What if Spotify accidentally re-invented radio? 📻

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I can’t believe it’s only been two weeks since we last sent a newsletter — it feels like it’s been ages. And it must have been ages, because oh MAN do I ever have TOO MUCH CONTENT to squeeze into one little newsletter. 

I hope you all had a nice long weekend! I made this cake to bring to my family’s Seder (our first one in person since 2019!!) and it was a hit because it doesn’t taste like a Passover cake – it’s made with hazelnut flour, not matzo meal. 

Unfortunately, I ruined the topping by doubling the whipping cream but not whipping it enough, and then when I added the sour cream it turned into soup. Learn from my mistake: when you double the cream, whip it in two separate bowls, and don’t double the sour cream. I stuck the Nutella Whipped Cream Soup in my aunt’s freezer when I arrived, and by the time we served dessert everyone thought I had made my own ice cream. A Passover miracle!

I then spent the next two days in a position resembling producer Max Collins’ cat, Cynthia:

Anyway, I understand that you did not subscribe to this newsletter to hear me talk about recipes, so I’ll get to the podcast/media stuff.

I had no idea that Spotify had rolled out a product called Greenroom in June 2021 that was supposed to rival Clubhouse. And perhaps I’m not the only podcast industry professional who didn’t know about it, because they’ve just quietly shut it down and replaced it with Spotify Live.

Apparently there was supposed to be a creator fund, but as PodNews reported, no one seems to have been paid out. Interesting.

When I saw that Alex Cooper of Call Her Daddy was doing a live show, my first thought was — are they trying to turn podcasts into radio? 

I really don’t understand the appeal of streaming platforms getting into live shows. Didn’t Netflix try a late night show with Chelsea Handler in the mid-2010s? Is anyone really tuning into Spotify at 10 p.m. on a Wednesday night to listen to Alex Cooper interview minor celebrities?

This reminds me of the Instagram Lives we got in the early days of the pandemic — candid, unproduced conversations between famous people in the palm of your hand. And of course, talk radio existed eons before podcasts came around to shake things up. But with Greenroom fizzling out, it’ll be interesting to see if there’s any real uptake on Spotify Live.

Speaking of Spotify: you can take a virtual tour of their Toronto office. I loved the seagull flapping its wings in slow motion. Also, their external meeting room is called “The Weeknd.” Are all their meeting rooms named after local artists?

Also, since we last spoke, you can now see how many followers you have on Apple Podcasts! This is a VERY key metric that producers and creators have not been able to access, so this is great news for us!

We’re also reading about:
📖 Why transcripts should be required for podcasts (via Sounds Profitable)
👀 How many hosts is ideal for a podcast? (via Rachel Corbett)

Calling all science nerds — and I’m calling you nerds with only love in my heart — boy have we got a fantastic internship opportunity for you! 

Gimlet’s Science Vs. is hiring an intern for a six-month, full-time role. It’s paid, but they’re not disclosing the salary. If you’re new to the workforce, as many interns are (though not all, see: The Intern), make sure you look up the living wage for your region, so when they ask you about your salary expectations, you have a starting place. Applications are due before 5 p.m. ET on May 2.

If you’re looking for something that requires more experience, Gimlet is also hiring a supervising producer for fiction podcasts. It’s a full-time role and you can be based anywhere in the Americas, as long as you can work East coast hours.

Frequency Podcast Network is hiring a podcast producer! 

Hello! Canada is hiring an associate editor/staff writer for a one-year contract.  

And a bevy of CBC jobs for you: 

CBC News Network is hiring a permanent, full-time senior writer for Morning Live. Apply by EOD April 26.

Are you southwest Ontario’s next great host? CBC London is hiring a full-time host for their afternoon drive show on a one-year contract. Apply by EOD April 26.

CBC Kids News is hiring a full-time, contract producer. Apply by EOD May 3.

CBC Manitoba is hiring a contract, full-time host for their weekend radio show! Warm up those pipes and apply by EOD May 10.

CBC Edmonton is hiring a permanent, full-time host for Radio Active! Apply by EOD May 5.

Snap Judgment is hiring a freelance story scout for a new show. Specifically, they’re looking for someone who has lived in, has extensive contacts in, and/or has deep cultural knowledge of African immigrant communities anywhere in the world and/or African communities on the continent. The role has a $1,500/month retainer fee plus bonuses for successful pitches and the opportunity to produce. Check out the posting for more info and apply by 5 p.m. PST April 25.

If you want to be a part of an employee-owned media company (sounds pretty nice!), Defector Media is hiring a contract podcast producer for their show, Namedropping, which examines how names affect how people move through the world. I did not know a show that feels like it was made specifically for me exists!!! So many people say my name wrong. It’s okay though. Can’t wait to listen.

Transom’s newsletter, Starting Out, shared this really great resource to help with job interview prep. Talking about work experience has always been a challenge for me, and I know others struggle with it, too. Questions like “what is your biggest weakness?” and “what could we be doing better?” always feel like they’re setting you up to incriminate yourself. While there is certainly the potential to make yourself sound less than ideal, their guide offers some tactful approaches that are specifically targeted to podcast jobs. It features nuggets of wisdom from experienced podcast producers and managers, and offers concrete things you can do to prepare. We love Starting Out. Way to go, Alice Wilder!

The newsletter Freelancing for Journalists posted an excellent guide to gaining trust as a freelance journalist. When you don’t work for a media organization, people need to be able to get a sense of who you are and why they should trust you with their story — so tips like having a comprehensive website go a long way in gaining your source’s trust.

The Maine College of Art and Design is running a storytelling on sonic strategies for merging worlds. It’s taught by Ariana Martinez and James T. Green, and runs on the Monday/Wednesday/Friday of May 16 to 20. Cost is $295.

Katie told me about a new Wondery show, Scamfluencers, hosted by Sarah Hagi and Scaachi Koul. I have had gripes about Wondery shows in the past — I often find them too scripted and the narration stilted. But, being familiar with the hosts’ writing, I lobbed a question back to Katie — could this be a Wondery podcast I actually enjoy?

The answer is: mostly! Scamfluencers is a weekly show about the power of influence in the online world — the scammers we love to hate; the ones whose tricks we swear we’d never fall for; and yet, the ones we can’t help but pay attention to. The first two episodes are about a ballet company that goes up in flames, but the story behind it is quite violent. One thing I really appreciate about Hagi and Koul as hosts is their ability to match the tone of the content — when the story turns to violence and murder, they bring compassion to the narration. The format is solid — each story consists of one host telling the story to the other, who reacts accordingly. If you listen to Maintenance Phase, it’s a similar format.

Like other Wondery podcasts, it does sound scripted (this is why my answer is only “mostly,” because I will always prefer non-fiction podcasts unscripted rather than scripted), but Koul and Hagi bring a lot of personality to their narration, and the storytelling is really well done. I listened to episode one on my drive to teach my Thursday class, and you bet I was itching to finish my lesson so I could listen to episode two on the drive home. After all, I do love a scammer. If you were a fan of Inventing Anna or, like me, watched Caroline Calloway implode in real time (ah, 2019, a simpler era) then you should add Scamfluers to your podcast rotation.

WELCOME, VALERIE! 

Valerie Dittritch is Vocal Fry’s new associate digital producer and we’re so excited to have her! Here’s more about her:

My name is Valerie (but you can call me Val) and I'm so excited to be joining the team at Vocal Fry! When I'm not listening to detailed true crime podcasts while doing extremely mundane tasks, I am very mediocre at video games and buying books faster than I can read them. I also have two cats that are chaos incarnate, but it's fine because they're very cute.

The producers here at Vocal Fry are mighty talented! Max Collins produces scripted fiction shows (AKA audio drama, AKA radio drama) with Kelly & Kelly, another production company. Max wrote a fantastic in-depth guide to how to make a scripted fiction podcast, including screenshots of DAW sessions and audio samples so you can hear the difference. A master class, truly.

And if you’re stuck in that weird in between time looking for your next audio or freelance gig, do some spring cleaning! We wrote about things you can do now to prepare for your next assignment or to land new clients. Dig through your archives, update your website, actually clean. You know. Spring stuff. 

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 April 29. Until then, here’s an update from Katie’s large adult niece, Dolly, going, “I want to hold your hand!”