Have we reached “peak podcast”?

Podcasts can be great if you’re on a long drive, ironing clothes or putting the dinner on. The idea is great and some of them are excellent.

Is it sustainable though to have so many of them? Seems like everyone and his mother are launching one these days - most of them are just podcasters going around interviewing other podcasters and asking each other all the same questions.

Like is there a market for all these or is it just the last of the cheap venture capital washing its way through podcast startups?

The reason I ask is that I see Joe Brolly is the latest fella to launch one. Does the world need another boring middle-aged white dude who thinks he is some sort of philosopher snorting into a mic and guffawing with his guests as they tell the same old stories and anecdotes?

I’m not so sure.

Brussels Sprout

I made the switch from radio to podcasts about 8 years ago now. I think they're great purely because you can hone in on exactly your interests.

I do know what you mean though. I think it's basically like a lot of things. A small number of them at the top will get all of the listeners and sponsorship/Patreon money and the vast majority will be glorified hobbies with very few listeners.

Does the world need another boring middle-aged white dude who thinks he is some sort of philosopher snorting into a mic and guffawing with his guests as they tell the same old stories and anecdotes?

I think the market will take care of itself. I don't think that it's anywhere near saturation point yet though. I know loads of people who have no idea what a podcast is or how they work

bucketybuck

Does the world need another boring middle-aged white dude who thinks he is some sort of philosopher snorting into a mic and guffawing with his guests as they tell the same old stories and anecdotes?

But enough about Boards.ie

Poorside

Hmm, this a great idea for a podcast.

Mo Ghile Mear

There’s some woeful tripe out there now.

HalloweenJack

Its like anything, really: there's loads of choice out there and you need to sift through them to get to the good stuff.

As another poster mentioned, you can find some niche topics that it used to be harder to find.

There are sometimes when they have special guests and it gets a bit repetitive alright.

I'd recommend Blurini Bealoidis, Irish History, Eddie Lenihan's one, Manchan Magan, Blindboy and Censored.

Slideways

Blind boy?!?

I’d rather shít in my hands and clap

Love podcasts. Enough choice out there to avoid the soap boxing ones. Currently listening to The Coming Storm (about January 6th '21, on BBC Sounds).

I don't usually like the ones with people having a chat. Although I like the Louis Theroux ones.

I find Blindboy too preachy. A social issues geared one, which I find excellent though, is The Two Norries.

Hangdogroad

Blindboy reminds me a lot of Boards dude Abominable Dr Phibes.

El_Duderino 09

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120399302#Comment_120399302

Don't listen to it then. I don't really see the problem with the market becoming saturated because I don't have to listen to the ones that don't interest me.

I've no dea if we need a Joe Brolly podcast. I probably won't listen to it and people who are interested in it will listen.

I'd never listen to a podcast out loud (except in the shower) so it's a totally personal experience. I don't have to listen to my Mrs podcast if it doesn't interest me and she doesn't have to listen to mine.

I suppose my point is, what difference does it make if there are loads of podcasts you don't like? You'll never have to listen to them.

85603

Peak podcast was achieved when Louis CK, Patrice, Jim Norton and Anthony were together on O&A.

Around this same time Artie was still on Stern.

This would soon all change with the death of Patrice, the firing of Artie and the subsequent loss of his nose.

Followed by the firing of the firing of obersturmfuhrer Anthony. And the cancellation of Louis.

The golden age was over.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120400185#Comment_120400185

You’ll have to explain that in a bit more detail, my friend. Don’t see the similarities at all.

Anyway, moving on, I see Tommy Tiernan has put his podcast on hiatus. Doesn’t surprise me - Tiernan is best enjoyed in small doses.

retalivity

A 'live' version of Gary Neville's podcast sold out the 3 Arena on thursday night, €40 a ticket, there's serious money in it if it takes off. That said, I can't believe thousands actually paid it, fools and their money etc.

Seneca the Stoic

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058289691/have-we-reached-peak-podcast

It’s like books, movies etc. People will gravitate towards what they like and filter out the rest. And with respect, not sure what a person’s skin colour has to do with it 🤔

riclad

there seems to be a 100 podcasts which feature actors, comedians promoting their latest show, film .the golden age is now, Almosy any actor or comedian can launch a podcast now .its like music, most of the money is made by the top 1 per cent .many bbc radio shows are avaidable as a podcast

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/podcasts

briany

Blindboy (a few backs are up already) is right about one thing, and that is that podcasts have completely outflanked 'old media' in terms of in-depth conversations. It seems an anachronism in this day and age to have everything to a time slot and itemised. It's like a figurative straight jacket in many ways. A podcast can go for as long or as short as it wants to. Conversations tend to end when they arrive at a natural conclusion when it comes to podcasts, but are crammed into a very shallow 5-10 minutes on a radio broadcast.

kippy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120400786#Comment_120400786

Gary Neville, Jamie Carragher, Roy Keane and a guest appearance from Paul McGrath. I dunno getting those guys talking for a period of time on stage is decent entertainment. These days forty bucks for something like that is a steal.

As someone said above the thing with podcasts is you can hone in on your interests and avoid the rest. I don't generally see the harm once no laws are being broken and as someone else said the market will decide if there's space for more.

The only one I've ever paid for is the second captain's but haven't been subscribed on a while. There's only so much sports chat one can take.

the_amazing_raisin

Podcasting, like streaming and blogging, has really become a victim of it's own success. It's a very easy and accessible way to start your own show

I have mixed feelings on this, for example it's great to have some niche topics get some airtime instead of just being consigned to the ignore pile

However I do feel like some topics are seriously saturated with podcasts and it's quite hard to see the appeal of one over another (generally current affairs and politics are good examples of this)

What probably bugs me most about podcasts is the sameness between so many of them

Why do almost all podcasts have some sort of light jazz intro for example?

And why do so many presenters speak too close to the microphone? I don't want to hear the spit coming out of their mouth with every word 😕

I find a lot of podcasts also tend to be echo chambers of a single viewpoint. That's really just an extension of the way media is in general these days, but it would be good to hear some cross examination

Not saying every podcast should be an argument between both sides of an issue, I understand they have a topic they want to cover. But it would be great to hear some more questions and fact checking going on than just everyone nodding to what the podcaster is saying

I think the best ones are the straight up documentary style - Real Dictators, The Rest is History, Doc on One etc. Usually professionally produced, well researched, regular schedule.

The ones there are far too many of these days are those that have a load of bores taking an interesting topic and then spending 4 hours fake laughing at each others terrible jokes. A lot of American podcasts these days follow that format. Joe Rogan talking about doing mushrooms and why he used to be a liberal type of thing. Awful.

The Blindboy interviewing Russell Brand, Russell Brand interviewing Blindboy, Russell Brand interviewing Joe Wick, Joe Wick interviewing Blindboy type thing is what I don't think is sustainable. It's pretty much the same auld shíte every week. Same questions, same opinions, same long pauses before they give the same deeply profound answer they gave on another podcast the week before. Boring.

Cannot stand those ones with clowns just giggling and getting drunk/stoned. Disrespectful to the listener. And extremely disrespectful if it's true crime/unsolved cases.

Tork

The ones I avoid like the plague are the ones that consistently go on for more than an hour or so. Even though there is a lot to be said for this longer form of talk radio, there comes a point where it becomes self-indulgent. Regardless of whether we've hit peak podcast or not, there are only so many of them that humans can listen to.

Hangdogroad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120400475#Comment_120400475

The time he stated that its sexist to dislike the Kardashians. Reminds me of your regular spirited defense of Vogue et al.

My answer is yes OP

& in fact I think we’re nearing the end of peak Internet. Most people now only go on the internet because they are addicted but more & more are breaking it because of what others here have replied to.

Ads everywhere

Pure nonsense content

Takes up so much wasted time

Pushing narratives & contradicting content etc

A good few people I no have & are starting to go the old school route to see.

Arghus

I listen to podcasts all the time and I think they're fantastic, but I can not for the life of me understand why anyone would pay money to go see a live recording of one.

pappyodaniel

"Does the world need another boring middle-aged white dude who thinks he is some sort of philosopher snorting into a mic and guffawing with his guests as they tell the same old stories and anecdotes?"

Why is it important to mention his skin colour?

thomil

I think peak podcast was reached a few years back already, when corporations got in on the action to waffle endlessly about themselves and their products. It's become a joke at this point, everyone and their dog seems to have one of those, and in many cases, the respective canine is easier to listen to than the actual podcast host.

Worse than that though, I find most podcasts to be just an incredibly lazy bit of content on part of the podcaster in question. With regular blogs, YouTube videos and similar content, you need to think ahead and plan quite a bit to get even a relatively simple video up. speaking from first-hand experience in both cases there. Now granted, the documentary-style podcasts require that as well, but the interview podcasts are just recorded and uploaded with minimal editing from what I've seen. Hell, even content for TikTok, an app that I despise with all the fury of a supernova, requires more planning...

El_Duderino 09

Ah, you could also ask if we have reached peak book. The same solution works for podcasts, books, TV series, documentaries etc. Just use the ones you want and don't bother about the rest.

Lots of podcasts are great but i get used to the format and stop listening. Stuff You Should Know is an example. Great show and I'd recommend it to anyone who hasn't listened before. But I don't listen anymore and that's grand.

There's no test of what you've learned or reward for listening to every episode of a podcast. You just listen to the ones that interest you and delete the rest.

I haven't listened to radio in years but I listen to the odd Moncrieff segment and ignore the rest. Who cares of there are lots of podcasts thst you don't enjoy. There are plenty to try.

Joe Brolly starts one just as his new wife takes a six month break from hers with Tommy & Hector. They must hate each other already...

For Forks Sake

#neverforget

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120402344#Comment_120402344

Sounds cool obv.

Hangdogroad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120402344#Comment_120402344

Because op thinks he's being edgy.

EmmetSpiceland

Podcasts seem to be the modern equivalent of “starting a band”. A couple of lads from the northside, or inner city, going on about how great it was back in the day, while describing things that sound anything but.

There’s a few good ones out there, alright. Some interesting, some funny, but it’s gone past ridiculous at this stage. The ones here, in particular, can’t seem to maintain momentum. Probably down to the smaller “talent pool”, so they end up hot-desking on each other’s shows.

Could, certainly, do with a cull but doesn’t look like that will happen any time soon.

Large bottle small glass

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120399340#Comment_120399340

Coming Storm is great. While reading about American politics I kept hearing about QAnon but didn't really get what it was.

That podcast got me up to speed. Really good.

End of Days about Waco Texas and David Koresh was brilliant to.

StevenToast

The OP would prefer more of this......

Never listened to an episode of it in my life, Stevo. I’d say its existence really bothers you though. I see they have sold about 50000 tickets to live performances of it so it’s obviously extremely popular.

Can’t imagine a 6 hour Blindboy featuring Joe Brolly and David McWilliams being quite as popular.

Pintman Paddy Losty

The Vogue Williams and McNally podcast is great. My wife listens to it. She played a few episodes on a long drive and I thought it was a great one. Irreverent and witty. Two great storytellers. You can imagine heading on a night out with them. Something very likeable about Vogue. She resonates especially with other strong mothers. Breath of fresh air compared to the usual Jordan Peterson, Blindboy and other manosphere idols.

hoodie6029

https://youtu.be/kMaXsOprl58

Michael Spicer satire on podcasts.

I'm bewildered at all the hostility towards Vogue, but I couldn't be listening to her podcast. And I'm the target audience. I'd say there isn't a straight man alive who would genuinely enjoy it. 😊

Hangdogroad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120405046#Comment_120405046

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120405193#Comment_120405193

Make up your mind Dude. Youve either listened to it or you haven't.

Anyways, best just to ignore the pretty weak attempts to derail what I think is a pretty interesting thread.

Listened to the first two episodes of The Coldest Case in Laramie by Serial. Suffers from the same issue as Netflix documentaries- 2 hours of material is padded out to 8 overly long episodes of mostly filler.

Pintman Paddy Losty

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120405472#Comment_120405472

You quoted two different users. Dr said he hasn't heard it. I've listened to it plenty, once on a long drive and lots of other times when my wife has it on in the background as irons.

What kind of podcasts do you like?

Pintman Paddy Losty

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120405393#Comment_120405393

Do you think all gay people have a "type" of podcast they like?

I'm very much straight and found it very funny.

Hangdogroad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120405590#Comment_120405590

I quoted two different accounts.

Dude.

mod

i will tolerate none of this accusing posters of re reg/sockpuppeting. If you suspect that report them and let the admins look into it.

If this continues beyond this warning the offenders will receive an immediate threadban and potentially a forum ban if you’ve been at it already here.

One and only warning.

CGI_Livia_Soprano

I don't really listen to a lot of podcasts, in truth I think that they are a leading cause for the fractionalisation of our culture.

While it has its faults, a society where every consumes more or less the same media leads to fewer extremists like we are seeing today with the American style "conservatives" and "liberals," reactionists, and what have you. I certainly never heard any talk about the "pussification of society" or people bragging about manly it is to smoke a cigar or eat game in Ireland prior to the rise of right-wing mouthpieces like Joe Rogan and Andrew Tate.

Even 15 odd years ago the likes of Russell Brand was this absurdist kooky comedian who was best known for prank-calling elderly men (RIP) about riding their granddaughters. Now Brand lectures people with complete falsehoods about the viability of vaccines (and other conspirary theories), and without the Broadcasting Authorities to stop him from spreading his verbose bile he is allowed to natter on about his lies with impunity. Ditto for the likes of Tate and Rogan.

I genuinely feel sorry for the people who listen to those kind of podcasts where lies are truth and hate is the status quo. In Ireland the post-covid malaise, unbridled hate towards anyone who isn't a straight and white, and hunt for "unvetted" foreign men are all directly resulting from so many confused young men listening to angry American podcasts.

in truth I'd rather listen to RTE Gold or Lyric FM than that kind of trash. At least Ryan Tubridy's never been accused of sexual assaulting anyone.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120405603#Comment_120405603

You know what you were doing. Don’t post here again.

Russell Brand always annoyed me but now he's really lost it.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120405738#Comment_120405738

He can be funny at times but it gets old when almost his entire routine is “I was mad into the drugs so I was”

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120404569#Comment_120404569

Christ almighty you’re describing the dregs of pod casting, the American comedians are on fire at the minute , way ahead of the safe space Irish /uk efforts .

American comedians that are not even advertising are selling out the 3 arena regularly and vicar street at least , no tv no radio massive sales

thegame983

I always find it interesting that people seem to know so much about podcasts that they don't like.

Why are you listening to them?

I mean I'm not going to 'hate listen' to Vogue Williams podcast. I couldn't be arsed.

CGI_Livia_Soprano

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120405785#Comment_120405785

I've tried out a lot of those American comedian podcasts and, honestly, they are all absolutely terrible. Chin-stroking musing about their creative process, referring to each other as "killers" and "murderers and non-comedians as "civilians," tedious anecdotes about touring and "eating sh!t" on the stage.

Then you actually listen to their stand up and it's the worst kind of base humour you can ever imagine. "Pussies be smelly" and all this. Absolute garbage.