Design by Pod Mirror

Gandhinagar: The Podcast Taxonomy is an international, multidisciplinary collaborative standard for recognizing roles and credits in podcast production. It is a white paper that consists of a list of roles/credits and their respective descriptions. The document aims to standardize and professionalize the podcast industry.

It is intended to be a “living, breathing document” that is routinely updated via a convention of partners throughout podcasting known as the Podcast Taxonomy Consortium.

The Podcast Taxonomy is organized by general responsibilities in the production of a podcast, including creative direction, cast, writing, audio production, audio post-production, administration, visuals, marketing and community, miscellaneous, video production, and video post-production.

Goals of the Podcast Taxonomy

The Podcast Taxonomy has three guiding goals:

1. To further professionalize the podcast industry by adopting a standard set of roles in podcast creation.
2. To help with job searching and creation in podcasting, giving networks and independent creators a common list of known roles and job descriptions.
3. To ensure the taxonomy of podcast roles is inclusive, representing people of all backgrounds, including women, people of color, and marginalized voices.

Background and Development

The Podcast Taxonomy was developed through a collaboration led by Podchaser and Staff Me Up. Representatives from across the podcasting industry organized from August 2020 to April 2022 to create the first Podcast Taxonomy. This meeting was dubbed the Podcast Taxonomy Consortium 2020.

In total, 56 participants from 40 organizations were part of the inaugural Podcast Consortium. Members spanned across several countries and diverse personal backgrounds. The Consortium drafted the first Podcast Taxonomy via an extended process consisting of a series of meetings, document collaboration, and approvals.

Key Features of the Podcast Taxonomy

• Recognizing Titles for Similar Roles (AKAs): The Taxonomy recognizes that many job titles in the podcast industry have similar roles and responsibilities. To account for this, the Taxonomy includes “also known as” (AKA) titles. These titles have emerged in different geographical locations, contexts, levels of application, and industry exposure.
• This system is designed to ensure that when someone is credited for their work, their role receives the same representation, despite having a different name. Suggestions for AKAs are considered on the basis of their application by location, usage in industry discussions, job openings, and ease of understanding.
• Community Board of Directors: With the expansion in podcast industry roles, the Podcast Taxonomy is guided by a Community Board of Directors. The members include Emilio Moreno, Amber Smith, Sandra Yee Ling, Ona Oghogho, William White, and Cole Raven.
• Living Document: The Podcast Taxonomy is designed to be a living document, which means it is updated regularly. To keep track of changes, the version number is updated and release notes are added to the end of the document. The version numbering system breaks down into three numbers. The first number represents the fundamental version of the Podcast Taxonomy. The second number represents any additions, subtractions, or significant changes to the roles. The third number represents changes that do not specifically affect the taxonomy list, such as edits to the surrounding material, typos, or the addition of a new partner

Detailed Role Descriptions

The Podcast Taxonomy categorizes roles and credits by their general responsibilities in the production of a podcast. These categories include:

Creative Direction

• Director: The Director is the head of the entire creative production, from creative details to logistics. This role is primarily seen in fiction podcasts.
• Assistant Director: The Assistant Director is a liaison between the director and the rest of the production, often coordinating the daily logistics of production. There may be multiple assistant directors on a project. This role is primarily seen in fiction podcasts.
• Executive Producer: The Executive Producer is the lead producer on a production. The role can range in terms of creative control. Executive producers may have raised the money to fund the production, but it is not a necessary responsibility of the role.
• Senior Producer: The Senior Producer is the second most senior producer of the production and supervises producers and the general direction and logistics of the entire production.
• Podcast Concept Developer: The Podcast Concept Developer is in charge of the podcast, playing the role of entrepreneur. They issue instructions to inform production through their podcast expertise and aid in brainstorming and deciding on ideas to execute. Other name(s) for this role include: Managing Producer.
• Producer: The Producer coordinates and executes the production of the podcast. Their duties can include helping craft the creative direction of a project, budgeting, research, scheduling, and overseeing editing and final production. Other name(s) for this role include: Podcast Project Manager.
• Associate Producer: The Associate Producer performs one or more producer functions as delegated to them by a Producer.
• Development Producer: The Development Producer coordinates and executes the pre-production creative direction of a podcast. Their responsibilities include finding new episode and series ideas and working with writers and researchers to prepare the concept for production.
• Creative Director: The Creative Director is responsible for the creative strategy and execution of an entire series. Often, this role reaches outside of content to affect accompanying artwork, music, marketing campaigns, and more.
• Talent Manager: The Talent Manager oversees the coordination, management, and accounts of talents, cast members, and other persons of interest within a company. This is a high-level strategy role that includes managing launch strategies, talent interactions, and more with one or more entities.

Cast

• Host: The Host is the on-air master of ceremonies of the podcast and a consistent presence on every episode. The Host’s duties may include conducting interviews, introducing stories and segments, narrating, and more. Other name(s) for this role include: Co-Host.
• Guest: The Guest is an outside party who makes an on-air appearance on an episode. They can appear as a participant in a panel, an interview subject, or temporarily perform the duties of a host, writer, or other roles outlined in the whitepaper for the duration of an episode. Other name(s) for this role include: Guest Host, Guest Writer.
• Voice Actor: The Voice Actor gives a performance in which they lend their voice to the role of a character on a podcast episode. The majority of voice acting roles are fictional, but the role may also cover reenactments of real conversations and people.
• Narrator: The Narrator gives a performance in which they tell the exposition of a fictional or non-fictional story, often in a scripted manner. Other name(s) for this role include: Imaging Voice.
• Announcer: The Announcer gives short vocal performances for the introduction of the podcast, episode topics, segments, guests, prizes, etc. The Announcer is secondary to the host of the podcast and often performs their introductions in a scripted, produced manner.
• Player: The Player gives a performance in which they participate in a longform interactive event, narrative, or game within a podcast. Other name(s) for this role include: Game Master.

Writing

• Author: The Author writes a prose or poetry originally intended for text that is now being read verbatim on air.
• Editorial Director: The Editorial Director heads all departments of the organization behind the podcast and is held accountable for delegating tasks to staff members and managing them. They are the highest-ranking editor and are responsible for the direction, accuracy, and decisions behind podcast content.
• Writer: The Writer has written the story or dialogue of a podcast. They are often involved in the creative arc of a production, but this is not a necessary requirement.
• Songwriter: The Songwriter has written the lyrics and/or accompanying music to an original song created for the podcast and played on an episode. Other name(s) for this role include: Lyricist.
• Story Editor: The Story Editor is responsible for broad stroke direction of the story arc and character development of a podcast. Often seen in fiction and documentary podcasts.
• Managing Editor: The Managing Editor oversees and coordinates the podcast’s editorial activities, providing both detailed editing and managing a staff of writers and editors to ensure proper deadlines and budgets are being met.
• Script Editor: The Script Editor provides notes and editing to the recording script in a very “hands-on” role.
• Script Coordinator: The Script Coordinator packages the final script with annotations that reflect specific logistics and creative cues for recording and production.
• Researcher: The Researcher coordinates the sourcing and verification of information that can then be used for the content of a podcast episode, often informing the direction of a story based on new insights uncovered.
• Editor: The Editor reviews and prepares scripts for conveying information in a creative, accurate, and engaging manner.
• Fact Checker: The Fact Checker reviews the content of a podcast for factual correctness and verifies that quote attribution is correct.
• Translator: The Translator converts content from one language to another for the podcast.
• Transcriber: The Transcriber turns dialogue and audio cues into text, which can be used internally for production processes, marketing purposes or displayed publicly for listeners.
• Logger: The Logger reviews and documents the contents and timestamps of raw audio in service of producers and editors in the production process.

Audio Production

• Studio Coordinator: The Studio Coordinator manages the recording studio and audio technicians working within the studio at the time of recording.
• Technical Director: The Technical Director oversees the podcast’s recording and production as it is involved with audio technologies, including hardware and software, and managing roles involved in these areas.
• Technical Manager: The Technical Manager coordinates a team of audio engineers and studio staff in the recording and production as it is involved with audio technologies, including hardware and software.
• Audio Engineer: The Audio Engineer helps record and produce audio by setting up recording environments, monitoring recording, and providing technical adjustments throughout.
• Remote Recording Engineer: The Remote Recording Engineer ensures the proper recording of conversations taking place in multiple locations across a phone line or internet connection.
• Post Production Engineer: The Post Production Engineer evaluates audio technologies and their application as it pertains to the final steps of production and publication.
• Music Supervisor: The Music Supervisor is in charge of choosing, licensing, or commissioning music to be placed in podcast projects.

Audio Post-Production

• Audio Editor: The Audio Editor cuts and rearranges audio for clarity and storytelling purposes. The Audio Editor may also perform general audio processing and mastering.
• Sound Designer: The Sound Designer creates and composes a variety of audio elements. These elements are mostly secondary to speech, but a Sound Designer may creatively edit/produce speech elements in an artist manner.
• Foley Artist: The Foley Artist creates sound effects for a podcast and can do so both via physical recording and digital processing, or a combination of the two.
• Composer: The Composer writes an original musical piece (or multiple) that is played on the published episode.
• Theme Music: Theme Music is a musical piece that accompanies the podcast across multiple episodes, most often at the beginning of an episode. This role is for the creator of the theme music.
• Music Production: The Music Production role helps craft music in a role separate from the writing of said music. Music Production often involves creative decisions per the method in which music is recorded, the arrangement of instruments, the use of effects, and more.
• Music Contributor: The Music Contributor is the creator of music that was used for the podcast but not necessarily produced specifically for the podcast.

Administration

• Production Coordinator: The Production Coordinator is responsible for managing the logistics of the production process from recording to publication.
• Production Assistant: The Production Assistant helps support an executive member of a podcast, helping prepare them in a variety of ways including scheduling, logistics, communications, and more.
• Booking Coordinator: The Booking Coordinator is responsible for bringing on new guests for interviews, including sourcing guests, scheduling interviews, onboarding materials, and post-publication processes.
• Sales Representative: The Sales Representative is responsible for monetization of podcast content through managing and selling advertising inventory.
• Sales Manager: The Sales Manager is responsible for all aspects of podcast monetization.

Marketing and Community

• Content Manager: The Content Manager is responsible for the distribution of a podcast’s content within and related to each episode.
• Community Manager: The Community Manager aids in managing, moderating, and ensuring smooth onboarding for a podcast’s closed community.
• Marketing Manager: The Marketing Manager is responsible for the promotion of a podcast’s content through various awareness strategies. Also known as: Podcast Marketing Coordinator, Podcast Marketer.
• Social Media Manager: The Social Media Manager runs the social media accounts of the podcast.

Visuals

• Graphic Designer: The Graphic Designer is someone who has created custom visuals to accompany the podcast in a variety of ways.
• Cover Art Designer: The Cover Art Designer creates the displayed cover art of a podcast or episode.

Miscellaneous

• Consultant: A Consultant is a third-party position where someone from outside the organization works on a project, often offering a specific expertise.
• Intern: An Intern is an apprentice position where someone works for a limited time within an organization to gain work experience in a specific field.
• Assistant: An Assistant can support podcasters in dealing with time-consuming tasks. Other name(s) for this role include: Virtual Assistant.

Video Production

• Camera Operator: A camera operator is responsible for capturing and recording all aspects of a scene for film and television.
• Lighting Designer: A lighting designer works with the DP and Director to craft a specific look and feel of a scene utilizing various lighting techniques.
• Camera Grip: A camera grip is responsible for building and maintaining all the parts of a camera and its accessories.
• Assistant Camera: 1st AC is responsible for the camera equipment, building the cameras before the start of each day, organizing all the parts and various accessories, swapping out lenses when necessary and also pulls focus for the DP and camera operators.

Video Post-Production

• Editor: Television editors are responsible for taking the shot footage and clips and blending them together to craft the director’s vision and storytelling.
• Assistant Editor: The Assistant Editor is responsible for taking the media from the set, ingesting them into the designated editing software, and organizing the footage in an efficient way for the editor.

How the Taxonomy Standardizes the Podcast Industry

The Podcast Taxonomy standardizes and professionalizes podcast roles through several key methods:

• Establishing a Standard Set of Roles and Descriptions: The Taxonomy provides a detailed list of roles and their descriptions, creating a common understanding of various positions in podcast production. This helps standardize job titles and responsibilities across the industry.
• Recognizing Multiple Titles for Similar Roles (AKAs): The Taxonomy includes “also known as” titles to account for different job titles used in various geographical locations and contexts, while unifying their responsibilities. This ensures individuals receive proper credit, regardless of the specific title used for their role.
• Providing Detailed Role Descriptions: The document offers detailed explanations for each role, outlining responsibilities, duties, and the role’s place in the production process. This helps to clarify the specific tasks and responsibilities associated with each role, leading to more consistent application across different podcasts and organizations.
• Differentiating Roles in Scripted vs. Unscripted Podcasts: The Taxonomy makes distinctions between roles depending on the podcast format, especially for the Producer and Writer roles.
• Promoting Inclusivity: The Taxonomy aims to be inclusive by representing people of all backgrounds, including women, people of color, and marginalized voices.
• Creating a Living Document: The Taxonomy is intended to be routinely updated by the Podcast Taxonomy Consortium to keep pace with the evolving industry. The version numbering system indicates the types of changes made in each update.
• Establishing a Board of Directors: A Community Board of Directors composed of key industry players guides the general direction of the Taxonomy. This ensures the taxonomy is guided by industry experts, and that it addresses the needs and concerns of the industry as a whole.

In summary, the Podcast Taxonomy standardizes roles by providing a comprehensive, detailed, and evolving framework of roles and responsibilities in podcast production.

This framework helps to unify job titles and descriptions across the industry, which in turn professionalizes the field of podcasting. The Taxonomy also includes a list of partners and organizers who are helping with this effort.

New Roles and Expanded Responsibilities in Version 1.1.0 In version 1.1.0, the Podcast Taxonomy expanded its recognition of roles and responsibilities within the industry. Specifically, nine new roles were added: Podcast Concept Developer, Talent Manager, Player, Transcriber, Music Supervisor, Booking Coordinator, Community Manager, Marketing Manager, and Consultant.

Additionally, eleven titles were added as accepted AKAs of current roles. These include: Managing Producer, Podcast Project Manager, Co-Host, Guest Host, Guest Writer, Imaging Voice, Game Master, Lyricist, Podcast Marketing Coordinator, Podcast Marketer, and Virtual Assistant. This version also further distinguished between roles based on scripted vs. unscripted format through Producer and Writer distinctions.

Future Goals

The Podcast Taxonomy has several future goals related to inclusivity and growth:

• Equitable pay/salary expectations.
• Variants for the Australian and British podcasting industries.
• Paths to take for diversity and inclusion.
• Translation into other languages.
• Scripted vs. unscripted role descriptions.
• Consideration of other taxonomies.
• Raising awareness, achieving industry adoption, and closing the feedback loop from key players in the industry.

By addressing these areas, the Podcast Taxonomy aims to not only standardize roles but also promote a more inclusive and equitable podcasting industry. The Podcast Taxonomy is intended to be a living document that is routinely updated, ensuring its continued relevance and impact.