But then, neither are Luminary exclusives by that standard, or Audible “podcasts.” So … safe to say that podcasting is undergoing a definition shift, just as radio did when “internet radio” got started. But to whatever extent the definition of a podcast includes RSS distribution, these new things (again, weirdly unnamed) are not podcasts. We say “just like podcasts” because they are episodic and can be organized into series. So, in one stroke, Spotify introduces a product whose content competes directly with radio to a globe-spanning audience, and solves podcasting’s music problem by fashioning radio-style shows in an episodic format that can be promoted and presented just like podcasts.
Mixing music tracks into spoken-word audio, with legal safety (because Spotify is paying the royalties), solves a tenacious podcasting problem where using even a few seconds of uncleared music can get a naive or daring podcaster sued. Radio is not the only competitive target. The marketing references the traditional on-air talent: “… a DJ whose perspective makes that next track hit perfectly.” This new product is (oddly) unnamed, but it mixes music and commentary similar to radio and enables users to become public DJs within the Spotify app. The company has launched a new listening product which jabs an arrow straight into radio’s underbelly, or apparently aspires to.
That is the only mention of “radio,” but it is telling. “Think of your favorite drive-time radio show,” Spotify says in an announcement.
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