Improving a Lav Mic's Sound

Clip from BSP-397: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=639HbyIO8Ok
Originally aired 11 AUG 2024

The Problem With Podcast Conferences

Recently Todd Cochrane (the CEO of Blubrry) posted a question on Podcastindex.social and he asked “Where are all the new podcast creators?” along with a photo showing an empty hall at Podcast Movement 2024. I want to clarify that James Cridland from Podnew.net pointed out this photo was taken prior to the event even opening, so the hall being empty is misleading. But I want to share my thoughts on why I, a lowly hobby podcaster, have not attended a single podcasting event as well as what I think may cause low attendance of “new podcast creators”.

1. The Schedule: Most podcast events are held in the middle of the work week. This means that in order to attend an event, us hobbyists or new podcasters, would need to take time off from our day jobs to attend.

2. The Podcast Economy: A few years ago there was a podcasting gold rush and millions of corporate dollars were being thrown around to acquire shows and launch new shows. Over the last few years there have been a few scandals about non-payment of guarantees due to lower than expected ad income. There has also been a skyrocketing of interest rates which makes borrowing money to launch shows much more expensive. I think that the lower than expected ad dollars and the more expensive money has led to fewer new shows launching which will also decrease the amount of new podcast creators.

3. The Cost: A big reason I won’t attend one of these events is the cost of it. Ignoring local transportation and food, we are already at $2,000 to attend this event. An estimate I came up with was $600 flight (round trip), $900 hotel ($300/night), $500 event ticket. Those three thing alone total $2,000 before tax, and it doesn’t account for transportation or food. That’s quite a big ask for a hobbyist or new podcaster just starting out.

When it comes to the value proposition of attending these podcast conferences, I don’t really think there is a good argument for hobbyists to attend. $2,000 + time off from work will be hard to justify unless there is INCREDIBLE information that is unavailable anywhere else. If networking is the main selling point, I understand a hobbyist maybe attending if it’s held within their city, but having to travel to the event removes any appeal for the hobbyist in my opinion (unless you are monetizing your show and earning a lot of money).

And the final question to ask is, could we be spending that money more effectively? To get the information, I could listen to any number of podcasts about podcasting, and watch YouTube videos for free. Then with the $2,000 I could get a podcast setup that will last me the entire podcasting career without ever needing to upgrade.

Clip from BSP-398: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQVCkRmVqG
Originally aired 25 AUG 2024

I Like Oranges

Clip from BSP-403: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-60QAwupyA
Originally aired: 29 SEP 2024

Someone Stole My Thumbnail

Clip from BSP-405: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SCpiCKV0TI
Originally aired: 13 OCT 2024

This is NOT the end of the world, but I wanted to go on a rant about this. Some idiot took my thumbnail and used it on their twitter post without any credit. Normally, I would not care much about this because any YouTuber or content creator understands this will happen. It’s inevitable. There are a few issues I have with the situation though:

1. When I called this person out, they took no corrective action to credit me. I do not expect someone to delete their post or anything. A simple reply to their own post stating “credit for artwork: link here” would have been enough. Days after the communication, nothing.

2. The type of content this person advocates for. They post about FACELESS SOCIAL MEDIA! I downright loathe this type of content as well as all the social media accounts that advocate for it.

3. And lastly, a question. If you are such a skilled faceless channel content creator who earns thousands of dollars from your brilliant strategies, why couldn’t you just make your own graphic? Why would you need to go out and take someone else’s work?

This may seem petty to you, and perhaps it is, but I have a strong disdain for faceless social media advocates and for fully AI-channel advocates for a plethora of reasons that were outlined in episode 388 of the BSP (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jz4hpFUO2jU).

I believe the thing that makes YouTube and Podcasting so special is the fact that it started with people who only made content because they are passionate about a topic. It was not tainted by the idea of getting reach or famous, it was someone in a spare bedroom who felt the need to make a video about topic X or they would freak out. That passion comes through in a video; it’s not some sterile corporate nonsense, it’s authentic.

Enter these advocates for full-Ai content and faceless channels, they prey on people who are desperate to earn money with screenshots showing massive monthly earnings and views, promising that “you can do it too with these 10 steps”. I am highly skeptical that they are earning any significant income utilizing the advice they’re giving. My estimation is that they are earning money off of giving advice to people who desperately want to get rich and famous through social media.

Not only do I think they’re lying, and that their claims are bull crap, but I think they are advocating for content that ruins the quality of content available on platforms. The first place I noticed this was Everyday Carry. I used to search this topic regularly on YouTube, but now when I do it is flooded with crappy AI & Faceless Channel videos that are unwatchable. It led to me no longer searching for that type of content.

Bottom line, don’t be jerk and steal other people’s work.

Go See TERRIFIER 3!

Terrifier Poster Art Source: https://bloody-disgusting.com/movie/3787487/terrifier-3-heres-the-official-poster-for-next-years-holiday-slasher/

Slashers are one of the best sub genres of Horror, but there hasn’t been an Icon in a while. Art the Clown seems to be the first character to really penetrate the zeitgeist in the last few decades.

In the 70’s/80’s we got Michael, Jason, and Freddy. In the 90’s we got Ghost Face, and the Fisherman from IKWYDLS. Over the years there has also been plenty of fun one offs as well as a few series with interesting characters like: Jeepers Creepers or Hatchet. However, none of these characters reached that next level outside of the horror fans.

Enter Art! A mime/clown who I think does something different than most other slashers; he can make you laugh (Freddy Krueger being the obvious exception). Most killers in these movies lack any kind of humor, they are nothing more than evil unstoppable forces that are inescapable. Art has those same characteristics, he is evil, he is unstoppable, and he is inescapable, but he will also make you belly laugh. In my opinion that’s what makes him a special character.

As far as the movies go, Terrifier 1-3 are undeniable gorefests, so if you have a weak stomach, these will not be for you. Also, if you care about the story (yes there is a story), I highly recommend watching the first two movies in this series.

The cast and characters in these movies are fantastic from Lauren LaVera (Sienna Shaw), David Howard Thornton (Art), to Samantha Scaffidi (Victoria). The acting is well done, the story is intriguing, the music is top tier (just like the first to Terrifiers and All Hallow’s Eve), the direction is on point, AND the practical gore effects are absolutely insane.

If you are a horror fan or slasher fan, I think this is a must watch, and you owe it to yourself to catch this movie in a packed theater with an audience and a big tub of popcorn.

How I Saved Money On My Podcast

After sharing a complete breakdown of my annual podcast earnings last week on The Bandrew Says Podcast, I went on a rampage trying to shave off as much as I could to reduce overhead costs. Below is a screenshot of the excel spreadsheet breaking down the original cost and the updated cost following the cost savings measures. I will breakdown exactly what I did.

1. Canceled Speakpipe: For years I was using speak pipe which is a voice mail service which allows people to submit audio questions. This costs $15/month or $180/year, and I was not getting much use out of it. I would get a submission every few months, so I decided to cancel this. Not only was it getting little use, but I learned of a workaround via my host which allows people to submit an audio file directly on my website without the need for a 3rd party service.

2. Canceled Google Workspace: I was using google workspace for my GeeksRising e-mail. This cost $7.75/month of $93/year. Again, I very rarely got any use out of this e-mail but figured I needed it in order to keep that branded e-mail. Then I realized that a premium encrypted e-mail service that I already pay for allows for custom domains, so I cancelled my google workspace e-mail, setup my domains in this e-mail service, and transitioned all my e-mail to this service I already paid for which saved me another $93/year.

3. Lowered Podcast Storage: For YEARS I have been using the $20/month tier at Libsyn so that I could upload over 168mb of audio per month and I could get higher quality analytics. I looked at the lower priced tier and it was $7/month but you had a hard limit of 168mb/month. In order to do this I had to adjust my mp3 audio quality down. Previously I was uploading 192kbps stereo mp3 files, but to get below the new upload limit I had to decrease to 96kbps mono mp3 files.
   
   For the spoken word information there should be ZERO change in audio quality because the stereo file has a left channel encoded at 96kbps and a right channel encoded at 96kbps, but now I just have a single center channel encoded at 96kbps, so the audio quality is identical. The only time this mono mix will become apparent is when there is music at the very end of the show. But I came to the determination that 15 seconds of stereo audio each week is not worth $160/year.

I am hoping to eventually cut back even further by lowering the podcast hosting to $5/month, and by canceling Midjourney if Adobe Photoshop AI Generative Fill ever gets good enough.

Also, I know that my website hosting is extremely high at $228/year and I could cut this down significantly by buying my own hosting and installing my own website, but I don’t have the time to do that kind of stuff anymore and the convenience of having all the backend handled makes running the show possible. So there are some services that may seem overpriced, but for the added convenience and time saved, I am paying that premium.

Through these cost saving measures I was able to decrease costs by $429/year, and increase the post tax tax home pay by over 70%! That’s how I went about saving money on my podcast.

Clip from BSP-401: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pp4eDenb2Vk
Originally Aired: 15 SEP 2024

Shut Off Your Air Conditioner for Recording

For a few weeks it was really warm and I was a bit lax with shutting off my air conditioner. Because of this there was some pretty nasty artifacting in my podcast recordings.

For every episode of The Bandrew Says Podcast, I include a noise gate on my signal chain. I don’t make it too aggressive, I only attenuate by 6-10dB when the gate closes. When I have my fans and air conditioner shut off, this is very hard to notice, it just improves the underlying noise floor. HOWEVER, when the air conditioner is on, you can hear that dreaded artifact of gates where you have this constant fluctuating noise floor. When the gate opens you hear the air con 10dB louder than you do when it closes. For some people listening in their cars or in noisy environments this will not be noticeable. But if you’re listening in a quiet environment it is absolutely maddening.

I have gone back to my old habits of shutting of my A/C and fans prior to hitting record and the podcast episodes are back to sounding pretty darn good in my opinion. So my advice to you is SHUT OFF YOUR A/C AND FANS BEFORE RECORDING!

Clip from BSP-400: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5N37hzt_2ys
Originally aired: 8 SEP 2024

How Much I Earn From Podcasting...

It has been just over one year since I made the shift from ad supported to value for value, and I figured it was a perfect time to breakdown my podcast earnings, costs, and take home pay.

Below is a screenshot of my excel spreadsheet outlining the income and all of the costs associated with the running of The Bandrew Says Podcast. Since the recording of the episode I have taken quite a few steps to decrease costs and increase take home pay which I will outline in the next blog post which you can read here.

THE BREAKDOWN: Over the prior 365 days I earned $1,496.70 in revenue from listener contributions. The cost of running the podcast was $915.84 which left an earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization of $580.86. On that income we withheld 35% taxes which was $203.30 and that left a take-home pay of $377.56 for one year of podcasting. During this year I missed quite a few episodes only uploading 40 times which means each episode earned $9.44, and assuming 5 hours of work per episode we get an hourly pay of $1.89/hour.

For many people this may not seem like a lot of money, but I am honored that people found value in my podcast and contributed enough to cover the full cost of running the show over the last year. When I shut off advertising on my YouTube channel (where I host the video podcast), I was expecting a revenue decrease, and this just goes to show that if you offer value, and your audience receives that value, they may choose to return it to your show.

Clip from BSP-400: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5N37hzt_2ys
Originally Aired 8 SEP 2024

Who Benefits from 3-Minute YouTube Shorts?

Back in 2021 YouTube launched “Shorts”, a new feed on the website that consists of sub-60 second videos that have a vertical video format. Since the launch of this new format, YouTube has seemingly pushed this type of content heavily both to viewers and to creators. Now they are extending the maximum length of Shorts from 60-seconds to 3 minutes.

In order to have a short that is longer than 60 seconds, you need to ensure that you have still use a vertical aspect ratio or a square aspect ratio. If your video is sub 3-minutes and it is in a horizontal aspect ratio, it will be published as a regular video and will not be captured by the Shorts Feed.

Why Do I Think They’re Doing This?

I think it’s as simple as: the content creators on YouTube have been asking for longer upload lengths because currently YouTube has the shortest limit at 60-seconds. Instagram allows reels to be up to 90-seconds, and TikTok now allows videos to be up to 60-minutes. So this allows video producers to make a single 90-second video for all 3 platforms without the need to find a way to shave off an additional 30 seconds from their instagram reel.

Who Will Benefit From This?

I think the primary beneficiary will long form video creators on YouTube who have struggled to find ways to make valuable content that fits within that 59 second time constraint. With the additional two minutes it will be much easier to develop a fully executed video idea that offers value to the viewers.

The reason I think this will benefit us is because YouTube has been pushing Shorts heavily for the last 3 years. I have received notifications in YouTube Studio stating something along the lines of: [We’ve noticed creators who publish shorts are growing faster]. So with the extended time limit for short creators like myself will now have easier access to this feed, and HOPEFULLY access to those potential growth opportunities.

But Now YouTube Confuses Me.

Prior to 2021 YouTube was simple. You just had videos and that was it. If your video needed to be 30 seconds, 90 seconds, 5 minutes, 30 minutes, or 12 hours you knew what to do; upload your video and it would be distributed to your audience. But following the introduction of shorts it became a question of: “Do I produce my long form videos, or do I produce short form videos? Does publishing short form videos hurt or harm my channel? Do people want short form or long form? What is the meaning of life, the universe, and everything?” See…Confusing.

Well now it’s more confusing. When you make a 2 minute 59 second video you need to ask yourself: “Do I want this to be on the regular feed or on the shorts feed? Which audience will like this better? Which feed will benefit the channel more? Do I even know what each feed is doing or am I just guessing completely and wishing for the best?”

So in my eyes the Shorts feed is no longer made up of short form content, it really is just vertical video that is automatically fed to the viewer.

Conclusion

Even though I find that this confuses YouTube, I am excited to try this because I have struggled to make valuable shorts even though YouTube has clearly communicated how important shorts are. However, there is one question that remains unasked: Do the viewers of shorts content on YouTube even want longer videos?

Additional reading/viewing

• YouTube Blog Post: https://blog.youtube/news-and-events/tall-updates-coming-to-shorts/

• Creator Insider Announcement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmVHABqRwHw

• vidIQ Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCDfxk7J01w

YouTube Adding Demonetization Timestamps

For years one of the biggest issues on YouTube was the unclear reasons for demonetization or limited monetization (yellow icon). In June of 2024, YouTube creators posted on twitter that there would be an update which would share timestamps on where a video violated policy which led to a demonetization.

At the time of this announcement it was only available to creators who use the Self Certification workflow.

This is a big upgrade for YouTube because one of the biggest issues with demonetization is that YouTubers never knew what they did to receive the demonetization; they would just guess, edit something out, reupload, and try again. This will remove that guess work and allow you to know exactly what caused the demonetization so that you can correct it and upload a new version of the video if you want.

Creator Insider News: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZQsuA7vGpY

Clip from BSP-390: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTTE0d_De1o
Originally Aired 2 JUN 2024