Celebrating International Podcast Day

Today is International Podcast Day and the occasion has grown as quickly and largely as the medium itself has.  The creators of International Podcast Day actually coordinate live broadcasts that begin on what is September 29th in the U.S. since time zones make it the 30th in other countries where they’re marking the occasion (since it is international, after all).

I’m glad that it is International Podcast Day because it is by no means just a U.S. platform.  Case in point, my weekly show, “Now Hear This Entertainment,” has gotten listeners from 149 countries around the world.  While I do “celebrate” that by announcing (on Instagram and in the weekly e-newsletter) each time listenership has been gained in a country that wasn’t previously on the list, it’s nice to have a day to recognize all the time and effort that we, as podcasters, put into our craft.  Of course, the hope is that we gain new listeners too, but, to be acknowledged for what we produce is a nice celebration, even if it is primarily virtual and not an event in one venue in one city.

 At times on NHTE I’m heard saying, “This is what I create.  This show is my quote unquote ‘new release,’ every week.”  And just like the artists I interview who hope that the audience will respond to the music they’re doing, I publish episodes of the show with optimism that they’re bringing value – educational value about the music business and/or entertainment value.  (It’s part of why I ask listeners to consider contributing to the Patreon for my podcast, to show their support for what I’m doing so I can keep creating more “new releases” each week.)

Make no mistake, I’m blessed to still be churning out new episodes, what with the milestone 300th episode just over a month away (to be released November 6th).  Lots and lots of people get into podcasting with great excitement but then either life happens and/or they realize how much actually goes into it and they “podfade,” meaning that they no longer continue their normal release schedule and eventually go away completely.  It’s part of why I proudly tell people that a new episode has been delivered on-time, every week for more than five-and-a-half years.

But wow, how podcasting has grown over that time!  I remember launching “Now Hear This Entertainment” in February 2014, thinking it would just be a marketing tool for my business.  Certainly it has grown to so (so) much more.  While yes, there are lots of folks out there who’ve been doing it longer than me, I’m still proud that it took me from being “just” a business owner, to not only a podcaster too, but even an author and a speaker.

Because of my enthusiasm for podcasting I even did an 8-day challenge, to teach people how to do it (“From Concept to Launch”) and share all the knowledge I’ve gained (and mistakes I learned from) in growing a global show that has had multiple iTunes Top Ten (Music category) placements.  In fact, not wanting to limit it just to those who took the live, online sessions for those eight consecutive days, I now even have the course available for purchase so that more people can realize the power of podcasting themselves.

My friend Chris Krimitsos even tried to break down the barrier to understanding what podcasting is all about when he made the documentary, “The Messengers,” which, after a successful run on iTunes and Amazon, he has decided to now give away for free, in recognition of International Podcast Day.

Join with me in celebrating the occasion.  Put on your earbuds, open your preferred listening app, and/or pull up the webpage on your laptop, and enjoy these original creations being made just for you.

Talk about NHTE and podcasting in our Facebook group!