This article presents an exploratory, empirical investigation of one under-studied type of user-generated content: independent audio podcasting. While other forms of user-generated content, particularly blogging, have received significant attention from scholars, research on podcasting, particularly on podcasters themselves, is still uncommon. I address this gap through the development of a preliminary profile of independent podcasters and their motivations for podcasting. Results from a web-based qualitative questionnaire indicate that podcasters fit the profile of Pro-Ams (older, educated, professional males) working primarily in the niche markets of the long tail. The study found six major categories of motivations for podcasting: technology/media, content, interpersonal, personal, process, and financial. Comparisons are also drawn between motivations of the podcasters reported in this study and previous research on the motivations of bloggers.

Doing radio, making friends, and having fun: Exploring the motivations of independent audio podcasters

This article presents the results of a follow-up study examining the motivations of independent podcasters. Results from a web-based survey found that podcasting continues to be dominated by educated, professional males over 30, most of whom are not podcasting full-time. Podcasters are highly engaged with their audiences and continue to seek new business models to support potential full-time podcasting. Motivations for podcasting are consistent with the theory of produsage, which stresses the importance of community, feedback, and continual improvement. Podcasters take their activities seriously and see podcasting as an alternative to traditional radio.

Why Pod? Further Explorations of the Motivations for Independent Podcasting

Communication in History: Technology, Culture, Society.

Sonic Boom : Napster, MP3, and the New Pioneers of Music

The Apple iPod has not only become a ‘must have’ style accessory for the ‘wirefree’ generation but has also revolutionized the way we consume music. At the time of writing, (November 2005) the revolution has already started in the audio world, and has been going for the last 18 months. ‘Podcasting’ allows anyone with a PC to create a ‘radio’ programme and distribute it freely, through the internet to the portable MP3 players of subscribers around the world. Podcasting not only removes global barriers to reception but, at a stroke, removes key factors impeding the growth of internet radio: its portability, its intimacy and its accessibility. This is a scenario where audiences are producers, where the technology we already have assumes new roles and where audiences, cut off from traditional media, rediscover their voices.

Will the iPod Kill the Radio Star? Profiling Podcasting as Radio

There are a number of communication technologies that challenge analog broadcasting; mainly digital broadcasting, mobile phone networks and various types of audiovisual media on the Internet. Compared to the old broadcasting paradigm, these media have better sound and image quality, more versatile reception features, and interactive services for listeners. But is there an improvement in the opportunities for audience participation? This article evaluates a number of different media platforms according to the terms of access set by providers and the techniques of participation available for citizens. We conclude that two-way contact in digital communication systems is accompanied by more detailed registration and data about the individuals who communicate, and we consider this an irresolvable dilemma when using digital media for individual participation in public communication.

Marko Ala-Fossi D.Soc.Sc.

Papers

The Next Generation Platform: Comparing Audience Registration and Participation in Digital Sound Media