Open Podcasting

The Podcast Standards Project began in 2023. Justin Jackson, co-founder of Transistor, explains:

Podcasting is better when it’s open. The open RSS protocol has been used to distribute audio since 2001, allowing podcasters the freedom to create, share, and monetize their work without limitations.

Because RSS is an open protocol, it’s not owned or controlled by a single entity. This openness allows podcasters to create, distribute, and monetize their content however they’d like. It also gives podcast listeners the freedom to choose how they listen.
However, as big players have entered the podcast ecosystem, some listening apps and hosting providers have introduced proprietary features. We’ve seen this happen before: in the 90s, Microsoft and Netscape added proprietary features to their web browsers, creating user compatibility issues.

The Podcast Standards Project has a mission similar to the Web Standards Project of 1998: to promote a minimum set of open podcast standards that all hosting providers and listening apps should implement. This will ensure that the creation and consumption of podcasts are consistent across all platforms.
Some argue that innovation in podcasting is only achievable through centralization. However, we believe it’s possible to innovate on top of the open RSS standard. We will make this happen through advocacy and collaboration with all industry players (big and small).

The Podcast Standards Project aims for hosting platforms and listening apps to adopt a standard set of new podcasting tags and features. Only when these features are widely supported can podcast creators and listeners benefit from them.

The Podcast Standards Project aims for hosting platforms and listening apps to adopt a standard set of new podcasting tags and features. Only when these features are widely supported can podcast creators and listeners benefit from them.

You can read about the Podcast Standards Project. You can also read about the inevitable argument about what to count as the first podcast.

For your information, around these parts, the first rock ‘n’ roll recording remains Rocket 88!