Some podcasters raised concerns this week over a new Spotify feature that will publicly display how many plays each podcast episode gets.
The streaming service on Tuesday announced the rollout of its “Plays” metric, calling the feature “another invaluable source of insight” for creators “as they look to optimize their content for success.” But after the announcement, some podcasters — particularly those with smaller, niche followings — said they think the new feature could actually turn listeners away.
“It’s like the social media-ification of podcasts now,” said Adrienne Cruz, a podcast manager who represents four small podcasts.
Traditionally, “podcasting has been such a good fertile ground for small creators,” said Cruz. The medium, which first emerged in the mid-2000s, was a small, niche market until the industry’s first big hit, “Serial,” helped propel it into the mainstream. In recent years, simpler, personality-driven shows have taken off, giving hosts like Joe Rogan massive success across platforms like Spotify, SiriusXM, YouTube and Apple.
With Spotify’s new feature, Cruz and others said they worry the already crowded podcasting space could turn into a “popularity contest.”
“Hey!!! As one of your biggest creators — WE DONT WANT THIS! This is going to hurt so many podcasts,” “The Psychology of your 20s” podcast, which has almost 200,000 followers on Instagram, wrote on Spotify’s post announcing the news.
“Public metrics don’t support the creator community — they discourage experimentation and amplify comparison. This doesn’t help us grow; it makes us hesitate,” another podcaster wrote.