Back in February, we wrote about a hiring spree at Amazon’s Audible, which indicated new, original programming on the way. That has now come to pass: last week, Audible debuted Channels [now Podcasts], a subscription service of audio programs that’s free to people already paying for Audible membership ($14.95/month) or $4.95/month for non-members.
What’s unusual about this offering is that it’s the first major effort to launch a paid subscription service for podcasts, which have traditionally been free and supported by advertising. However, Audible told Ad Age that it does not like the term podcasting for its service and does not want to be seen as entering that market. Audible instead calls Channels short-form audio. (Yes, you’re allowed to groan.)
To be fair, the variety of Channels content is tremendous. There are dozens of series, including those focused on storytelling across many genres (e.g., 60 Minutes of Suspense); public domain stories (e.g., 7 Days of Arthur Conan Doyle); how-to content (Adulting 101); a range of current events and news, including audio versions of newspaper stories; syndicated shows such as Charlie Rose; self-improvement (Conversation Starters for Couples); and licensed content from existing podcasts and publishers such as the New York Times, On the Media, RadioLab, McSweeney’s, MIT Technology Review, New Republic magazine, the New Yorker, the Onion, and more. And we haven’t even yet mentioned the original marquee shows they’re announcing, such as Mortal City, described as a “talk show on the street.” We should note here that it’s entirely unknown what Audible’s publisher-business partners are receiving as compensation for their content.
Bottom line: Amazon, one of the most data-driven companies around, presumably did considerable audience research before launching Channels and sees potential for add-on revenue. We’re very curious to see if Audible’s original programming breaks through the pop-culture noise and gains a larger audience than devoted Audible members, or if Channels primarily becomes a means of aiding in member retention. The unique selling proposition of Channels seems to be just as much the curation of high-quality shows and one-stop shopping for audio content, maybe more so than original content. It will be fascinating to see how many people subscribe at the $4.95 rate to gain access. Eric Nuzum, an Audible exec and former NPR vice president, thinks the value is there: “I’ve heard customers refer to podcasting as a flea market, where you’ll find some treasures, and it’s surrounded by a lot of junk. You have to be in the mood to sort through the junk to find the treasure, and people don’t want to do that all the time.”
Jane Friedman has spent her entire career working in the publishing industry, with a focus on business reporting and author education. Established in 2015, her newsletter The Bottom Line provides nuanced market intelligence to thousands of authors and industry professionals; in 2023, she was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World.
Jane’s expertise regularly features in major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, NPR, The Today Show, Wired, The Guardian, Fox News, and BBC. Her book, The Business of Being a Writer, Second Edition (The University of Chicago Press), is used as a classroom text by many writing and publishing degree programs. She reaches thousands through speaking engagements and workshops at diverse venues worldwide, including NYU’s Advanced Publishing Institute, Frankfurt Book Fair, and numerous MFA programs.
