Monday, February 17, 2020

Podcast Academy Formed, Radio Is MIA

The burgeoning podcast biz is looking for its own version of the Oscars, Emmys and Grammys, Variety reports.

On Friday, a group of podcast publishers and producers including Spotify, NPR, PRX, Sony Music Entertainment and Wondery announced the formation of the Podcast Academy, a membership-based organization dedicated to promoting the medium.

As part of its charter, the Podcast Academy plans to bestow annual awards of merit – dubbed the Golden Mics – for outstanding achievements in podcasting. The first Golden Mics ceremony is targeted for early 2021 in Los Angeles. Nominations would be opened later this year.

The companies didn’t say how much membership in the Podcast Academy would cost. A spokesman for the new organization said the board of governors has yet to determine fees but said their aim is to keep costs low and accessible for all industry participants.

Conal Byrne, president of the iHeartPodcast Network, said his company was asked to participate in the formation of the Podcast Academy. While iHeartMedia will evaluate joining the org, Byrne said, “the iHeartRadio Podcast Awards was built as an industry show with industry participation and has already had two successful seasons, so we want to make sure this is something additive. We will of course listen to the pitch.”

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