcast directories (including Podcast Alley). Links should only be here if they help explain *what* podcasting is. External links should explain podcasting in more depth or from a different angle than Wikipedia can, they should not simply be a repeat of this article.
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'''Lists of podcast directories: ''(not individual directories)'''''
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This section is for listing sites that list many, many directories within their site. Any link added to this section should not only meet the requirements of all Wikipedia external links, but should also list only directories and not actually be a specific podcast directory IE: iTunes, Podcast Alley, Podcast Pickle.
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*[http://www.podcast411.com/page2.html Podcast 411 Directory of Directories]
*[http://www.podcastingnews.com/topics/Podcast_Directory.html Podcasting News' List of Podcast Directories]
*[http://ipodder.org iPodder.org [[OPML]] Directory Listings]
*[http://podcast.opml.org/ podcast.opml.org [[OPML]] Directory]
*[http://www.vodstock.com/vodstock/vodcast-directories.php List of video podcast directories]
 
*{{Wikibooks-inline|Podcasting}}
*{{Commons category-inline|Podcasting}}
*[https://wiki.creativecommons.org/wiki/Welcome_To_The_Podcasting_Legal_Guide Podcasting Legal Guide: Rules for the Revolution], information by [[Creative Commons]]
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{{Web syndication}}
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