What's Apple's Motive For Apple Podcasts Subscriptions? [S3E115]

Podcast Pontifications

With the new Apple Podcasts Subscriptions, Apple sees a significant revenue opportunity for them, so podcasting is finally getting the attention it deserves.

Seamless Podcast Listening Worth Paying For

At its most basic, Apple Podcasts Subscriptions allow for a frictionless way to let listeners pay for podcasts without having to manage multiple shows, feeds, etc. But I don’t think Apple is directly going after the premium/private podcast market.

Thinking Like A Podcast Developer

But developers think a little differently than podcast publishers, if only because Apple makes money—a lot of money—from the efforts of developers. An Apple-incentivized ecosystem for podcasts has many benefits, from solving that “discoverability” problem too many podcasters gripe about to new revenue models that go beyond paid subscriptions.

And remember that Apple made $15.8 billion on services in the first quarter of this year. It's projected that Apple will see $89 billion of annual revenue from services by 2025. That’s less than four years from now.

It’s not a stretch to see Apple maximizing their revenue by promoting podcasts—heavily—to exploit a brand new revenue stream

Apple Brings The Power Of Apple

No, none of the prior attempts to paywall podcast content have been breakout successes. But Apple hasn’t been behind any of them. Imagine the full force of Apple’s marketing machine working hard to re-introduce that little purple square to every iPhone user.

Are You Ready To Make Money With Apple Podcasts?

I highly recommend you set aside an hour or so to pore over the info pages Apple has already created that detail all the current options available with Apple Podcasts Subscriptions. If you read those pages carefully and try to think more like an app developer, you’ll discover plenty of intriguing items.

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A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/whats-apples-motive-for-apple-podcasts-subscriptions

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Evo Terra produces Podcast Pontifications four times a week to provide ideas and ask questions every working podcaster should be thinking about.

Image credit: Apple Podcasts Subscriptions

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Support For Abortion Rights

While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own decisions about abortion, unfortunately, that right is no longer protected everywhere in the U.S. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade on June 24th. Abortion is a basic healthcare need for the millions of people who can become pregnant. Everyone should have the freedom to decide what’s best for themselves and their families, including when it comes to ending a pregnancy. This decision has dire consequences for individual health and safety, and could have harsh repercussions for other landmark decisions. Restricting access to comprehensive reproductive care, including abortion, threatens the health and independence of all Americans. Even if you live in a state where abortion rights are upheld, access to safe medical procedures shouldn’t be determined by location, and it shouldn't be the privilege of a small few. You can help by donating to local abortion funds. To find out where to donate for each state, visit donations4abortion.com. If you or someone you know needs help, or if you want to get more involved, here are 5 resources: 1. ShoutYourAbortion.com is a campaign to normalize abortion. 2. DontBanEquality.com is a campaign for companies to take a stand against abortion restrictions. 3. Abortion.cafe has information about where to find clinics. 4. PlanCPills.org provides early at-home abortion pills that you can keep in your medicine cabinet. 5. Choice.CRD.co has a collection of these resources and more. We encourage you to speak up! And spread the word.

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
Podsights - https://podsights.com/privacy