Some thoughts about podcasting

Well, I've done it. I've removed the last "independent" podcast from my iTunes subscription list. I was hanging on to The Dawn and Drew Show but I hadn't listened to an episode in a long time and I was getting tired of watching my PC work to find new episodes of a show that I knew I wouldn't listen to. Now I have subscriptions to KCRW's The Treatment with Elvis Mitchell, the New West Records podcast, ABC's LOST podcast, and the long-delayed Shaun Townley Podcast. Oh, and the Ricky Gervais podcast which I haven't been able to listen to on my iPod for some reason. It shows up, but skips to the next track. Weird.

Anyway, podcasting started out as a way for anyone to put their stuff out there to find a small but dedicated audience and I'm sure it will continue in that way for the foreseable future. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you see it, the cream has risen to the top. I think I've finally given in to the truth, that despite the fact that Dawn & Drew are pretty funny, I'd rather listen to Elvis Mitchell interview Peter Guralnick about the new Sam Cooke bio. That's just me. And it could be a phase, I don't know.

That's not to say that I think all independent podcasters should hang it up. There's lots of great niche stuff out there that you can't find anywhere else, the long tail, & all that. I hope people stay subscribed to my little podcast, because I hope to do some more stuff in the future, but unless this is your job, it's really hard to devote the time & energy necessary to make it great. It's been a fun experiement and I love the fact that it's only $5 a month for me to continue it. We'll see where it goes.