Podcasting burst onto the media landscape in the early 2000s. At the time, there were hopes it might usher in a new wave of amateur and professional cultural production and represent an alternate model for how to produce, share, circulate, and experience new voices and perspectives. Twenty years later, podcasting is at a critical juncture in its relatively young history: a moment where the early ideals of open standards and platform-neutral distribution are giving way to services that prioritize lean-back listening and monetizable media experiences.   

This book provides an accessible and comprehensive account of one of digital media’s most vibrant formats. Focusing on the historical changes shaping podcasts as a media format, the book explores the industrial, technological, and cultural components of podcasting alongside case studies of various podcasts, industry publications, and streaming audio platforms (e.g. Spotify, Google, and Apple Podcasts). Jeremy Wade Morris argues that as streaming platforms push to make podcasting more industrialized, accessible, user-friendly, and similar to other audio media like music or audiobooks, they threaten podcasting’s early, though always unrealized, promises.

This is the go-to introduction for students and researchers of media, communication, and cultural studies, as well as readers who enjoy making and listening to podcasts.

Jeremy Wade Morris is Professor in Media and Cultural Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.