Podcast movement: Aspirational labour and the formalisation of podcasting as a cultural industry

Abstract

Podcasting has thrived since its creation in 2004 as a bastion for home-grown, amateur media production. In the past several years, however, entrepreneurs and legacy media companies have rapidly expanded their interests in podcasting, bringing with them professional standards and the logics of capital. This chapter explores how discourses of formalisation and specialisation come together at 2016 Podcast Movement convention, the largest annual convention of podcasters in the United States. Based upon participant observations and a review of trade press articles, this chapter explores some of the deep tensions between two competing discourses at Podcast Movement: the formalisation of podcasting production practices, and utopianism of self-expression, authenticity, democratisation, and media diversity. These tensions are indicative of a broader struggle for podcasting’s identity.