The Future of Podcasting is Here: Sam Sethi on Podcasting 2.0, Micropayments & Why Downloads Don't Matter

Episode Description - Join host Marv for an in-depth conversation with Sam Sethi, entrepreneur, former tech journalist, and co-creator of True Fans. Discover the evolution of podcasting technology, the future of RSS feeds, and how blockchain-based micropayments could revolutionize creator monetization. Sam shares insights from his 30+ year journey through tech giants like Microsoft, Netscape, and BBC, and explains why podcasting 2.0 might be the industry's biggest shift since iTunes.

Key Topics Covered - Podcasting 2.0 & The New Namespace Sam explains the revolutionary metadata tags transforming podcast discovery and functionality, from person tags and chapters to location-based podcast mapping. Learn how open-source collaboration is challenging Big Tech's dominance.

The Future of Podcast Monetization Discover programmable money and value-for-value models that could replace traditional advertising. Sam reveals how listeners can earn micropayments for their attention while giving creators direct revenue streams. Streaming vs. Downloads: The Coming Shift Why the podcast industry's obsession with download numbers is outdated, and how first-party listen time data will revolutionize advertising effectiveness and creator insights.

AI in Podcasting: Hype vs. Reality Sam's take on "assisted intelligence" - where AI transcripts and automated chapters add value, and where synthetic voices fall short of authentic creator-listener relationships.

Timestamps - [00:00] Introduction and Sam's tech journalism background

[02:00] From army officer to Microsoft: Sam's unconventional career path [04:00] The early days of blogging and TechCrunch Europe

[05:00] COVID pivot: Building a radio station and discovering podcasting

[06:00] Launching Pod News Weekly Review with James Cridland

[07:00] Getting involved with Podcasting 2.0 and building True Fans

[08:00] Apple finally adopts transcripts and chapters - validation for the namespace

[10:00] Location tags and the future of podcast discovery

[12:00] Why Sam loves technology over advertising metrics

[14:00] The Spotify-Netflix deal and protecting niche podcasting

[15:00] Advertising as "Emperor's new clothes" - the measurement problem

[17:00] Revolutionary concept: Paying listeners to watch ads with programmable money

[20:00] Value-for-value and streaming micropayments explained

[22:00] Co-listening feature and building podcast communities

[26:00] The Pod News Weekly dynamic: British humor and rapport

[28:00] Moving from downloads to streaming: The next five years

[30:00] Why listen time percentage matters more than raw numbers

[33:00] The death of the download model and rise of streaming data

[36:00] BBC Sounds international availability debate

[40:00] The Panorama editing scandal and BBC's reputation

[42:00] What makes a great podcast: Content, chemistry, and audio quality

[45:00] Parasocial relationships and podcast magic

[46:00] Claire Waite Brown's "Podcasting 2.0 in Practice" - essential listening

[47:00] Concerns about declining podcasting 2.0 content creators

[51:00] Sam's podcast listening habits: Politics, sports, and intelligent conversation

[53:00] AI as "assisted intelligence" not artificial intelligence

[54:00] AI voices vs. authentic creator relationships

[56:00] Different AI podcast models: Editorial control vs. content farms

[58:00] How to connect with Sam and True Fans

Key Quotes - "I think micropayments and wallets might take a little longer, but I can see in 2026 that catching on as well... the merit of what the technology provides and why people want it stands out very well." "The joy and the promise of podcasting is about the long tail, about the niche of podcasting... somebody who's got a niche podcast about fishing or knitting or whatever, can still have an audience." "I think advertising is the Emperor's new clothes. I think it's a scam... Who heard my ad? Oh, we can't tell you. How long did they listen to my ad? I don't know." "The download isn't irrelevant, but actual listen time is a real metric. And so I think in 2026, 2027, you'll see more and more people tell you what their listen time is not their download numbers."

Resources Mentioned - People & Podcasts ● James Cridland - Pod News Weekly Review co-host ● Adam Curry - Podcasting pioneer, Podcasting 2.0 namespace creator ● Dave Jones - Podcasting 2.0 co-creator ● Claire Waite - "Podcasting 2.0 in Practice" podcast ● Elsie Escobar - Former host of The Feed ● Kara Swisher - Pivot podcast ● Emily Maitlis - The News Agents, The Rest is Politics Platforms & Tools ● True Fans - Sam's podcasting app and hosting platform ● Fountain - Podcasting 2.0 app ● Pod Verse - Podcasting 2.0 app ● Buzzsprout - Podcast hosting with AI features ● Zencaster - Recording platform ● 11 Labs - AI voice generation ● Wonder Craft - AI audio production Companies & Technologies ● Podcasting 2.0 namespace ● Value-for-value model ● Booster Gram Ball ● Lightning Network micropayments ● BBC Sounds

Articles & Concepts - ● Kevin Kelly's "1,000 True Fans" essay ● Micro formats and micro data ● Premium RSS feeds ● Value time splits (wallet switching) ● Timed links in transcripts

Connect with Sam Sethi - ● Email: sam@truefans.fm ● LinkedIn: Sam Sethi ● Listen: Pod News Weekly Review ● Listen: Creators from True Fans ● Platform: truefans.fm ● Mastodon: Active

SEO Keywords - podcasting 2.0, podcast monetization, RSS feeds, micropayments, value for value podcasting, podcast analytics, listen time metrics, streaming podcasts, podcast advertising, AI in podcasting, podcast transcripts, podcast chapters, True Fans app, podcasting namespace, blockchain podcasting, creator economy, independent podcasters, podcast technology, podcast discovery, niche podcasting

About the Guest - Sam Sethi is a tech entrepreneur and former journalist with over 30 years of industry experience. He's worked with Microsoft, Netscape, BBC, and TechCrunch, and currently serves as co-creator of True Fans and co-host of Pod News Weekly Review. Sam is deeply involved in the Podcasting 2.0 movement, developing innovative solutions for podcast monetization and listener engagement through blockchain-based micropayments and enhanced RSS metadata.

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