In seventeen episodes my long-dormant podcast, Podnography, never broke into iTunes, but found thousands of listeners by other means. I wanted to benefit from iTunes and hoped the re-launched show (which is still coming soon…) would be accepted. Apple never confirmed it was discriminating against sexy shows but a lot of sex-podcasters experienced huge trouble getting listed in iTunes directory. I assumed I was just unlucky. Sadly, it’s getting harder to believe Apple’s anti-sex stance is accidental.
Ellie alerted me to this sign of a possible policy change in the ’secret-because-we-can’ world of Apple. Have any other sex podcasters recently lost their place in iTunes?
Apple’s dominance of the podcast space mean those who are in iTunes often rely on it to a frightening degree. Their marketing and promotion begin and end with iTunes and if ejected, they find themselves without any kind of audience at all. Marketing a podcast without iTunes is possible. Perhaps it’s worth a more detailed discussion here…
Perhaps nothing - I for one would love to hear what you’ve got to share on the subject.
Is anyone really surprised at this move? Violet Blue’s podcast mysteriously disappered from the itunes directory a while back. Only fan protests got it reinstated. Apple never explained what happened and now we know why.
That’s the problem with a delivery service as popular as itunes for podcasts. It has quickly become a ‘choke point’ that those who are uncomfortable with alternative lifestyles (could it be Jobs himself ?) can attack.
I use Juice Reciever as my podcast aggragator for the free and unfettered access to any feed I chose. Use whatever podcatcher you want, but for god’s sake the handwritting is on the wall. Get away from itunes. Run don’t walk.
My first comment got eaten and disappeared - so I guess I should consider that a chance to write this one a little better than the first… and to copy and paste before hitting Submit…
For all of Apple’s “Think Different” marketing, they are still clearly a corporation with a bottom line. They also happen to be a corporation with a big influence on the “live or die” elements of podcasting and podcasters.
Largely due to Apple, podcasts have become increasingly mainstream to the point where other coprorations and big media are seeing potential and flooding the net with podcasts of their own. I think Apple’s rationale for all of this is that if CNN wants to advertise their podcast on iTunes - they likely don’t want it alongside a podcast whose main topic is ass-eating (their loss). My biggest surprise is that Apple took this long to start weeding the sex from the catalog.
However, in the area of sex podcasting, I’m not sure their sudden (or not so sudden) change in policy will hurt the good sex podcasts out there.
If the Internet has taught us anything, it’s that the sex will be found by those who want to find it.
The average listener of the sex podcast (I’m differentiating between the actual listeners and the surfers looking for streaming porn or what have you) is likely fairly intelligent and net savvy and likely awash with the expectation that you have to go looking for the good stuff on the Net. This is not new to most of us.
When I first discovered Podnography (in the name of all that’s indecent get that podcast going again!), it immediately gained some credibility with me even before the first listen because it WASN’T on iTunes. Anything I would see on iTunes I would immediately (rightly or wrongly) assume was more commerical and certainly more watered-down than what I could find elsewhere. Watered down being the difference between “try bringing a peacock feather to bed for fun” and “just bring the whole damned peacock”.
Also, in addition to yours, I found Fetish Flame, Sex is Fun, Open Source Sex and a few others completley without iTunes.
I think my point is that the audience you’re likely shooting for will know they have to go looking for the quality stuff - and appreciate it that much more when they find it. I’m much more loyal to podcasts I’ve found on my own than the stuff iTunes throws at me.
I freely admit, I’m an outsider looking in on this one. So please Sam - berate accordingly!
Apple will do what they do - they’ll cowtow to the bigger forces of “family friendly” (remember iPod porn?) and there’s precious little anyone can do about it - it sucks - but welcome to the theocratization of America. But I don’t think it’ll hurt the good sex podcasts much at all…. the best stuff at a restaurant isn’t on the menu - but the people in the know know how to ask for it!
Great blog - lotta fun!
J
Okay - clearly worthy of a little more discussion. Podnography will return…
I’ve just been checking the iTunes podcast specs for a client, and it now states…
“Your podcast may be rejected for a variety of reasons, including but not limited to…Strong prevalence of sexual content.”
From this page:
http://www.apple.com/itunes/podcasts/techspecs.html
P Farnell - That’s truly sad. Thanks for eliminating any doubt on that though…
Sam. I had deleted your feed since there were no new podcast. Now, however, I read you intend to resume casting. I’ve resubscribed and i’m anxiously awaiting new shows.