In slightly below two years, Spotify has established itself as a vacation spot for Korean music followers and artists by way of playlists like Ok-Pop ON! (온) and KrOWN. Now we need to do the identical for podcasts.
Beginning as we speak, Spotify Korea listeners can have entry to greater than 4 million podcasts worldwide. This consists of world podcasts like TED Talks Every day, TED Enterprise, BBC’s World Information Podcast, and the New York Occasions’ The Every day; Spotify Originals like Batman Unburied, Kim Kardashian’s The System, and Meghan Markle’s Archetypes; and Spotify Exclusives like Myths Of The World and Alex Cooper’s Name Her Daddy.
We’re additionally launching a podcast hub completely for South Korean listeners. This one-stop vacation spot might help Spotify Korea listeners discover the proper podcast by way of personalised playlists and spotlights on native content material. A few of the regional podcasts the hub will spotlight embody Confidentiality by Vivo (comedy), Leestar Radio (sports activities), Solar Kim’s Relentless World Historical past (academic), Bizarre Mysterious Tales by Braden (true crime), Daebak Present by Eric Nam (music), Examine It Out (arts & leisure), The Psychiatrists (life-style & well being), Intelligence Play by Jiyoon Kim (information & politics), Two Ladies in Speak (story), and extra.
Along with offering new content material for listeners, we’ve additionally localized our podcast creation software, Anchor, in Korean. This can make it simpler for Korean creators to overtly document, edit, and distribute podcasts to Spotify and different companies in minutes—all without spending a dime.
To study extra about what all this implies for the South Korean podcast market, For the File spoke with 4 of South Korea’s famend creators: Eun-i Music, Eric Nam, Jaekuk Lee, and the Leestar Crew.
Eun-i Music
Eun-i Music is the founder and CEO of Content material Lab VIVO, in addition to Media Lab Seesaw, a content material creation and administration firm. She can also be a family identify in South Korea, the place she is extremely acclaimed as a comic and for her pioneering content material creation and distribution work with VIVO. Her podcast, Music Eun-i and Kim Sook’s Confidentiality, is now accessible on Spotify.
What do you want most about podcasts?
Since podcasts will not be organized by broadcasting firms and don’t require a considerable amount of manufacturing prices, the truth that anybody can create their very own program is the largest attraction. From the producer’s perspective, podcasts present room to take dangers with concepts that might not be performed in broadcast, permitting for extra various and artistic content material.
How do you suppose the podcast market and listenership has modified since 2015, when your present, Music Eun-i and Kim Sook’s Confidentiality, first launched?
Eun-i Music
When our podcast, Music Eun-i and Kim Sook’s Confidentiality, first began, the vast majority of widespread podcasts have been centered on politics. Now it looks as if podcast genres are branching out to incorporate leisure, economic system, and self assist–associated content material. Equally, the podcast market is more and more trying on the older generations—who’re accustomed to radio tradition and political content material—and has expanded to incorporate content material pioneers who’re bringing a variety of content material that hasn’t been given a lot podcast consideration up to now.
Trying on the native leisure trade on the whole, what sort of matters or content material for audio/podcast companies do you count on to collect reputation sooner or later?
I believe the largest benefit of audio and podcast content material is that it permits folks to multitask. I’ve heard that the listeners of our podcast like to take action whereas commuting, working within the workplace, doing design work, or working within the hospital. And now extra audio content material similar to audio dramas and audio films are in energetic manufacturing, and plenty of leisure audio content material with broadcasters is within the works. Listeners are choosing and having fun with content material in keeping with their particular person tastes, and their preferences are continually altering. Podcasts have additionally diversified alongside listeners’ tastes, and I hope that eclectic, genre-defying content material will likely be launched within the close to future.
With Spotify’s opening up of podcasts to listeners in South Korea, what are your expectations for Spotify?
If quite a lot of totally different worldwide content material flows by way of a worldwide podcast platform similar to Spotify to South Korea, the vary of decisions for native listeners will develop and I believe the general pie of the trade may even improve. I count on the podcast market to develop larger and appeal to extra creators because the demand grows.
Eric Nam
A multitalented veteran within the leisure trade with followers world wide, Eric Nam is an ever-evolving artist, a singer-songwriter, a Ok-Pop artist, a CEO, and a podcaster. His globally widespread podcast, Daebak Present, is now accessible on Spotify.
You launched Ok-Pop as a style and its artists by way of your Daebak Present. Was there a particular cause as to why you began the podcast?
Initially, I needed to create content material for worldwide Ok-Pop followers as a result of they provide a lot like to Korea and to Ok-Pop artists. After assembly English-speaking Ok-Pop followers, I believed it is perhaps a extra accessible manner for followers to listen to behind-the-scenes tales, study extra about Korean music and tradition, and likewise get to know a few of their favourite artists by way of tales and interviews they’ve by no means heard earlier than. As well as, I’ve at all times needed to host my very own discuss present of types, maybe due to my background in interviewing. We thought that placing a podcast collectively could be a good way to start out with out overcomplicating the method.
Eric Nam
What’s one tip you’d share about Spotify’s podcast creation software as a podcast creator your self?
Spotify is such a tremendous platform, significantly for worldwide attain, and it offers unimaginable analytics so you’ll be able to observe the place your content material will get essentially the most engagement.
With Spotify’s opening up of podcasts to listeners in South Korea, what are your expectations for Spotify?
I’m very excited for Spotify to lastly be launching their podcast service in Korea as a result of I’m personally an enormous fan of the format. They’re participating, entertaining, and academic in so some ways. I hope that Spotify customers will be capable of discover not solely their favourite songs, but additionally their favourite podcasts on the platform, and that they provide Daebak Present a hear! Please observe us!
What are a few of your favourite podcasts, aside out of your Daebak Present?
The Every day by the NYTimes, The Tablo Podcast, and Smartless.
Jaekuk Lee (of Momocon)
Jaekuk Lee is the overall supervisor and founding member of net and audio content material firm Momocon (an abbreviation of ‘greater than cell contents”). As an award-winning broadcast author, he has in depth expertise within the South Korean broadcasting trade, together with radio. Momocon’s podcast, Solar Kim’s Relentless World Historical past, is now accessible on Spotify.
What do you want most about podcasts?
I want I might reply this with the native meme that claims “quicker than others, totally different from others” as podcasts present manner quicker and extra correct content material than radio broadcasts. Along with permitting listeners to multitask, they’re extra accessible and provide extra diversified data—even in comparison with video content material.
You’ve beforehand produced quite a few memorable podcasts. As a producer, what do you suppose is crucial issue podcasters ought to think about when making a present?
Jaekuk Lee
I’ve experimented rather a lot with podcast content material and are available to the conclusion that “enjoyable” is crucial issue. In any case, leisure takes up shoppers’ time, and I don’t suppose something with out enjoyable can attraction to them. Whether or not the content material is historic, therapeutic, or informational, there have to be one thing “enjoyable” . . . adopted by the content material’s goal.
You made an enormous hit with the present Solar Kim’s Relentless World Historical past. How did you come throughout creating short-form audio content material on historical past?
Everybody loves history-based content material, however that is very true for Koreans. The best way historical past will be interpreted in many various methods additionally makes it an ideal matter for dialogue. Based mostly on my previous experiences as a radio author, breaking information that might wake folks up and quick tales which might be simple to know are efficient for morning broadcasts. In the meantime, considerably comfy, longer tales that don’t want clear understanding are appropriate for nighttime broadcasts to place listeners to sleep. I produced Solar Kim’s Relentless World Historical past with hopes to offer a section of historical past that’s enjoyable and simple to strategy on the best way to and from work. I consider that an interpretation of historical past might additionally turn into meme-worthy whether it is enjoyable.
When it comes to content material format and style, what revolutionary traits do you suppose podcasters want to concentrate to shifting ahead?
I’d say audio dramas and audio films. Sound is the primary type of leisure people encounter, and now we have cultivated our creativeness by listening to our dad and mom’ voices within the womb. Whereas the podcast market has grown by way of informative content material to date, it ought to take an even bigger step towards drama and storytelling by way of audio. Whereas video content material about astronauts on Mars must present Mars by way of the lens, an audio drama might let one’s creativeness unfastened with the easy assertion that an astronaut has arrived on Mars.
With Spotify’s opening up of podcasts to listeners in South Korea, what are your expectations for Spotify?
I’m hoping that folks will be in contact with a variety of genres and codecs, which may, in flip, activate our nationwide podcast trade. I’m considering that world podcasts that scored successful worldwide—particularly, audio dramas and documentaries—will actively move in by way of Spotify, giving listeners extra selection and enjoyable. I hope will probably be a possibility for inventive folks to strive extra various issues.
The Leestar Crew
Jongyoon Park and Jooheon Lee, identified collectively because the Leestar Crew, are CEOs of the new-media firm Lab Choo Jong Yoon. The pair is legendary for his or her soccer-focused video and podcast content material, which has attracted a fan base of hardcore sports activities followers in South Korea. Their podcast, Leestar Radio, is now accessible on Spotify.
You have got achieved success within the sports activities podcasting world with the uncommon distinction of getting labored as knowledgeable commentator and caster up to now. May you inform us extra concerning the state of sports activities podcasting in South Korea?
The Leestar Crew
The sports activities sector makes up a comparatively small portion of the podcast market. Typically, politics, tradition, and leisure are the dominant genres, they usually appear to be most popular by listeners as a result of they’re simply relatable. In the meantime, sports activities podcasts are sometimes discovered and listened to by those that are particularly thinking about sports activities. This area of interest permits sports activities podcasts to safe a hard and fast fan base.
What do you want most about podcasts?
Podcasts have a extra relaxed vibe in comparison with common radio applications. Additionally, folks can take heed to podcasts at any time and pause them every time they need, not like radio. Furthermore, anybody can document and share their podcast content material with others.