What is the benefit of podcasts? Scroobious Pip mentions two very good reasons below but can you think of any others?
Consider:
-Why are podcasts popular?
-How are they accessed and consumed by audiences?
-Who are the Producers of podcasts (audiences, established media or both?)
-How has new and digital technology impacted on the production, distribution and consumption of podcasts?
-What content is released and how is this regulated?
Read the Guardian article below -
Afixture on the UK spoken-word scene, Scroobius Pip (aka David Meads) got his break in 2007 with Thou Shalt Always Kill, the first release in an eight-year collaboration with hip-hop producer Dan le Sac. In 2014, he quit his award-winning show on Xfm (now Radio X), The Beatdown, to start a podcast, Distraction Pieces. A book of the same name, gathering conversations from the podcast, is published by Cassell on 15 August.
How would you describe the podcast?
It’s interesting conversations with interesting people. Obviously it’s important to have some big names in there, such as Simon Pegg, Alan Moore and Billy Bragg, but we’ve also had people such as Dr Suzi Gage, who studies recreational drugs and their potential benefits and negatives, and the mortician Carla Valentinetalking about the taboo of death. It can get incredibly heavy – we’ve had debates about race and mental health – but there’s also a lot of silly nonsense.
It’s interesting conversations with interesting people. Obviously it’s important to have some big names in there, such as Simon Pegg, Alan Moore and Billy Bragg, but we’ve also had people such as Dr Suzi Gage, who studies recreational drugs and their potential benefits and negatives, and the mortician Carla Valentinetalking about the taboo of death. It can get incredibly heavy – we’ve had debates about race and mental health – but there’s also a lot of silly nonsense.
How did it start?
I went on an American podcast called The Joe Rogan Experience in 2013. At the time, I had a radio show on Xfm, which went on to win two Sony awards. Joe asked: “Why do you work for someone else?” I said, “Well, they’re on FM.” He pointed out that most of my listeners were listening online and said: “I don’t know why, in this modern age, you’d work for someone else.” So I left Xfm in 2014 and started Distraction Pieces. Now I couldn’t do it any other way.
I went on an American podcast called The Joe Rogan Experience in 2013. At the time, I had a radio show on Xfm, which went on to win two Sony awards. Joe asked: “Why do you work for someone else?” I said, “Well, they’re on FM.” He pointed out that most of my listeners were listening online and said: “I don’t know why, in this modern age, you’d work for someone else.” So I left Xfm in 2014 and started Distraction Pieces. Now I couldn’t do it any other way.
Why not? Because the podcast gives you more freedom?
Completely. You can give a platform to unexpected people and talk about really challenging things. Also, there’s no time limit. My first guest was Russell Brand. At the time, he was everywhere in the press, but it was always 30-second soundbites. My podcast is 60 to 90 minutes long and not even Russell could maintain a front for that long. After 20 minutes it turned into a conversation between two blokes and he started to open up.
Completely. You can give a platform to unexpected people and talk about really challenging things. Also, there’s no time limit. My first guest was Russell Brand. At the time, he was everywhere in the press, but it was always 30-second soundbites. My podcast is 60 to 90 minutes long and not even Russell could maintain a front for that long. After 20 minutes it turned into a conversation between two blokes and he started to open up.
You had a full-time music career before this. What’s happening with that?
I decided I was going to take a couple of years off music to do acting, different kinds of writing and this podcast. Now I get over 100,000 listeners a week and it’s one of the most successful things I’ve ever done. That’s bittersweet at points, because I’ve worked very hard as a musician, but at least people are finding out about my music through the podcast.
I decided I was going to take a couple of years off music to do acting, different kinds of writing and this podcast. Now I get over 100,000 listeners a week and it’s one of the most successful things I’ve ever done. That’s bittersweet at points, because I’ve worked very hard as a musician, but at least people are finding out about my music through the podcast.
Was it a longstanding ambition to be a broadcaster?
Not at all. I’ve got a stutter – so it wasn’t an obvious career choice. I had to have my arm twisted to start doing my show on Xfm. Within a week or two I fell in love with it. It made me remember how good it felt when I got my first bit of music played on the station. All of a sudden I was giving other acts their first bit of airplay and it felt amazing to get that out there and push things.
Not at all. I’ve got a stutter – so it wasn’t an obvious career choice. I had to have my arm twisted to start doing my show on Xfm. Within a week or two I fell in love with it. It made me remember how good it felt when I got my first bit of music played on the station. All of a sudden I was giving other acts their first bit of airplay and it felt amazing to get that out there and push things.
What does the book do that isn’t already being done on the podcast?
I didn’t want to just publish the highlights, so we decided to break it up into categories. Different people give their opinions on subjects such as mental health, race and politics – also lighter subjects like comedy and the movies, or the creative process. When we were putting it together, I was blown away by the amazing bits of knowledge my guests have shared.
I didn’t want to just publish the highlights, so we decided to break it up into categories. Different people give their opinions on subjects such as mental health, race and politics – also lighter subjects like comedy and the movies, or the creative process. When we were putting it together, I was blown away by the amazing bits of knowledge my guests have shared.
How’s the acting going?
The first film I got was Guy Ritchie’s Knights of the Roundtable [now retitled King Arthur: Legend of the Sword], which is out next year. And I recently did a series for the BBC called Taboo with Tom Hardy and Stephen Graham. I play a smuggler called French Bill. It’s a small role but I was very honoured to have it develop as the series went on. I’ve no idea where all this is leading, but it’s a great start.
The first film I got was Guy Ritchie’s Knights of the Roundtable [now retitled King Arthur: Legend of the Sword], which is out next year. And I recently did a series for the BBC called Taboo with Tom Hardy and Stephen Graham. I play a smuggler called French Bill. It’s a small role but I was very honoured to have it develop as the series went on. I’ve no idea where all this is leading, but it’s a great start.
