Dax Shepard Is Moving to Spotify, I’m Not

Ashley Carman reporting for The Verge:

Spotify’s adding another big name to its list of exclusive podcasts: Dax Shepard and his show Armchair Expert, which is one of the most popular podcasts running. All past and future episodes will be available exclusively on Spotify starting July 1st. Along with the exclusive distribution rights to Armchair Expert.

A key component of Spotify’s podcasting moves is that it makes shows available to both free and paying users, and also includes ads for both of them. This means that Spotify makes ad money on every podcast listen. With Armchair Expert, the company can bring more people to Spotify, offer another popular show exclusively, and sell more ads, all in a quest to become the dominant place people consume audio.

Do I subscribe and listen to Armchair Expert? Yes. Will I download Spotify and switch my podcast listening to Spotify to continue subscribing to Armchair Expert? Absolutely not.

For me, how I consume media is just as important as what media I consume. I may be in the small minority of people who feel this way, which, if so, is great news for Spotify. That means most listeners will happily download a new app to continue enjoying Armchair Expert. 

But I equate podcast listening with Overcast. If I can’t fire up my favorite podcasting app to listen to a show, then that show simply doesn’t exist to me. Some folks will see U2 anywhere they play, others will wait until they come back to MSG. I’m in the latter camp.