Podcasts: why are so many starting to put up paywalls for "special" content?

[EtheltoTillie]

This really gets my goat.  I like Maintenance Phase and a couple of others.  Lately they have all taken to pushing special content for members and Patreon subscribers.  I don't like this.  It's too expensive.  I already pay for too much other stuff, but $5 a month is too much for a couple of hours of podcast extras.  I understand they have to make a living, but maybe their business model is not viable.

Edited December 13, 2022 by EtheltoTillie

[SoMuchTV]

32 minutes ago, EtheltoTillie said:

This really gets my goat.  I like Maintenance Phase and a couple of others.  Lately they have all taken to pushing special content for members and Patreon subscribers.  I don't like this.  It's too expensive.  I already pay for too much other stuff, but $5 a month is too much for a couple of hours of podcast extras.  I understand they have to make a living, but maybe their business model is not viable.

I can understand the annoyance but in my case they're usually doing me a favor.  I can't keep up with all the free stuff I want to listen to; no way I'm paying for more to sit in my queue.  One I listen to says "become a patron and get bonuses like 30 minutes of pre- and post-podcast chatter!"  Um, no thanks...

Edited December 13, 2022 by SoMuchTV

[EtheltoTillie]

30 minutes ago, SoMuchTV said:

I can understand the annoyance but in my case they're usually doing me a favor.  I can't keep up with all the free stuff I want to listen to; no way I'm paying for more to sit in my queue.  One I listen to says "become a patron and get bonuses like 30 minutes of pre- and post-podcast chatter!"  Um, no thanks...

For me, I'm annoyed because I'm actually interested in some teased episodes, but I'm just not taking the bait.  Perhaps they should consider lowering the price for that tier after a year. 

[SomeTameGazelle]

4 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

Perhaps they should consider lowering the price for that tier after a year. 

I haven't looked into this because I have not been tempted by any extras for podcasts I listen to, but in some cases I think I have heard them say that if you subscribe now you will have access to the huge backlog of extras from previous years. That's sort of like a discount if you can get multiple years of content for one current subscription. But if that's not what they offer or if it doesn't appeal to consume it that way it might not work.

[EtheltoTillie]

9 hours ago, SomeTameGazelle said:

I haven't looked into this because I have not been tempted by any extras for podcasts I listen to, but in some cases I think I have heard them say that if you subscribe now you will have access to the huge backlog of extras from previous years. That's sort of like a discount if you can get multiple years of content for one current subscription. But if that's not what they offer or if it doesn't appeal to consume it that way it might not work.

I guess this is where I could subscribe for one month, binge listen to a bunch I am interested in and then cancel.  Lots of people do this with the video streaming services as well.  One can do that if one is not too lazy to keep track of all of this and rotate all subscriptions. 

[Anduin]

I vaguely remember the Star Wars Minute guys saying that podcasting was a great way to lose money. These days, everyone is trying to get some extra cash for whatever they do. This is just one more example.

[EtheltoTillie]

17 minutes ago, Anduin said:

I vaguely remember the Star Wars Minute guys saying that podcasting was a great way to lose money. These days, everyone is trying to get some extra cash for whatever they do. This is just one more example.

This is the exact take.  It seems like a very low cost barrier to entry, but you still have to make enough money on what you do produce, or you are using your time without remuneration.  Also, now that there are unlimited opportunities to self-publish, there is so much content out there. 

[Jalyn]

I think that I am currently subscribed to 4 different podcasts on patreon. For at least one of them, I'm not getting anything extra for my patronage. (They have stuff, it just isn't done in podcast form, so I constantly forget about it.) I like the podcast and want to support their effort. I couldn't do it for all of the podcasts that I listen to (I'm subscribed to hundreds of them) but I pick out a few and support them. After a while, I'll probably add some and stop others, depending on how I feel. 

I certainly prefer a mention of the patreon or substack than the same ad over and over and over. 

[RainbowBrite]

This is a way for the creators to make money. The podcasts I support are not a part of a major brand and I really appreciate that they keep ads to a minimum. Added bonus is that their content behind the paywall has NO ads. You want them to create podcasts for you to listen to for free? Nothing is free; tv, radio, internet...you pay with money or with your time (listening to ads). 

[Hanahope]

i mostly support 2 podcasts via patreon to avoid ads, but they also provide the bonus episodes, so double win.  several others i listen to ask for support for lots of bonus, but like others, i only have so much time to spend on podcasts, so i don't need that much bonus content.  

[BetterButter]

So Long, Stitcher: SiriusXM to Shut Down Podcast App, Website