The popular podcast app Stitcher Radio has been accused of stealing content from Podcast One, which claims to have the exclusive rights to some of the content streamed by the app. Podcast One has cited a long list of shows it says Stitcher has no right to use, including Adam Carolla, Clark Howard, Dan Patrick, Carcast, The Dr. Drew Podcast, Rich Eisen and Yahoo! Sports Radio …
Podcast One CEO Norm Pattiz said that Stitcher had ignored requests to cease streaming its content.
“You can’t just steal content without permission. Podcasting is breaking through big time, not only with consumers but with advertisers as well. I see new players coming into the market, all touting technology that will allow them to grab podcasts for their subscribers. Let this be a message – make sure you have secured the rights from content suppliers before you distribute programing you don’t have the rights to.”
Podcast One says that it is also urging consumers to use its own app for the podcasts it owns, and is calling on advertisers not to support Stitcher Radio.
Tyler Goldman, CEO of Deezer North America, the company behind Stitcher Radio, told us that it had already removed the content:
The content in question was removed a few weeks ago when the PodcastOne team reached out. We hope to find a solution with PodcastOne quickly, so the Stitcher audience can enjoy the great shows that are affected.
The Stitcher Radio app was updated last month to add CarPlay support after being acquired by music streaming company Deezer.
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Isn’t the whole point of a podcast, that you can download episodes on any app on any device, if you know the feed URL? So what’s the deal here? Podcast One wants the podcasts to be only listed on its own website, so it gets ad revenue? And they’re upset that you can get this content in a third-party app?
Sounds like someone has a bullshit business model.
Stitcher is the sketchy one in this situation. Rather than being a browser/downloader like other clients (Podcasts.app, Overcast, Castro…), Stitcher rehosts the podcasts it makes available. They circumvent the podcaster’s normal ability to gauge listenership, and they restrict access to the number of their users listening (which is important to advertisers). Basically it’s completely legitimate to say that Stitcher is “[distributing] programing [they] don’t have the rights to”.
Ahhhh…. didn’t know that. Good to know, and explains my question below. Agreed they should stop “stealing” then
They used to but this changed last year. They now stream like all other apps.
Ah, so it’s not a regular podcast client. Got it. Thanks for taking the time to reply.
I didn’t know they were re-hosting shows, and running their own ads in the client.
Stitcher does not re-host if the provider doesn’t want us to (saves money for them if we do) – all PodcastOne shows were directly streamed before PodcastOne asked us to take them down. In addition, even when we do host we ping the source directly so all metrics can be accounted for and then additionally we provide advanced metrics they don’t get elsewhere. We have no intention of getting in the way of audience metrics for podcasters – quite the opposite, we want to make them more well informed. We also want to expand their audiences so that ultimately they are better able to monetize themselves (we never strip ads from podcasts).
The Podcast One app its very good, Stitcher’s app works great on Android and iOS. So its a matter of user preference.
Not exactly – Stitcher hosts a ton of content from multiple networks. There’s no way I’m using separate apps for Pocast One, Slate, NPR, Smodcast… I’ll take one app to rule them all.
One app to rule them all is a great idea, but this isn’t the right one to serve that purpose. Podcasts rarely have more than 2 avenues for generating revenue:
1) Merchandise sales
2) Advertising
By using Stitcher, you are allowing a 3rd party to take content (usually sans perme) and add their own advertising without giving said revenue back to the artist that generated the content. You are, effectively, stealing money from the artists whose content you enjoy, as a matter of your convenience.
Even if Stitcher can honestly claim that they no longer partake in this practice, they cannot deny that this was how they built their business in the beginning. I can confirm this through first-hand experience.
Bottom line? Get the content directly from the artists whenever you can. It may be a little bit less convenient, but it’s one of the best ways to help keep the content you obviously enjoy coming.
I am confused. I listen to Carolla and he encourages you to subscribe through iTunes. Isn’t Stictcher the same idea?
No, it’s not. He prefers you download from iTunes of his own official Adam Carolla app. F Stitcher.
iTunes ist just a directory, it doesn’t host the files. The podcast-files are hosted on the Carollas server for example.
Lexxkoto, nailed it, Podcast One thinks it has an broadcast HBO model, where they own the content, they don’t. Stitcher is a browser, much like iTunes. Use what you like.
No he is not right. it is about ownership who owns the shows and what distribution agreements they have. this is surely about advertising $$ and stealing placement.
Distribution agreements? That’s a new one for RSS – if RSS feeds require agreements for consumption or rebroadcasting, then that seems to violate the Podcast model, non?
If it’s about Stitcher adding ads or somehow monetizing feeds from Podcast One, that may be of note, but if it’s simply acting as a podcasting/RSS client then it’s not clear what angle Podcast One has here…
Stitcher takes RSS feeds and they sell banner and video ads before, during and after many if not all podcasts. They’re monetizing content they have no right to sell and thats the difference between Stitcher and iTunes. iTunes might take everything, but they’re not running ads and i doubt Podcastone has an issue with their programs being available on iTunes. I personally love Chael Sonnen’s podcast that is produced by Podcastone and i subscribe through iTunes so their podcasts are available there. PodcastOne has big names and a big audience, I’m sure it cost $$ to produce those programs and run a business around them.
The problem here isn’t limited to someone being right and someone being wrong about content ownership. I think that’s pretty clear cut. The issue is a technological one and someone doesn’t seem to have a firm grasp of the technology they’re using.
At the root, this is the equivalent of RCA, a big radio manufacturer, producing radio content and broadcasting it, but at the same time insisting that listeners ONLY use their radios to do so, then accusing other radio manufacturers like Zenith, Panasonic, whomever, that they shouldn’t allow customers to tune in.
The big difference here is that advertising can be done outside of the broadcast stream because the podcasting apps (the radios) themselves have additional connectivity. This enabled third party apps (radios) to feature ads and monetize the time spent using their product. This is not the same thing as monetizing the broadcast content.
If PodCastOne wants to maintain exclusivity, they need to start putting the add content INTO the streams, enabling them to make money regardless of what app/player/radio is used, or start encrypting the streams so only their app can play them – big loser for everyone here.
this is about terms of services / use. there is no technological issue. it is you can not re-broadcast other people / organizations content without written permission. the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB etc all use this model. they same goes for smart podcasters etc. its about protecting ad revenue.
PodCastOne has to do nothing but enforce their legal right under their TOS agreement. also the big losers are not everyone, its the companies that have content stolen. those people end up loosing their jobs when big show sponsors drop out. they will hurt before you do. you don’t make your living listening to podcast, they make their living creating content for you to enjoy. if you love their shows you need to support their model if you want to keep enjoying the content.
Have you ever signed a TOS for a podcast? I haven’t. I subscribe to and listen to a LOT of them, (including many from PodCast One) and I’ve never seen one. It seems to me that PodCast One either doesn’t understand how the podcast model works, or they think they can change it.
I listen to a couple of Podcast One shows, but I am VERY apprehensive about them. Their shows have a defined format, and I don’t like the idea of people being paid by a parent company to produce podcast. I have no problem with podcast hosts making money, but I would rather the show start out as a love affair, and grow to a moneymaker for a single, independant host/owner.