What is a podcast and how does it work?

Today podcasts offer a convenient and engaging way to consume audio content, and they cover a wide range of topics, from news and politics to comedy and culture. It also has a fascinating history. It is a story of how innovation often happens at the intersection of different technologies and ideas. It’s inventors saw the potential of new technologies like the RSS feed and cable modems to disrupt the status quo and create new opportunities for audio distribution. Read on…

What is a podcast?

In simpler terms, a podcast is an audio program, an mp3 file, that you can download and listen to at your convenience. This means that you can listen to podcasts on your commute, at the gym, or while doing chores. You can also listen to them offline, so you don’t need to have an internet connection.

Podcasts are typically delivered as a series of MP3 audio files, which you can download to your computer or mobile device. Once you’ve downloaded an episode, you can listen to it as many times as you want.

Podcasts have a number of advantages over other forms of audio media, such as streaming music services. First, they allow you to listen to content on your own schedule. Second, they offer a wider range of content, including niche topics that may not be covered by other media outlets. Third, they are typically more affordable than streaming music services.

Podcasts are a global phenomenon today, and India is no exception. In the US there are more than 100 million Americans who listen to podcasts. While there is no official metric to track podcast listeners in India, the listener base for audio programs was approximately 90 million in 2022. This number is expected to grow rapidly in the coming years, as more and more Indians discover the convenience and value of podcasts.

Here are some of the reasons why podcasts are so popular:

Podcast Listeners (Key Statistics)

According to the latest available data, there are 464.7 million worldwide podcast listeners. That equates to 22% of all internet users.

What is a Podcast RSS Feed? Why You Need It, How To Get It ?

You’ve probably heard the term “RSS” before, but do you know what it stands for or how it works?

RSS, or Really Simple Syndication, is a web feed that allows users to subscribe to and receive updates from their favorite websites and podcasts.

RSS feeds are made up of XML files that contain information about the latest content published on a website or podcast. This information can include the title of the content, the author, a description, and a link to the full content.

When you subscribe to an RSS feed, your RSS reader or podcast app will periodically check the feed for updates. If there is new content, the RSS reader or podcast app will download it and notify you.

RSS feeds are essential for podcasting because they allow listeners to subscribe to their favorite podcasts and automatically receive new episodes when they are published. This means that listeners can stay up-to-date on their favorite podcasts without having to manually check for updates.

To subscribe to a podcast’s RSS feed, you will need to find the feed’s URL. This URL is typically listed on the podcast’s website or in the podcast’s description on podcast listening apps. Once you have the feed’s URL, you can add it to your RSS reader or podcast app.

Once you have subscribed to a podcast’s RSS feed, you will be able to listen to new episodes as soon as they are published. This is a great way to stay up-to-date on your favorite podcasts and never miss an episode.

Who invented podcasting?

The term Podcast is a combination of iPod + Broadcast (podcast). Podcasting started as mostly an independent way for individuals to get their message out there and build a community of people with similar interests.

One of the co-inventors of podcasting Adam Curry (a former MTV video jockey and the Podfather) had approached a software developer Dave Winer for developing a technology that could help download an audio or video file over slow DSL internet connections.

In 2000, Adam, who was a big fan of Winer’s work on RSS pitched to Dave the idea of using blogging technology to distribute digital audio files. Adam had even rewritten some of Dave’s RSS code to support the idea of distributing audio instead of text: audio blogging.

This is recounted in Winer’s October 21, 2000 blog post called ‘Virtual Bandwidth’. Dave had been an early pioneer in blogging, having created RSS. Dave basically invented blogging as we know it by creating the systems that made it possible and later, with Adam’s help integrated audio into the RSS feed.

What was the first podcast ever?

The first podcast actually occurred on January 20th, 2001. It was a podcast ‘Grateful Dead’ song in a feed, created by Dave Winer, the inventor of RSS. But whenever people argue about the first podcast, they usually land on Chris Lydon’s recording of the first episode of the audio program ‘Open Source’ on July 9th, 2003. But that’s not the whole story. Lydon explains the technology here.