Yesterday, I listened to the Michelle Obama Podcast, a Spotify exclusive.  Full disclosure, I love the Obamas (and miss them).  Overall, I thought Episode 1 was good.  I think a few more ums could have been deleted, but that's a matter of personal preference (and hot debate), and the two interrupted each other for a bit, and there were a few times I wasn't sure who was interviewing who.  But in a good marriage, you finish each other's sentences.  I'm sure it would be similar if I did a show with my wife - if I could ever get her near a microphone.

In the larger picture, the show featured music from Stevie Wonder, and if I'm not mistaken, a Beyonce beat was in the trailer.  I'd be curious to see if this was a function of Spotify, the Obamas, or both.  It would be nice to get to a point where that was available for more content creators.

In terms of substance, I did enjoy the interview. Obviously, if you're Michelle Obama, your first guest is probably a no-brainer.  I find Barack and Michelle to both be very engaging speakers, and I was drawn in to their stories about how their backgrounds shaped their value systems.  And, I'll be honest, there were a few not-so-subtle digs at Mr. Obama's successor, which I smirked at.

Other podcasting news this week, via Podnews, Podcast  Business Journal, and PodMov Daily:

Spotify is making memes of podcasts that link back to the show. They are called "Visual Quote Cards." https://www.theverge.com/2020/7/29/21346490/spotify-visual-quote-michelle-obama-podcast?vgo_ee=MYFFchsNQquCI9pBrYt34RwUnRnlmwiuCIJkd9A7F3A%3D

There's a report that people are working around Spotify's music licensing restrictions by uploading their content as a podcast, which has much less oversight: https://www.documentjournal.com/2020/07/cant-find-your-favorite-song-on-spotify-check-the-podcast-section/?vgo_ee=MYFFchsNQquCI9pBrYt34RwUnRnlmwiuCIJkd9A7F3A%3D

Spotify's earning's call had a lot of info about revenue and podcasts, claiming they have more podcasts than Apple, among other things. https://news.alphastreet.com/spotify-technology-spot-q2-2020-earnings-call-transcript/?utm_source=podnews.net&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=podnews.net:2020-07-30

Descript uses "Overdub" technology: https://blog.descript.com/descript-pro-overdub-and-more/?utm_source=podnews.net&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=podnews.net:2020-07-29

Of note to car enthusiasts (we are in Detroit after all): Ford is launching a 8 episode podcast about the story behind bringing back the Bronco. https://podcastbusinessjournal.com/podcast-part-of-fords-bronco-plan/

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