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Here we are again: another Friday, of another long weekend, in the time of COVID.
If you didn’t laugh, you’d cry.

I will be very offline this weekend, as staring at my computer screen all week has rotted my brain and I really need to catch up on my knitting. But that’s a me problem. Maybe you want to catch up on some podcast industry news.

Here’s what you should read this weekend:

NPR's How I Built This has struck a licensing deal with Wondery and Amazon Music. Episodes will drop exclusively on Amazon Music and Wondery, and then a week later, will be released elsewhere (and will air on NPR). There are a few shows doing this kind of semi-exclusive publishing, and I imagine we’ll start to see it more, especially as networks try to lure new users onto their platforms with the promise of the opportunity to listen to new episodes before anybody else.

Wondering how to get featured by Apple Podcasts? One way is to submit a promotional request form — you can read about it here.

Hate to be the one to break it to you, but if you’re using Otter.ai, your data may be at risk. Phelim Kine wrote about the journey down the rabbit hole of Otter.ai for Politico. Once you’re done reading that, take a look at how different transcription services stack up, security-wise.

I am so sick of talking about Spotify, but this is a newsletter about podcasts, and Spotify is all about podcasts these days. Spotify has acquired Podsights and Chartable, two companies that deal in podcast metrics measurements and analytics for advertisers. I have lost count of how many times I’ve noted in this newsletter that Spotify has acquired yet another company, and we’ve only been publishing since May of 2021. When Alexander Skarsgard shows up as Lukas Matsson on Succession, I like to think of him as the CEO of Spotify. This is not the case. Could you imagine if Kendall Roy tried to acquire Spotify? This is a good idea for a Kendall/Roman plot line — someone tell HBO, I’d be happy to write it myself.

Then, if you’re anything like me and you need to cleanse your brain after all of that, Rachel Handler wrote an oral history of the making of Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again for Vulture, and it is pure delight. I won’t spoil it by quoting my favourite lines, but believe me when I say this is the kind of article that will turn your day around.

Calling all early career journalists! Hakkai Magazine is hiring someone for their six-month long immersive journalism fellowship, which will pay $3,500 per month.

If you’re a mid-career journalist, we’ve got something for you, too! The William Southam journalism fellowship is accepting applications until February 28.

The Conversation is hiring a temporary, part-time producer to work on their show, Don’t Call Me Resilient. Check out the job description, and then send in a resume along with a paragraph about your interest in covering stories on race.

If you’re eligible to work in the U.S., check out this thread on audio positions open at Slate.

Tax season reminder: you have until March 1, 2022 to contribute to your RRSP and have it count towards your 2021 taxes.

Ready to make your podcast, but not sure exactly where to start? Radio Boot Camp is running a workshop with Dan Bobkoff on February 22 from 12:00 to 1:30 pm EST all about what you need to know to make a show. The cost is $100.

ECW Press has put out a call for submissions for their pop classics series! These are short books, between 20,000 and 40,000 words, that serve as accessible entryways into an argument about why a particular pop phenomenon matters.

Speaking of podcast exclusives, Audacy just released an excellent new show called Love Thy Neighbor: Four Days in Crown Heights That Changed New York. The whole series dropped on Audacy on Tuesday, and is releasing weekly on other podcast apps. Does this mean I will download Audacy so I can binge it? No, because a) I am too lazy and b) I need something good to look forward to every week.

Journalist Collier Meyerson takes us back to the event that came to be known as “the Crown Heights riot” in 1991. The show poses the question: what can this event teach us about modern dilemmas like police violence, racism, and the persistence of antisemitism?

I wasn’t familiar with Meyerson’s work before listening to this, but one episode in and I love her as a host. Her narration style is friendly and intimate, and she weaves her own family’s story into the narrative. Sound design and archival clips bring the story to life, and at 31 minutes, I was left wanting more. But this is a five-part series, and I have no intention of downloading Audacy, so again, I’ll be waiting with bated breath until next Tuesday’s episode drop.

The kind folks over at Bay Street Bull gave Well Said a shout out as one of 11 branded podcasts to take inspiration from. We’re honoured!

February blahs got you down? Emily Latimer rounded up a list of 7 podcasts with soothing voices for when you need some dulcet tones to help regulate your cortisol.

We want to hear from you! What are you looking for in your podcast news? Let us know on Twitter, Instagram, or by email at info@vocalfrystudios.com.

Thanks to Emily Latimer for editing this newsletter, and to Katie Jensen for designing it.

We’ll see you again on February 25. Until then, here's a picture from warmer days: Dolly with her BFF golden buddy, Cooper.

Yours in friends and fries,

Michal