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Study Finds Podcast Use Rising but Small
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As a host and producer of several podcasts, I am often put off by "studies" which attempt to gauge the visibility and popularity of podcasting. It is impossible to project based on a small group of subjects and I believe far more Americans are listening to podcasts on a daily basis than we realize.
Within the next 3-6 years, podcasting should be as ubiquitous as television and radio thanks to the inclusion of "podcast friendly" tools in everyday consumer electronics and appliances.
972 people is a small percentage of folks to make such broad guestimates on a medium which is evolving daily.
- 3 votes
#1 - Wed Nov 22, 2006 2:05 PM ESTIt is impossible to project based on a small group of subjects and I believe far more Americans are listening to podcasts on a daily basis than we realize.
Actually, it's just math. The sample size is a function of the error percentage one finds acceptable. 1,000 people is usually what is required for a ±3%, which is exactly what is used in nationwide political canvasing. I agree that the pace of change in the world of podcasting is likely to be faster than many polls are likely to capture. However, the I would expect the percentage of regular listeners to be about right; that is, between 9 and 15 percent of internet users.
I agree: I think Podcasts have a lot of potential --- but they aren't reaching it right now. The medium of using sound to tell stories is difficult, and podcasting still needs to come into its own. When it does (I think 3-6 years is a good range), it will become ubiquitous
I qualify as bith a male and an online veteran and I listen to five to 10 podcasts a day. I also produce an interview show called small WORLD and and electronic music show called solipsistic NATION.
I subscribe to 50 podcasts and right now I'm listening to The Sound of Young America.
Some of the other podcasts I listen to on a regualr basis are...
7th Son
Slate Magazine Daily Podcast
The Diner
Drum and Bass Arena
Evil Genius Chronicles
Sound Opinions
Ritmo Latino
Never Not Funny
Benjamin Walker's Theory of Everything
Karmabanque
- 1 vote
#2 - Wed Nov 22, 2006 2:06 PM ESTI'm retired and have time to listen to netcasts almost continuously.
With my mp3 player (not iPod) I can move around and do other things while listening. Often the netcast sort of fades out of my consciousness as other things grab my attention.
With netcasts I can choose programming that I care about and listen to them at my convenience. It is also nice to avoid the constant advertising of commercial broadcasters. I try to find programs with alternate opinions - many opposed to my biases.
#3 - Wed Nov 22, 2006 4:30 PM ESTOne thing I noticed is that they mentioned how many people "download" a podcast. I listen to a bunch of podcasts but since I listen to them at work I don't bother downloading them and copying them to my iPod. I just listen to them from a flash player in a web page on pluggd.com.
Maybe they are just measuring the wrong thing.
- 1 vote
#4 - Sun Nov 26, 2006 11:00 PM ESTYou're in Easy Mode. If you prefer, you can use XHTML Mode instead. |
