[Air-L] New Book: Podcasting in a Platform Age

[John Sullivan]

Dear Colleagues,

With apologies for cross-posting, I am pleased to announce the publication
of my new book, “Podcasting in a Platform Age: From an Amateur to a
Professional Medium” (Bloomsbury Academic, 2024). The book is now available
for order and you can use the code GLR AT5 for 20% off when purchasing
directly from the publisher’s website:
https://www.bloomsbury.com/podcasting-in-a-platform-age-9781501380693/

// Description //

Podcasting in a Platform Age explores the transition underway in podcasting
by considering how the influx of legacy and new media interest in the
medium is injecting professional and corporate logics into what had been
largely an amateur media form. Many of the most high-profile podcasts
today, however, are produced by highly-skilled media professionals, some of
whom are employees of media corporations. Legacy radio and new media
platform giants like Google, Apple, Amazon, and Spotify are also making big
(and expensive) moves in the medium by acquiring content producers and
hosting platforms. This book focuses on three major aspects of this
transformation: formalization, professionalization, and monetization.
Through a close read of online and press discourse, analysis of podcasts
themselves, participant observations at podcast trade shows and
conventions, and interviews with industry professionals and individual
podcasters, John Sullivan outlines how the efforts of industry players to
transform podcasting into a profitable medium are beginning to challenge
the very definition of podcasting itself.

// Table of Contents //

1. Introduction: Podcasting in Transition
2. Podcasting as a 21st Century Cultural Industry
3. Institutional Formalization: Mapping a New Cultural Industry
4. Distribution and Exhibition Shifts: The Platformization of Podcasting
5. Professionalism and the Myth of Meritocracy
6. Podcast Production: Fostering Communities of Practice
7. Market Information Regimes in Podcasting: Formalization and Audience
Metrics
8. "This Podcast Was Brought to you By...": Advertising and Brands in
Podcasting
9. Podcast Conventions and the Entrepreneurial Dream
10. Conclusion: Platformization and Podcasting’s Third Decade

// Reviews //

“This is the book we need, but didn't deserve. 20 years after the invention
of podcasting, John Sullivan provides one of the first comprehensive
accounts of the changing digital structures that podcasting exists within.
Clearly written and with great attention to details, it lays out the ever
fascinating interplays between the cultural, social, and economic dynamics
of podcasting in the age of platforms. This is an important book, and it is
essential for everyone who wants to understand the third decade of
podcasting.”
- Aske Kammer, Associate Professor of Journalism Studies, Roskilde
University, Denmark

“Sullivan unravels the captivating journey of podcasting, from its
grassroots origins evolving into dynamics of media and cultural industries.
With keen insights, Sullivan navigates the core of its evolution, unveiling
the tension between preserving podcasting’s open essence and the pull
towards centralization driven by a platform-centered scenario. This book
offers a concise yet enlightening exploration of podcasting's history,
present, and future, revealing why podcasting becomes relevant in the
current digital landscape.”
- Toni Sellas, Course Leader Bachelor of Journalism, University of
Vic-Central University of Catalonia, Spain

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dr. John L. Sullivan
Professor & Interim Chair, Media & Communication
Muhlenberg College, 2400 Chew Street
Allentown, PA 18104 USA
484/664-3481 (phone); 484/664-3993 (fax)
Pronouns: He/Him/His
NEW: Podcasting in a Platform Age
<https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/podcasting-in-a-platform-age-9781501380679/>
(Bloomsbury,
2024)

Author of Media Audiences
<https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/media-audiences/book258868>, 2nd edition
(Sage, 2019)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~