What it’s good to know
- After shutting down Google Podcasts for good, Google shared an interview with YouTube’s chief product officer to debate the way forward for podcasts on YouTube Music.
- YouTube Music needs to turn into the “final vacation spot” for podcasts, each for creators and listeners.Â
- Sadly, the interview didn’t embrace a lot to deal with considerations podcast customers have with YouTube Music, such because the absence of core options like new episode notifications.Â
Whether or not we prefer it or not, YouTube Music is the way forward for podcast internet hosting at Google. With the corporate shutting down Google Podcasts as soon as and for all earlier this month, YouTube Music is Google’s focus shifting ahead. In an interview printed by YouTube, the platform’s Chief Product Officer Johanna Voolich defined the plan “to make YouTube Music the last word vacation spot for podcasters and followers alike.”
Regardless of podcasts being an audio-first medium, YouTube needs to lean into what it does finest: video. YouTube says it has made modifications to the YouTube Music app to raised help audio-centric content material, but it surely provides that video can present additional worth to a podcast. “The second approach we take into consideration podcasts is [as an] eyes-optional expertise,” Voolich mentioned. “So, stuff that is nice to listen to and take heed to, but in addition could be nice to look at as effectively.”
Voolich emphasised the chance for customers to start out listening to a podcast and end it by watching the video model or vice versa.
Once more, leaning into its strengths, YouTube thinks the platform’s expertise in constructing algorithms will come in useful when serving steered podcasts to customers. “YouTube’s secret sauce is our suggestions,” mentioned YouTube Creator Liaison Rene Ritchie in a blog post. “They assist folks uncover one thing new or go deeper on what they love, whereas serving to podcasters attain new audiences solely discovered on YouTube.”
Other than the standard options provided by YouTube, Voolich emphasised the modifications which were made to YouTube Music particularly for the advantage of podcasters and listeners. “We have rolled out a number of new options together with help for third-party RSS podcasts, updates to the Android Auto expertise for simple in-car listening, enhanced obtain choices, and customizable playlist sorting,” the weblog put up added.
Nevertheless, the interview did not tackle a number of the main considerations that YouTube Music customers have had with having fun with podcasts on the platform. There have been few clear mentions of the platform’s future plans, with the one notable one being that YouTube Music just isn’t planning to help RSS out feeds anytime quickly.
“Over the previous yr, we have been working to construct in all the conventional podcasting options to YouTube Music,” Voolich mentioned. “The very first thing we did was truly simply pull in podcast content material, however then additionally conventional issues like having the ability to play in a sequence, proceed watching, [and] have a shelf for discovery.”
There seems to nonetheless be an extended strategy to go for YouTube Music. The platform nonetheless lacks important podcast options, corresponding to new episode notifications and mark-as-played indicators. Presumably, these options are coming, however this interview does not give us a lot by way of a concrete roadmap as to after we can count on them.
