Date First Published: 7th June 2022
Topic: Computer Networking
Subtopic: Network Services
Article Type: Computer Terms & Definitions
Difficulty: MediumDifficulty Level: 4/10
Learn more about what a podcast is in this article.
A podcast, also known as an audioblog, or a pod, is a series of prerecorded digital audio files that can be downloaded from the internet and played on a device that is capable of playing MP3 files. It is a combination of the words ‘iPod’ and ‘Broadcast’. Podcast episodes are hosted on a dedicated or shared server and are stored in MP3 format.
Podcasts do not actually require an iPod or the Apple iTunes music program in order for them to be played. However, iPods are useful for allowing people to listen to podcasts whilst travelling.
Podcasts can be created by anyone who has a microphone or digital video camera and can be distributed on the internet, making it possible for anyone to create a podcast that people can subscribe to. Podcasts can be of any length and there are no limitations. Some podcasts last for hours. They can also cover a wide range of topics, including news, comedy, science, documentary, fiction, novel, and more.
Since podcasts are often distributed in episodes, new content is created on a regular basis. In iTunes, it is possible for users to subscribe to these podcasts. As they become available, they will automatically be downloaded, saved in the iTunes library, and viewed within the podcasts section. iTunes contains a library of hundreds of thousands of free podcasts.
A common misconception with podcasts is that a standard audio file is a podcast. For example, when recording a video and uploading that file to a website, it is commonly thought that it is a podcast. A podcast is different from a single audio file in the way that it allows subscriptions. A podcast refers to a series of audio files, such as a TV show, and a podcast episode refers to a single episode of that podcast. A single audio file would be one episode of that podcast. As soon as a podcast is uploaded to a podcast hosting website, that hosting website then produces an RSS feed, allowing people to subscribe to a podcast. Examples of podcast hosting platforms include:
These RSS feeds may then be submitted to a podcast directory, where they can be accessed by listeners. Examples of podcast directories include:
Podcasting has been around since the 1980s. It was originally called audio blogging. The term ‘podcast’ was invented in 2004 by Ben Hammersly to describe the type of content.
Before the invention of the internet, the RCS (Radio Computing Services) provided music and talk-related software to radio stations in a digital format. The MIDI format as well as the Mbone, Multicast network was used to distribute audio and video files before the invention of online music digital distribution. The multicast network was mostly used by educational and research institutes.
In the mid-1990s, a lot of jukeboxes and websites provided a system to sort and select music or audio files. Some websites provided audio subscription services. In 1993, Carl Malamud launched Internet Talk Radio. It was known as the ‘first computer-radio talk show, each week interviewing a computer expert’. Malamud said that listeners were able to pause and restart the audio files as well as skip content.
There were a number of websites that provided downloadable audio shows, such as the comedy show The Dan & Scott Show, available on AOL.com from 1996. However, the development of downloadable music did not become that popular until the launch of Napster, an audio streaming service.
In October 2000, the concept of putting sound and audio files in RSS feeds was proposed by Tristan Louis and implemented by Dave Winer, a software developer and author of the RSS format.
As the use of broadband and the internet grew, the use of podcasts greatly increased. In 2004, a former MTV video jockey, Adam Curry and software developer, Dave Winer wrote iPodder, an application that allows users to download internet radio station programs to their iPods. This application is now called ‘Juice’. Adam Curry had been the host of several podcasts and was referred to as the Podfather for his role in making the medium popular. Daily Source Code was one of his first podcasts.
In June 2005, Apple added podcasting to its iTunes 4.9 music software and built a directory of podcasts at its iTunes Music Store, allowing people to subscribe to, download, and organise podcasts. The creation of podcasts was also promoted by Apple due to the launch of GarageBand and QuickTime Pro software.
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