The rise and fall of the narrative podcast
Welcome! I'm Simon Owens and this is my media industry newsletter. If you've received it, then you either subscribed or someone forwarded it to you. If you fit into the latter camp and want to subscribe, then you can click on this handy little button: Let’s jump into it… Niche print magazines are the new vinyl recordsIndie print magazines catering to outdoor enthusiasts are having a moment:
Most of these magazines are aiming for a coffee table aesthetic — which means they use high quality printing methods, publish relatively infrequently, and don’t post any of their longform content online. The rise and fall of the narrative podcastA decade ago, narrative shows seemed poised to dominate the podcast landscape due to their high production value and original storytelling. But today, chat podcasts remain a much larger cultural force:
I can say my own listening habits have shifted to where I've unsubscribed to the vast majority of narrative shows I used to listen to. Human news curators still provide valueWired profiles a journalist who's built a huge personal brand by curating news on Twitter:
How Android Intelligence built a thriving paid membershipWhen JR Raphael launched his Android Intelligence newsletter in 2018, it was mainly a roundup of news meant to complement his Computerworld column of the same name. But as the newsletter amassed an audience, it began to take on a life of its own, so much so that JR eventually built a thriving paid membership that now provides the bulk of his income. In a recent interview, JR walked through every aspect of his membership strategy, including:
You can find the interview over here. How the Longform Podcast documented a media eraThe Longform Podcast is sadly coming to an end. It provided a great way to learn about the career trajectories of the world's most talented nonfiction writers, and it also serves as a sort of historical record of the media industry’s last 20 years — both the good and the bad:
Digital comics are becoming an IP goldmineThe investment firm Blackstone just purchased a Japanese manga publisher for $1.7 billion. Digital manga comics alone now generate $3 billion a year:
How I got my start in journalismYour First Byline interviewed me about how I broke into journalism. You’ll probably be surprised by how little interest I had in the field at the beginning:
I’m looking for more media entrepreneurs to feature on my newsletter and podcastOne of the things I really pride myself on is that I don’t just focus this newsletter on covering the handful of mainstream media companies that every other industry outlet features. Instead, I go the extra mile to find and interview media entrepreneurs who have been quietly killing it behind the scenes. In most cases, the operators I feature have completely bootstrapped their outlets. In that vein, I’m looking for even more entrepreneurs to feature. Specifically, I’m looking for people succeeding in these areas:
Interested in speaking to me? You can find my contact info over here. (please don’t simply hit reply to this newsletter because that’ll go to a different email address. ) Want a daily dose of media industry news?I only send this newsletter out twice a week, but I curate industry news on a daily basis. Follow me on one of these social platforms if you want your daily fix: You're currently a free subscriber to Simon Owens's Media Newsletter. For the full experience, upgrade your subscription. |
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Micropayments are about to get their biggest test yet
Monday, June 3, 2024
PLUS: Some famous creators are resisting the "Beastification" of YouTube. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
How TAPinto sells local ads across 90 news sites
Monday, June 3, 2024
Mike Shapiro developed a range of ad products and all sorts of unique incentives that allow his network operators to collaborate on selling sponsorships. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
The rise of the bookazine
Monday, June 3, 2024
PLUS: How the Creator Economy is upending media talent relations ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
Are publishers overthinking their ecommerce strategies?
Monday, June 3, 2024
Media companies don't need to achieve Steve Jobs-level product design in order to succeed in ecommerce. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
The power of news app push notifications
Monday, June 3, 2024
PLUS: How The Guardian generated a massive amount of reader revenue without a paywall ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
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