Spotify, Gimlet Media & Anchor Discuss the Future of Podcasting at SXSW Keynote [Video]

"If you come into our offices, what you’ll be walking into is a building full of storytellers." – Matt Lieber

Cheddar Senior Reporter Alex Heath sat down with Spotify Chief Content Officer Dawn Ostroff, Gimlet Media Managing Director & Co-Founder Matt Lieber, and Anchor Co-founder/CEO Michael Mignano for a SXSW Keynote Conversation to discuss the future of the rapidly developing podcasting industry.

The recent acquisition of Lieber’s Gimlet and Mignano’s Anchor by Spotify, which signaled a big push from the digital media platform into the podcasting industry, served as the starting point for the conversation. While Gimlet and Anchor function within the podcasting ecosystem in different ways – with Gimlet being a premiere production house for premium podcasting content and Anchor being an app that streamlines the logistical side of podcast production for users to lower the barrier of entry – they both have been highly successful and have driven increased interest in developing the booming storytelling medium.

Much of the conversation centers on how these companies will function under the ownership of Spotify, as Heath keenly acknowledges concerns from the podcasting community through his questioning. Ostroff is reassuring that Spotify does not intend to "rock the boat" with businesses that have already proven themselves to be very successful, but is intent on leveraging the newly conglomerated businesses to grow both the audience and the range of content offered across all platforms.

"Podcasting is not one thing, in the same way that radio and video are not one thing." – Matt Lieber

Watch the full Convergence Keynote, The Second Golden Age of Audio: Podcasting, to hear about how the podcasting industry has developed in recent years, and to learn about future plans from some of the main players in the industry as they discuss their perspectives and opportunities to collaborate.

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Convergence Keynote: The Second Golden Age of Audio: Podcasting – Photo by Miguel Esparza