It’s been almost eight years since Serial dropped. An entire industry has roared to life, drawing in Hollywood studios, corporations, celebrities, and billions of dollars. But the blockbuster podcast — a subgenre or prestige tier essential to the medium’s rise as an artistic force — is in a serious funk. Your phone is full of podcasts, I’m sure, and maybe you’ve convinced a friend to add one of your darlings to their queue. But when was the last time a single title was being dissected by everyone you know?
For some in the business, the medium’s diminishing ability to drive such moments poses an existential problem. What does it mean for podcasting as an art form if it rarely inspires widespread critical discussion?
Nicholas QuahLet me put it this way: The Bear was a hit, said Fowlkes (now a podcast talent agent with the Gernert Company), referring to the summer’s breakout TV show.It was in the conversation. Nothing in podcasting right now feels like it ripples outside of the bounds of people who already listen to podcasts.
I can’t quite grasp the reasons for this constant fretting around podcasting, and this article seems to constantly swing from concerns about podcasting as an art medium and the business side. It would seem to me that these goals are somewhat contradictory; art is not something that can be replicated with consistency by applying a set recipe, nor does it resonate with every listener the same way. Art is supposed to be special, inspiring, unique; if you set about generating art on a manufacturing line, churning out episodes for money, it loses these qualities making it distinct.
While it’s certainly possible to create art forms in this medium, I doubt the majority of the audience is here first and foremost for art. People are listening for information and entertainment – it’s no accident that the most long-lived and lucrative podcasts are basically talk shows, groups of people discussing recent events or other topics among themselves or with special guests. As for the title… newsflash, podcasting has always been just radio, upgraded in the digital age to on demand instead of live only – the same transition that happened with music, television and cinema over the past years. And these much-sought art shows are simply audio dramas delivered in podcast format.
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