Who Owns Your Podcast?

The more popular podcasting gets and the more money that’s generated ownership of the show or shows is going to become a bigger issue. Not only on the digital server circuit but radio and television companies that are enforcing talent to begin a journey through this ever changing atmosphere of free talk.
Which should be a serious eye opener for the talent. All of that planning, performing, producing and promoting looks good on the site but look deeper into the plan you signed with Spreaker, Soundcloud, iTunes, Anchor.fm, Podomatic and others.
Each time you upload an episode you’re pretty much giving your art away. They can use it any way they want. Which includes attaching commercials to beef up their revenue. They have the final say as to who gets to play game and who’s forfeiting the team jersey because all that was agreed upon was broken.
It happened to me with Soundcloud. I have conversations with musicians all day. Rather than upload dry vocals, the goal was to create full shows that feature song hooks. Three to seven seconds. Soundcloud took the show down. Although I was interviewing the artists that created the music. In their eyes and ears I was breaking copyright laws. The mission was to generate a connection with listeners who’d buy the music. Because my email address had changed I wasn’t getting their warnings therefore they assumed I was ignoring them. Gone! I’ve tried to reach out numerous times to plead my case and to this day nobody from Soundcloud has returned an email or physical call.
Look at the small print Podcasters! They’re trying to be fair to the artists and other creative people.
Does this mean they own your show? They own the data space you’re using up. You’re on their playground which means they can take the ball and tell you to go home.
Ownership of the podcast has turned me into a monster. It’s no different than Metallica dropping tracks for a new album and by the time they get home it’s already on the internet. Sadly though we’ve evolved into this era of all things belong to everyone.
Which is why I strongly suggest that you locate as many digital outlets to post your shows. Don’t just shoot for the big ones like iHeart, Spotify and Pandora. Plant those vocal vibes on every page you can find and don’t get pissed off is someone doesn’t ask for permission to post your creations.
Your one and only job is to get those numbers up. To push your show into the deep end of the pool. I’d say the only thing you truly own is the choice to do another episode.
If you stop showing up. So will your followers.
It wouldn’t surprise me if the giants of podcasting don’t one day soon pull of what Netflix recently did with a huge list of their original shows. If you don’t have the numbers and or interest to get better not on my time or dime.
Another type of ownership issue that could very easily ruff up some feathers is between the radio and television talent with their parent companies. If you’re voicing and producing your podcast within their four walls and it’s being posted to their pages. That pretty much says it belongs to them. If there’s a break up in the marriage they can keep the name and you’ve got to start over again.
Pay close attention to your station contract. If it’s not already happening, I’m sure we’re within inches of GM’s and PD’s telling the talent that their daily expectations include a fully produced podcast and we’re not talking a best of show.
iHeart Radio has posted in big bright letters how they’re the number one place for podcasts. When I started doing mine in 2012 inside their beautiful studios such behavior was looked upon as being an object we can’t explain don’t let it get in the way of your real job. Bob Pitman and company have done a fine job lifting the level of the podcast performance.
But who owns Will Ferrell’s podcast show? What about Chelsea Handler? As entertainers, creators, messengers and providers we’re gonna have to pay close attention to this ever changing platform. That wide open space once free of big business and decision makers is quickly shaping a new frontier and with it comes rules and consultants that could very easily start controlling how you deliver your word. If you don’t like their approach? It’s their platform.
The moral of today’s story is simple… Go into every episode knowing once you put it up, it belongs to world. My download numbers are totally rocking it. One side of my ego is digging the attention while the other side is injured cuz everybody’s getting it free.
Remember. When it comes to ownership. The only thing you control is the decision to do another episode.