Apple iTunes Podcast Directory Draws Criticisms In Early Going
By Richard TafoyaJul 18, 2005 12:56 AM
The July release of an Apple’s iTunes software upgrade that included a podcast directory has produced a new groundswell of interest in the phenomenon, as amateur broadcasters pile on to the bandwagon and established (and startup) media companies wrestle with models for monetizing the nascent medium.
The traffic surge fit well into the capabilities of many established media outfits, like Los Angeles-area NPR station KCRW, which had to ramp up server capacity in the days following the iTunes release, but managed the upgrade smoothly, offset by a well-timed podcast sponsorship deal with Lexus dealers in the station’s broadcast area. The deal, reportedly in the six-figure range, is something of a holy grail scenario for most podcasters, particularly those in iTunes’ directory who are on bargain shared-hosting plans.
Some of these smaller podcasters report seeing bandwidth usage swoon following the iTunes release, forcing them to make hurried and sometimes costly hosting arrangements to keep up with demand, and generally without the benefit of sponsorship to pay for the upgrade. In some cases, they’re simply cutting back on the number of podcasts they produce to keep bandwidth in check.
Many podcasters have been turning to BitTorrent as a method to ease the load of distributing their podcast files from a central location. BitTorrent is a technology that creates a dynamically-generated daisy-chain of data sharing as multiple users “swarm” on a file, reducing the load on the original server. However, iTunes at this point is not allowing for BitTorrent networking, and delivering broken downloads as users try to access podcasts coded for BitTorrent sharing.
For those podcasters that do have sponsorship deals, iTunes’ blessing of wide distribution comes with another unique wrinkle. iTunes is reportedly using Akamai media caching in the distribution chain between podcasters, Apple’s iTunes servers and the end iTunes client. While this helps ensure that iTunes users see minimal service problems in accessing a particular podcast file, it also ensures that some downloads don’t come from the original podcaster’s server and are not counted in their distribution numbers when they tell their sponsors how many times a show was downloaded.
To date, Apple has not publicly responded to the initial round of criticisms over their service launch, though the reported problems have done little to dampen the enthusiasm by both listeners and the vast majority of podcasters over the new platform for podcast distribution.