Podcast News Round up – New Brigit’s Day Podcast Celebrates Women & More!
Welcome back to HeadStuff’s Podcast News Roundup, your go-to place for podcast news and recommendations. This week’s roundup features HeadStuff’s Podcast Of The Week and also looks at the launch of a new Brigit’s Day podcast celebrating women, the return of On Air Fest and the ongoing controversy surrounding Joe Rogan’s podcast.
As always if you host a podcast and want it featured as our podcast of the week, email us at [email protected] and we’ll be sure to check it out!
Podcast of the Week
Unreal Irish Folklore is a podcast which explores Irish myths, legends and folklore. Hosted by Ruth Atkins, she takes tales from Irish legend and retells them in a relaxing way that is easy to follow.
Although the audio quality might not be top notch, the tales are always engaging and the background music compliments the stories, contributing to a sense of Irish history and tradition. Now in its third season, Ruth has covered a variety of folklore and legends, including familiar stories such as the banshee, Oisin in Tir na nÓg and the Salmon of Knowledge, while shedding light on lesser known Irish tales like the first witch trial in Ireland and the quest of the sons of Tuireann.
Ruth includes sources and background reading in the episode notes, leaving you feeling assured that the host has done her research, and providing the listener with extra reading material.
Brigit’s Day podcast celebrates women in new podcast
Brigit: Dublin City Celebrating Women is a podcast that looks at some of the fascinating stories of women in Dublin as part of an initiative to celebrate the contributions and achievements of women past and present. Episode one sees Zoe Coleman visit two beloved independent vintage clothes shops to chat to their proprietors about their passion for sustainable fashion and hear about the women that inspired their careers. In episode two, Panti Bliss sits down with writer and journalist Rosita Sweetman and her daughter Chupi Sweetman, founder and CEO of Chupi Jewelry, in conversation about life, legacy, and the women who inspire them. Finally, episode three celebrates a series of entrepreneurs including Yasimna Lenahan (Wellness Gift Box), Maeve O’Malley (Meltdown), Aine McGurk (Dainty Bear Childrenswear), Aisling Grimley (The Silk Pillowcase) and Jessica Nolan (The Disruptors Agency).
On the initiative, Lord Mayor Alison Gilliland said “I am delighted to initiate this new celebration of women. While acknowledging St Brigid, my inspiration is very much drawn from our Celtic heritage – the fierce yet protective and creative goddess Brigit and the Gaelic festival of Imbolc. The Brigit 2022 programme seeks to provide spaces and opportunities across our city to acknowledge and celebrate the contributions and achievements of women and highlight the rich tapestry of life that they have woven in all walks of life in our society.”
Events took place for free on February 1st, 2022. You can listen to the podcast now.
On Air Fest returns with live and virtual events
Set in Brooklyn, On Air Fest returns with a series of live and virtual events at the end of this month, after hosting their first online-only event in 2021, expanding the festival to a much wider, global audience.
On Air Fest offers podcasters, audio creators, musicians and fans a chance to network within a creative and fun space.
The festival hosts a wide range of programmes on February 25th and 26th in Wythe Hotel in Brooklyn, with an option to purchase virtual tickets which will operate on a different schedule to the in-person programming schedule. Featuring talks and sessions from industry professionals, there are plenty of opportunities to learn about the world of audio, from building your personal brand through podcasting, to conversations with the creator of Radiotopia’s new audio fiction show A Dog Will Holler.
You can check out the full virtual and in-person line up at onairfest.com.
Spotify finally takes action in Joe Rogan controversy
For the last several weeks, Joe Rogan has been causing a stir within the podcasting community as more and more accuse Rogan of spreading harmful misinformation about the Covid-19 pandemic and vaccine. So much so that 270 medical professionals in the US recently wrote an open letter to Spotify, asking the streaming giant to take action. Following this, several musicians and podcasters have since removed their music from the streaming platform.
John Simson, the program director for the business and entertainment program at American University, told The Washington Post that he believes Spotify’s hesitancy to act against Rogan boiled down to money. “In the music side of things, [Spotify is] paying out roughly 70% of all the revenue that comes in. It goes right back out as royalties. They’re looking for other places where the revenue split isn’t that dramatic…podcasts were certainly their go-go.” Considering Spotify acquired The Joe Rogan Experience in 2020 for an estimate $150 million, it would be a massive loss for the company to take down the podcast.
Now Spotify have finally taken some action by adding COVID-19 content advisories to podcast episodes focusing on the virus, giving content creators up-to-date information regarding the pandemic. If a podcast breaches these new rules, the content may be removed while repeat offenders will have their accounts suspended or banned. Although this is a step in the right direction, according to The Verge, an internal memo states that Rogan’s podcast didn’t “meet the threshold for removal.” People have called on Spotify CEO Daniel Ek to do more. You can check out their updated content rules here.
Rogan took some action himself earlier this week as he removed 113 episodes of his podcasts. In an Instagram video posted on the 5th of February, Rogan said “There’s a compilation made of clips, taken out of context, of me of 12 years of conversations on my podcast. It’s all smooshed together and it looks f***ing horrible, even to me.”
However, Rogan’s most recent episode, published on February 8th, has continued to contribute to the controversy by making jokes about child abuse.
Find more podcast related content on the HeadStuff Podcast Section – News, Reviews, Interviews and How-To Guides for all you podcasters out there.
