Word up for the Libsyn lot – it’s about to get really, really hot in here.
I’ve been watching with interest the incredible evolution of Blubrry, creators of the definitive WordPress podcasting plugin PowerPress and a solid media analytics platform.
Under the watchful eye of RawVoice CEO Todd Cochrane, Blubrry has been pretty agile in the podcasting marketplace, growing fans and friends with versatile tools and, according to Art of Podcasting, super-stellar customer care.
Where Blubrry has played a master hand is in luring folks in with premium quality tools at zero cost. You sometimes feel like you have to jump through rings to actually pay them for something, although they have offered an alternative to Libsyn in the paid-for media storage stakes up until now.
Now Blubrry’s parent company RawVoice seems to have Libsyn back in its sights as it prepares to launch Cue Too, a premium content storage, hosting and management service.
Cue Too is so fresh, it’s not even out the oven yet though Cochrane estimates a summer launch – and testers of the service are presently being engaged.
And at the same time, it seems like the world of podcasting is readying for a square-off. It’s clear that Libsyn isn’t the only company being sequestered for a Blubrry bunfight – Cochrane even has Apple in his eye as he shot down the iTunes Store as the dominant force in the podcast directory game.
Cochrane told members of LinkedIn’s Podcasting Technology Resource Group: “So far as iTunes goes they have become largely a minor player in the scheme of new media.
“Their market share of subscriptions has dropped every year. There are now over 115 devices capable of subscribing to shows outside of iTunes If content creators have only focused on iTunes as a subscriber base they have left over 100 device users in the cold.
“With out premium service folks will have their own private cue [sic] of subscriptions that they will be able to access on nearly any device or flat screen.
“[Cue Too] will be a dedicated site for premium content. Plus a ppv component on set top boxes like the Roku.
“The way Media is being consumed now has long shifted. Of the 7000 or so shows that use our stats service we see the big picture and have been trying to educate content creators for a long time as how media is being consumed has changed dramatically.”
What do you think? Are we readying for a podcasting revolution?
