Apple continue to make podcasting their bitch. With the recent publication of updated podcasting guidelines, for the first time they’re being clear about what might get you barred from the iTunes store and suggest ways you might get round it. If (like me) you’re not in iTunes - this is gold.
Your podcast may be rejected for a variety of reasons, including but not limited to:
- Technical problems, usually the lack of episodes or the inability to download or play episodes. These problems can almost always be avoided by testing your feed using Subscribe to Podcast in the Advanced menu prior to submission.
- Strong prevalence of sexual content.
- Use of explicit language in the title or description of the podcast.
- Use of explicit language in the podcast when the tag is not set to “yes”.
- Apparent misuse of copyrighted material or other violation of third party rights.
- Inclusion of offensive material, such as racist content or child pornography.
I’d like to make a funny child-porn reference but some people think that’s impossible so I won’t. Anyway, child-porn’s like golf, terrible to watch, fascinating… (okay I’m sorry, and now being investigated by the FBI. Fuck it. PINNACLE/NUCFLASH!)
More worryingly (and hypocritically) Apple have added more proprietary ’stuff’ onto their iTunes podcast specification. That’s the kind of stunt Microsoft gets slammed for, and means that Apple’s now encouraging people to produce podcasts which only don’t meet open-standards. Sucky and stupid Apple. Please try to remain the cool kids.
Some of you might remember me suggesting that the current ‘iPod with video’, isn’t ‘the video iPod’ in October last year (if you don’t, go back and memorize the rest of SugarBank immediately.) It’s an opinion which is gaining traction, as is the belief that we’ll have iPods with wireless capabilities soon.
For podnographers, that means that a PSP matching 16:9 screen is just around the corner, ready to download Pixar movies and get another 20% of Mandingo (your momma might know him as ‘Big Dick Fred’) into every frame. If you’re thinking about videocasting (or doing it already) now’s a good time to go wide (just not goatse.cx wide).
It makes me wonder why I’m still allowed in there (and Kitka, and Violet, and Nova & Atticus, and many others…), and how many sex podcasters didn’t make it in. I’ve heard rumor of a “cut-off” sometime late ‘05, after which Apple declined all sex-related podcasts. Did you get any complaints? Apple’s been decent with me so far, even removing a review after I registered a complaint that it was libelous (apparently, they agreed with me, as they took it down). But I know they’ve kicked off the Insane Films video feed, which only occasionaly is smutty.
Thanks for the tipoffs, Sam. Now I’ll have to save up for a camera that supports widescreen…
Melissa, it’s not timing - I was in out there before Kitka. It can’t be explicitness as I’m certainly not leading the pack there (or matching the online fantasies of Violet for example). No complaints, no contact. I think, in my case, it’s just one persons opinion (unfortunately). However, the Sugar shall rise…