293 Transparency, Trophies, & Technology: Spotify's New Play Numbers, Golden Globes for Podcasts, and the FTC's AI Ad Guidelines

The Feed The Official Libsyn Podcast

Yes, your podcast can win a Golden Globe-ish, what you need to know about the FTC and AI podcast ad reads, covering Spotify announcing public plays and how they encountered the wrath of podcasters. iOS 19's new accessibility features, Libsyn's downloads per podcast category! And mean, media and user agents stats are back.

Audience feedback drives the show. We'd love for you to contact us and keep the conversation going! Email [email protected], call 412-573-1934 or leave us a message on Speakpipe! We'd love to hear from you!

🔆 If you are starting a podcast or looking to find a new home for your podcast use the code thefeed to get your first month free on Libsyn!

SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER HERE!

Quick Episode Summary

• (2:08) Spotify update recorded after we recorded the show
• (3:17) Rob and Elsie conversation
• Bears and trash
• (5:55) Welcome to Andy Wright as Libsyn's Vice President of Technology!
• (7:12) Practical advice for when using AI voices for your podcast ad reads
• (22:41) Woah! The Golden Globes has a podcast category
• (29:07) Spotify plays breakdown
• (50:34) Big shout-out to the iOS 19 accessibility features
• (55:05) Great article by Justin Jackson
• (56:25) Libsyn's latest top level podcast category download stats
• (58:21) PROMO: Prairie Tales Podcast
• (1:00:07) All the stats! Mean, median and user agent
• (1:05:37) Where have we been and where are we going

Featured Podcast Promo + Audio

• PROMO 1: Prairie Tales - Real Life Stories from the Central Plains

Where have we been and where are we going

• The Podcast Show 2025
• Podcast Movement: The World's Largest Podcasting Community | Events, Resources & More!

Thank you to Nick from MicMe for our awesome intro!

Podcasting Articles and Links mentioned by Rob and Elsie

• Leave us voice feedback!
• Instagram post from Spotify for Creators - UPDATE
• Andy Wright Joins Libsyn To Lead Tech Strategy And Innovation. | News | podcastnewsdaily.com
• Golden Globes Breaks Ground With New Podcast Award - Golden Globes
• AwardsWatch - Golden Globes to Add Best Podcast Category for 2026 Awards
• Golden Globes to Add a Best Podcast Category in 2026 - Awards Radar
• Spotify Introduces Plays, a New Way To See What Content Is Resonating With Podcast Fans — Spotify
• Introducing plays on Spotify
• How we count engagement metrics - Spotify
• Petition · Spotify: Don't Suppress Small Podcasts With the New "Plays" Feature - United States · Change.org
• Some podcasters fear Spotify's new play count will crowd out smaller shows
• Apple unveils iOS 19 accessibility features: Magnifier for Mac, App Store labels, more - 9to5Mac
• Will YouTube kill the podcast industry?

HELP US SPREAD THE WORD!

If you dug this episode, head over to Podchaser and kindly leave us a review and follow the show and share it on social! It would mean the world ☺️

Follow The Feed wherever you get your podcasts!

→ Follow via Apple Podcasts

→ Subscribe on YouTube

→ Follow via Spotify

→ Here's our RSS feed!

FEEDBACK AND PROMOTION ON THE SHOW

You can ask your questions, make comments and create a segment about podcasting for podcasters! Let your voice be heard.

• Call 412-573-1934
• Email [email protected]
• Use our Speakpipe Page