Diary of a Podcaster Part 13
I made a hard decision today. I cancelled my Podbean subscription and have effectively closed the Contains Moderate Peril podcast. Despite relaunching the show last September, I simply haven’t had the time to collate content for discussion or organise recording sessions with co-hosts. Hence, we are now two months into 2018 and a new show has not yet been produced. Furthermore, the listener numbers for the episode posted between September and December last year were disappointing. Upon mature reflection, I have reached the conclusion that the podcast peaked in 2014 when we had a strong and established audience. Rather than chase my own tail trying to recapture something that may well have been a product of circumstance, it seems prudent to finally draw a line under this show. I’m a little sad about this situation, as it does feel like the end of a personal era, but it is time to move on.
Although I am done with the Contains Moderate Peril podcast, this doesn’t mean that I’m done with podcasting. It does however present me with a particular conundrum to solve. I am still very keen on participating in a weekly show. I feel that I can contribute on a multitude of subjects and can bring a lot of podcasting experience to any show. The thing is I don’t want to be involved on the production side of things anymore. I’ve been podcasting for over a decade and have always been responsible for the editing and other aspects of post-production during that time. It has often been a labour of love, monopolising hours of time. I now want to just contribute towards a show. Just turn up when required, participate in the recording and then go. So, for the present, I’m actively looking for a regular slot on someone else’s show. Ironically this is how I got into podcasting in the first place. I contacted Brian back in 2009 and effectively invited myself onto his show, Mordor or Bust. Perhaps I can do the same again.
In the meantime, as I’ve cancelled the hosting package I had with Podbean, it’s only a matter of time before all the previously published shows become unavailable. I have a sneaking suspicion that this may happen sooner, rather than later. As I think it’s unprofessional to have a page of dead links, I may republish directly to the blog, some of what I consider to be the best episodes of both Contains Moderate Peril and The Burton & Scrooge Podcast. Although I don’t think there’s a major audience for these, I feel that there should be some representation of what amounts to a decade worth or work. Whether people deem them good or bad, I, Brian and sundry guests put a lot of love into each episode. Plus, if I intend to hawk my services as a podcaster to others, then it is practical to have some proof of credentials. So, if anyone is looking for a mature and seasoned podcaster to contribute to their show, let me know. I’m looking for a new podcasting home.
The initial podcast boom, which began circa 2005, started as an audio only medium. One of the reasons podcasting became so popular, especially among the fan community, was that you could get away with relatively low production standards. Anyone who had access to a basic microphone and a PC, could produce a show and upload it to iTunes, which was the primary platform at the time. Listeners were forgiving back then. Twenty years later and podcasting has been on a tempestuous journey. It started with the medium being accessible and democratised, sustaining a rich and diverse fan community via non-professional productions. However, slowly and inevitably it has been assimilated by corporate interests. Fan podcasts have given way to podcast production companies. The small, micro-budget, indie show has effectively been thrown out of their own party. Such shows still exist but they struggle to be heard.