They are teenagers! From outer space!

Schlock Audio (who is now partnered with Texas Radio Theatre) is back and in full cheese-mode with all new B-movie goodness! Teenagers from Outer Space-ace-ce-e....

"Earth has been invaded by diving helmet wearing, gorilla-suited aliens hell bent on universal domination! Humanity is but one family away from extinction! This is an exciting episode that CANT BE MISSED! HURRY! Put your audio goggles on and tune in as an epic battle rages, bubbles are blown, and the fate of our world is decided, ALL IN ASTOUNDING TECHNICOLOR 3-D STEREO!!!!"

As with every Schlock audio, I must have popcorn while listening. You can also hear a very funny blooper reel which is up on the podcast feed. The feed sports both Texas Radio and Schlock productions- and I'm sure Teenagers from Outer Space will be in the feed soon!

Podcast: http://texasradio.libsyn.com/

After month hiatus, Robotz return! And get naked!

Take one beautiful, romantic evening, add a romantic dream and a desire for Kika to be a little um, closer to her sweet sweet Brisco, and you have Robotz turned human for 12 hours!

Exactly how did they become all fleshy and hormone-crazed? What does our crazy crew sound like in human-form? Listen to the lastest episode of Dream Realm's smash hit Robotz of the Company and find out! Definitely one of the raciest episodes of 'Botz to date- and hilarious!

Click the subject line to link to the podcast, or get the podcast feed HERE.

Praise the Company, hubba-hubba!

State of the Podiobook

The latest episode of fellow-addict Chris Moody's PodioMedia Chat features Tee Morris- who is also the first to have a second appearance on the show!

Now, they could have chatted about Morevi: Remastered. They could have chatted about the Podcasting for Dummies Podcast and book. They even could have chatted about the Survival Guide To Writing Fantasy.
So many things to cover, and what do they talk about?

Scott Sigler.


(All right, they talk about the other things too!)

Lazy Sunday Fun!

It's a rare, rainy day here in the desert, so I'm killing some time and plugging different terms into this slogan generator.

How Many Licks Does it Take to Get to the Center of an Audio Drama?

Enter a word for your own slogan:

Generated by the Advertising Slogan Generator, for all your slogan needs. Get more Audio Drama slogans.

I've plugged in "podiobooks" and a few others. Have fun! :-D

Podiobook Double-Hitter

Two Podiobooks you should definitely add to your playlist! One all ready 13 chapters in (my favorite/lucky number!) and the other has just begun (Although Metamor has several fabulous short stories in its feed).

Murder At Avedon Hill by P.G Holyfield:

Lord Avedon has a problem. Generations of Avedons have watched over Avedon Hill and controlled the only pass through the Lantis Mountains. Traditions are important to the Avedon family, but one tradition has tragically come to an end. Gretta Platt, Housemistress of Avedon Manor, has been murdered. A member of the Platt family has always served the Avedons as Housemistress… until now.Only a handful of people live at Avedon Hill, and most are suspects. Arames Kragen, retired Aarronic Advisor and scholar of prophecy, arrives at the gates of Avedon Hill, hoping to gain access to the mountain pass. Lord Avedon is not in a giving mood, however…This is the story of Arames Kragen and his attempt not only to discover who killed Gretta Platt, but also to uncover the truth about a town that apparently has more secrets than inhabitants.


Metamor City: Making the Cut by Christopher Lester

The Metamor City Podcast features short stories and novels set in an
urban fantasy world where spells and cyberpunk collide. 1300 years have
passed since the Dark Wizard Nasoj placed a curse on the people of
Metamor Valley, twisting their bodies and minds in the hope of making them his servants. They didn't bow so easily. Now, Metamor governs a benevolent empire that spans half a continent. What was once a rural valley with one large castle has become a towering metropolis of fifteen million people, with four layers of magically-suspended roads and
buildings that rise hundreds of meters into the sky. The Curse is under control -- mostly -- but the people of Metamor are far from safe. In the shadows of Metamor's glittering spires, beneath the glamour and glory of the Jewel of the North, dark things are stirring. The battle for the future is beginning, and more and more people are learning the one eternal truth about Metamor City: No one who comes here ever leaves unchanged.
There are very detailed accounts of this amazing fantasy world right HERE.


Both podiobooks are available through iTunes as well!

Colonial Radio getting some podcast play!

The insanely popular Sonic Society has declared 2008 "The Year of Audio Drama" (what- not "pulp radio"? ;-) ) and they have found the best way to celebrate- with Colonial Radio Theatre! From the SS blog:

"Colonial Radio Theatre, who's amazing productions have included Captain Blood, the Father Brown Mysteries, Ray Bradbury's Dandelion Wine and Something Wicked This Way Comes as well as The Dibble Show, Powder River and more than 200 other titles has agreed to allow the Sonic Society an exclusive peek inside their vault.
This year Society Members will be taking a V.I.P. tour through the worlds of Colonial Radio thanks to creative force, producer, writer, and actor Jerry Robbins.
Every month in 2008- The Year of Audio Drama, Jack and Shannon will be adding an extra show to the Society feed to provide these bonus features."

Exciting stuff- and a great idea! What a fabulous way to tell others about your work- and a good place to do it, too. Click the title link for more information about what productions you will be hearing this year!

Why Radio Sucks

From Wired Magazine:

Unless you enjoy hearing the same insipid Fergie song a dozen times a day, chances are you loathe mainstream radio. And for good reason: The FM band between 92.1 and 107.9, where commercial stations reign, is mostly a desert of robo-DJs and pop pabulum.

The sad decline of conventional radio is an Econ 101 lesson in the consequences of artificial scarcity — and a B-school case study on the limits of scientific management. The scarcity is the fault of the Federal Communications Commission, which decided in the mid-1940s to confine FM broadcasting to its current frequency range, roughly between 88 and 108 MHz. The FCC's spectrum-allocation rules, designed to prevent station signals from interfering with one another, further limited the number of broadcasting licenses it granted in any one market.

By the '70s, thanks to a fecund period in popular music, a generation of audacious DJs, and cheap radios, FM had become wildly popular. That made stations valuable properties — so valuable, in fact, that only large companies could afford to buy and manage them. "The legal cost alone of getting on the air is enormous," says Jesse Walker, author of the radio history Rebels on the Air. The government could have eased this situation by allocating more spectrum for radio use and increasing the number of licenses, Walker argues. Instead, Congress chose to relax the rules regarding the number of stations any one entity could own.

That's where the scientific management comes in. The biggest barriers to building a radio audience are the polarizing power of music and the plethora of choices on the dial. So, when corporations like Clear Channel started buying up stations in the late '90s, they set about building a lowest-common-denominator product that would be attractive to the most listeners. "There's this idea of the perfect playlist," Walker says. "Find it with research and attract the perfect audience." But it turns out that the most lucrative audience is really just "people who will not change the channel during the ads." The result: watered-down programming designed primarily not to offend.

So bored consumers are just tuning out. Listenership among 18- to 24-year-olds is down 20 percent over the past decade. Stations have responded not with bold programming but by cutting costs. They've also expended considerable resources to squelch competition from low-powered FM stations and Internet radio. Not that it has helped — 85 percent of teenagers now discover new music through sources beyond the FM dial. Even the biggest radio fans envision a grim future for the medium. One bright spot: The inevitable shift to digital radio could create more room for more types of content.

--

Definitely makes sense, although there are a few independent stations here and there who keep kicking, and aren't half bad. Getting the range and the listeners are a lot of work, though. Especially listeners, when radio is now also battling the ever-growing podcast.

Check out the link to the article, there are many other things that suck- a list of 33!

RPG Audio -- Unscripted Audio Drama?

For those of you who just can't get enough audio goodness, one of the more interesting options may lie in recorded role-playing game sessions, often called simply "game audio." These are exactly what the name suggests: a group of gamers sit down to play D&D, Call of Cthulhu, or any number of other game systems that exist out there, with a microphone in the middle of the table to record the results. The audio quality of these was a bit more iffy in the past, but the more dedicated game audio podcasters have been working to improve this, experimenting with systems including binaural surround sound.

The results can be a great deal of fun, even if you are not familiar with the system being played -- or, I suspect, even if you're not a gamer at all. Indeed, listening to a recorded RPG session is a good way for those not familiar with the concept to really understand what it's all about!

It can also be highly entertaining. Some game audio podcasters will edit the session, some don't -- so things have the potential to get off-topic, silly, or occasionally downright crude!

Here are four different groups doing game audio. There are more out there, but these are ones I've listened to at least once.

RPGMP3.com is one of the longest running game audio sites out there. The centerpiece of their output is a full audio transcript of a group playing The World's Largest Dungeon, that totals several days' worth of audio. Their game of choice is Dungeons & Dragons.

Role-Playing Public Radio (RPPR) started off doing audio comedy sketches centered on gaming. More recently they have begun producing a regular podcast discussing gaming topics, as well as game audio.

The Rolemonkeys are a group which plays and records sessions in a number of game systems. I first heard them as they tried out a new game, The Esoterrorists, an action/horror game in a contemporary setting. (Think X-Files or Torchwood.)

The fine folks at Yog-Sothoth.com gave me my introduction to game audio, with their "Masks of Nyarlathotep" game, which ran to around 20 episodes and over two solid days worth of audio. Joe and I were so impressed with both the Masks game and YSDC's regular cephalo-podcast, Yog Radio, that Ollin Productions is sponsoring the current audio game being podcast, "Horror on the Orient Express". As might be guessed, the folks at YSDC mainly play Call of Cthulhu.

Podcasting for Dummies 2.0: Expert Podcasting Practices

Months ago you say, Mr. Terra?

Sheesh. This is way more exciting than Macworld... to this PC girl at least!

Unfortunately, the photo on Amazon (which I shamelessly swiped) doesn't include third author Ryan Williams. But you see it on the cover in Evo's cute pic!

I'd say this is a must have for any podcaster, or wanna-be podcaster. Unlike the MacBook Air, which I bet you have to pump like a Nike. ;-)

So.. You Want to Podcast your Book...

So.. You Want to Podcast your Book...

I've been a fan of Audio Books for years, and the introduction of podcasting books has ushered in a new wave of No cost, freely down-loadable audio books. This is a good thing. Mostly. Varying quality in readings and production value, amongst other factors, make for many well written books, not having a chance in audio format.

To help aspiring authors in avoiding this problem I've decided to make a list of do's and don'ts for amateur perspective Audio/Podio book authors, to give their work the best chance of doing what their audio production should: Entertain the listener, and attract a publisher. (Disclaimer: I'm not an expert, but I have been in podcasting since 2005, and understand the work that goes into producing a quality audio production and listening to audio books longer than that.)

1. Should you read your book yourself?
This is a serious question you need to ask yourself. You have heard the phrase "a face for radio"? well the same applies for audio as well. Some people just don't have the voice for audio. So be objective, and make the right choice. This is more important for fiction, but in some cases a trained voice is the best choice.

2. Speaking of which, In a work of fiction, the reader of book should be the same sex as the Main Character.
Yes, there are some readers that can pull off the opposite sex vocally, but if the main voice of the narrative is read by the opposite sex of the character, it pulls the listener out of the story. Secondary characters are fielders choice, whether you want to have different people read the different parts, or have the one reader do voices, is a judgement call you'll have to make. Many authors straddle the line between straight reading and full out audio theater production Which brings us to...

3. Sound effects.
Again, mostly for works of fiction, a few well places sound effect and mood/background music can be used to draw the reader/listener in to your world. On the flip side of that coin, badly placed, inappropriate sounds and music can ruin an otherwise good audio book.
Being a good foley artist isn't easy, and unless you have some experience with sound effects, you may want to just leave the sounds out. As for mood/background music the same rules apply. They say in movies a well produced soundtrack isn't even noticed. I've listened to more than one book where, as soon as some action is hinted at, loud "action" music swells from nowhere and totally ruins any tension that was building in my imagination, again ripping me from the story.
So, if you are going to put in a few sounds or background ambiance or mood music, make sure they are mixed in correctly, and if you have to make a mistake in volume, err on the side of too soft, the words are the important part of the production after all.

4. Recording/sound Quality.
Good quality Audio counts.
You need to start simple, If you are doing it yourself, and don't have a lot of money to spend on production (like most of us) at the minimum, pick up a good USB headset mic, and find a quiet place to record. If you have a few more dollars to spend, a decent mixer and mic set up can be had in the 150 dollar range.
The Quality of the audio you record sets the stage for how good the end product will be. Start Simple and when you have got the basics down, then, and only then, think about adding production value, while keeping the quality at a level you would be happy to listen to yourself.

5. Edit content for audio?
Again, this is for mainly Fiction. Reading a conversation is different from hearing a conversation. The "He said"s and "She said"" needed for the written word really detract from the story, especially if you are using separate voice actors or specific voices for each character. You may want to edit your work to reflect the style of production.

6. Multiple RSS feeds
There are two main ways to make your Book available for download, By this I mean Straight Podiobook, where the audio file is just the book, with a short "You can find more information at www... " at the end of each chapter. and the other is Full on Podcast Release, where you intro each episode with a summery of What happened last time, and end each episode with listener feed back and announcements of contests and other blog type information.
I recommend... both. Yes both.
Releasing the book in weekly installments in full podcast mode, is a great way to build an audience and get the buzz going for your work. Scott Sigler, Mur lafferty, JC Hutchins, Tee Morris and Christiana Ellis have used this model with great results. The problem with using only this method, is these files will be on line, well forever, and having 1/3 of your audio book news and information that is 2-3 years old just gets annoying, and will just pull those future listeners from the story.
The solution is to have 2 RSS feeds. One for the podcast, and the other a pure Audiobook reading. Mur Lafferty did (is doing) this with 'Playing for Keeps" with the Podcast feed full of Listener and fan produced content as well as the book itself.

The Point of this list is to help you to create a viable promotional tool for your work. Your Listeners/readers are not going stick around, no matter how great your story is, if it's painful to listen to your audio. Poor sound quality, bad/inconsistent volume levels, an irritating voice, and bad use of music and sound effects will have readers hitting delete after the first chapter.

If you don't think you can handle the recording and production of the final products, There are other options. Perhaps you know someone who wants to help, and if not there are always professional services and Podiobooks.com also offers these services for a reasonable fee.

I hope this helps, It's not a complete list, but it's a good start to a successful Podiobook.

JT Shea

Fan Communities Part 3: Podiobooks!

It's like an invasion! Seems Podiobooks.com has a new fan site as well. (Ok, well it isn't BRAND new, but I finally have been catching up on all my audio feeds, and I found a post from Evo about it.)

This is a great place for authors, podcasters, and listeners to all gather and talk about everything from who's writing what, to how to begin your own podiobook. Also an interested discussion about where the limit is in social media networking.

Another good place!

So many fan communities, so little time

Was twittering away, and noticed JC Hutchins (author of the 7th Son Podcast Novel) getting all nutty. And, when JC gets nutty, it usually means that he's scheming.

Well, what do you know? He was scheming. Go and check out his new fan site! This Ning thing (hehe) is pretty cool. It was used for NaPodPoMo. Easy and very interactive.

Crazy Dog Revived

Hullo-hullo! No, I have not forgotten about you all! Actually I've been agonizing way too much over how to keep this precious place alive the past couple of months. However, with the addition of some great contributors, I think I'm getting a handle on things. :-) Welcome and thank you to my new peeps! Remember, if you'd like to contribute to the blog, click the email on the side bar- the more the merrier!

One big reason I haven't been contributing as much is simply a lack of time to sit and listen to things! However, today I am sitting waiting for repair people to show and fix my fridge, so I scanned my iTunes list. One of the best audio cinema shows out there, Radio Drama Revival- just aired brand-spanking-new Crazy Dog Audio on their show yesterday, so I decided to treat my ears and listened in.

"The Salmon of Blackpool" is definitely intriguing. An audio drama about the making of a movie (with a mysterious twist, of course). You feel like you are sitting in listening to an actual scene being filmed- it's really quite impressive. But what would you expect from Crazy Dog, other than impressive? It's part one- and definitely makes you want to know more about this movie, and the odd happenings surrounding it.

One of the reasons Fred's show appeals to me so much is that is cuts right to the good stuff. Shows are 30 minutes, and he gets right to talking about the show you are about to hear, and is very insightful in his descriptions. He knows what we want and gives it straight up- awesome audio cinema! If you haven't taken a listen yet, then it's about time you did!

Grey, A Podiobook worth a Listen.

Hi, fellow Audio Addicts, JT from The Gigcast here. I'm new to this here AA blog, so I thought I'd throw Caush into the wind (he likes that sort of thing) and jump right in with a recommendation/review.

Recently I was talking with Christiana Ellis of “Nina Kimberly” and “Space Casey” fame. (name drop #1) And mentioned to her I was looking for a new Podiobook to read. She recommended Grey, by Jon Armstrong. Not for a minute doubting Ms. Ellis’ judgment, I took a look.

From Podiobooks.com

“High fashion, corporate malfeasance, celebrity culture, and an obsessed media collide with exuberant violence and volatile intensity in Grey, the explosive debut novel by Jon Armstrong.”

The book takes place in a future where “Ultra” is king, and everything is on the net. Ratings are king and ratings drive business. The gulf between the haves and have-nots is huge, with the corporations being run by Pure blood ‘Families”. Yeah I know, sounds weird, but the future portrayed in the book works in a very Idiocratic way. The story resolves around the heir to a mega company and his arranged marriage/merger to and subsequent break up with the daughter of a competing company.

The reading is well done, and each character has his or her own voice (one reader, but nicely done). Apart from a few minutes of dead air at the end of the first few episodes, there are no major technical problems with the recordings.

This is not a book to listen to with the kids around. Adult language and situations abound, but fit well into the world built by Mr. Armstrong.

This book is recommended by me.

JT

Looking to chat with fellow fans?

Interested in chatting with fellow fans of your favorite audio drama? It seems that Marrcus Beattie has started an audio drama message board site.

You can find it at: Audio Drama Talk


Currently they have sections for some of the best known production companies:
Sonic Society, Decoder Ring Theatre, Crazy Dog Studio.

If you want to have a new way to chat with fellow fans, and the creators themselves come check out Audio Drama Talk.

Dangerously Funny!

Those of us in the former Colonies sometimes get the idea that British humor (or humour) is all dry, refined, highbrow, and just generally inaccessible. Then we remember Monty Python's Flying Circus, or its spiritual audio forefather, The Goon Show.

It is in this tradition where you will find the fine minds at Isotope Audio. Their material available through podcast ranges from two minute sketches to nearly half-hour stories, all of which are rude, crude, and radioactively funny. The production values are good, the stories delightfully absurd, and the comic timing absolutely flawless.

This stuff is not in the least bit safe for work, so Joe and I listened through the available material while on an extended car trip. It was so funny that we had to turn it off from time to time so that I could continue to drive, something that has happened with only one other audio work before: "Rant In E Minor," Bill Hicks' final album.

Fine company to be in, to be sure.

Space Casey

Here it is Christmas time once again. Hard to believe yet another year has gone by. Also looking over what has been posted on the site, its hard to believe we have neglected to talk about Christiana Ellis' newest work Space Casey.

She's so far has released 5 episodes of the short run series. The basic premise is what happens when a con artist takes a space ship from someone who actually is an alien?

Very funny, and as far as I've heard very original.

New Home for Icy Cold Goodness!

It has been a couple months since the change, but in case anyone might have missed it, The Icebox Radio Theater has a new online home, courtesy of those most excellent of podcast hosts, Libsyn! IBRT posts a new episode every couple of weeks, give or take, and they've got some of the coolest and most eclectic original audio drama (and comedy, and mystery) out there.

IBRT Artistic Director Jeffrey Adams has also included a new feature in every show, "Audio Geek's Corner," which offers a behind the scenes look at how the shows are produced, as well as advice on many aspects of producing audio theater, from finding scripts to "sweetening" sound effects.

Anyone who enjoys audio storytelling or wants to know more about how it's done will find the IBRT podcast well worth a listen.

Gifts for the Audio Cinema lover(s) on your list!

Frederick over at Radio Drama Revival! compiled a great list of audio cinema you can purchase for the audio addicts in your life! Great stuff, make sure you hit the subject link and check it out!

A couple of additions:

*Colonial Radio Theatre (productions for all ages!)
*Also, don't forget that most of these sites offer merchandise- go get that audio cinema fan a T-shirt or mug from their favorite productions!

Did you grab your NaPodPoMo badge yet?

Talk about catching up-- a week the month has been over and I just now got around to putting the badge up on my site! Those of you who participated, you can click the topic link above to go and grab your badge to proudly display on your website(s).

Congrats! It was a good month. I personally discovered some great things about my own show and how I want to bring future shows to listeners, I hope you all did too!

Colonial Radio's Next Big Thing- Zorro!

Jerry Robbins just amazes me. As soon as Colonial Radio Theatre comes off one production, he just seems to take a quick breath, and dives right into the next big endeavor. Captain Blood, Dandelion Wine, Something Wicked This Way Comes...I'm not even scratching the surface of all the Colonial productions out there. What's up next? Zorro! From the Colonial blog:

"...Colonial has teamed with producer John Gertz to bring ZORRO to the world of audio drama! Mr. Gertz owns the copyright to Zorro (which was aquired by his father in 1940 from Zorro's actual creator,Johnston McCulley), and he was co-producer on the recent motion pictures with Antonio Banderas. The book I am dramatizing for audio is ZORRO AND THE PIRATRE RAIDERS, and let me tell you - this is going to be one exciting story! I am finishing up the script now, and I hope to start production in January for a Springtime release. The show is being produced in episode form for radio, and will be released as a 2 CD set for retail."

By now you all should know the high quality productions of Colonial Radio, and this will be no different I'm sure. I'm excited for this- get me on a pre-order list!

If you happen to be in Prescott, AZ Saturday...

These are pretty funny- I had to share them! Wish I could make it up there this weekend... but I was just up there last weekend camping, and the rain and flash flood warnings spooked me. I'm still recuperating!

But if you happen to be that way, I hear it's a great live show to check out! Someday I'll get my caboose up there for dinner and a show...

One of the First, Still one of the Best

Hello everyone, and thank you to Dani for the invitation to become a regular contributor! I hope I can be of help, pointing out various and sundry audio goodness I've turned up on the Web.

I thought I might start with a podcast that's been out there from the very early days of the form, Digital Flotsam. P.W. Fenton is a classic storyteller; listening to his show is more than a little like listening to your favorite uncles swapping stories after dinner.

"Digital Flotsam" has won no less than three Podcast Peer Awards, so I know I'm not the only podcaster who thinks the show is well worth the time. The content is great, and the production values are flawless. The current episode is a reading of a classic Christmas poem, an online continuation of a cherished holiday tradition -- and a perfect place for new listeners to start.

Well, hello there!

I know, I know. It's been a few weeks. This is what happens when you take on challenges. I've been participating in NaPodPoMo this month- and posting a podcast every single day. Now, when you throw in company for almost two weeks, and a holiday, things get sticky. I'm certainly not proud of the audio quality in a few of these days, but I am very proud that I've been able to post a show daily. I do wish they would have broken away from November though. I mean, the writers and the bloggers and the video bloggers all do this in November. Podcasters should have stood out from the rest!

Anyway, because of that, as you might have noticed, this place has been rather neglected. I do apologize! Though, it's not the only reason. Things just keep happening to me on my end, and I become more and more thinly spread. Now a semi-regular gig with my local newspaper is once again keeping me from letting the addict out to play. I've also got some new family obligations as well, keeping me away from the internets in general. Funny how life can change direction at the drop of a hat, eh?

I even tried to bring in another contributer- but darn him! As soon as he agreed what does he do? Find a job! The nerve!!! (hahaha!)

So, I am still looking for contributors, as I know for sure there is no way I can keep this up all by my lonesome. There is WAY too much audio goodness in the universe for one mere addict to blog about alone. E-mail is there in the right margin, drop me a note if you're interested.

I just received the 90-day expiration notice for theaudioaddicts.com domain name. I figure if I can't get this place hopping in three months time, then I guess it's time to close another chapter in Dani's internet life. Which will make me very sad indeed. This blog has come a long way since Summer of '05 (as has its owner), but something's gotta give somewhere, I suppose.

Cheers friends! I will try and get some new happenings in here soon, I promise!

~Dani

Online Marketing Rising- Could Be Good News For Podcasters

From EMarketer:

The numbers are soaring.

Choose an adjective: Epochal. Momentous. Historic. Whatever the label, US online advertising spending is entering a new era.

eMarketer projects that US online advertising will more than double as a percentage of total media, rising from only a 6% share of total media in 2006, to slightly more than a 12% share in 2010.

In roughly the same period, online spending will nearly triple, rising from $16.9 billion in 2006 to $42 billion in 2011.

According to David Hallerman, eMarketer Senior Analyst and author of the new report US Advertising Spending, these four milestones mark the change:

“First, US Internet ad spending surpassed $5 billion in Q2 2007, the largest sum recorded in any quarter according to research from the Interactive Advertising Bureau and PricewaterhouseCoopers.”

eMarketer projections suggest that, in Q4 this year, spending will leap past the $6 billion mark.

“Second, while 69 of the 100 largest US advertisers put smaller budget shares into four traditional media—television, radio, newspapers and magazines—in 2006 than the previous year, 70 of the same group put larger shares into Internet advertising.”

Furthermore, 58 did both—decreased their traditional spending share and increased the Internet share.

“Third, even as the credit crunch pulls ad money off the total media table, the Internet looks to be more resistant to economic turmoil,” says Mr. Hallerman. “To put the obvious into figures, online advertising contributes more and more to the total ad spending universe every year.”

That share will be 7.4% this year, approach one in ten dollars next year, and will likely reach at least 13% by the end of 2011.

Finally, Mr. Hallerman notes, “Data from both eMarketer and TNS Media Intelligence indicate that 2007 Internet ad spending will be higher than for radio, as reported in August. That is the first time online ad spending will be greater than for any of the four traditional measured media.”

The average ad spend per Internet user is also growing. In fact, 2007 marks the first year that marketers will spend more than $100 to reach each person online. And, by 2011, advertisers will be spending nearly $200 per user.

To see further into the future of ad spending, peer into a copy of the new eMarketer report, US Advertising Spending, today.

Feed Your Addiction

Audio Addict seeking Audio Junkie. Match made in heaven!
Great site I stumbled on with all sorts of audio-tech goodies that will have you salivating so much you are sure to short out your keyboard.
They even have an rss feed, so you are never too far away from a hit- you junkie you!

http://www.audiojunkies.com/

National Audio Theatre Festivals' 2008 Annual Script Contest

Sorry for the late posting, but if you have a script that you can get in the mail, to be postmarked by the 15th of November, you might be interested in entering this contest.

There is a $25.00, contest entry fee. Check out their site at: http://www.natf.org/script2008_rules.html

The Cheesy Goodness of Schlock Audio is Back!

How I've missed the cheese! I'm very happy to report that our friends at Schlock Audio Theatre are back and better than ever! They have teamed up with the marvelous production stylings of Texas Radio Theatre, and their first production is now available!

Robot Monster
"Earth has been invaded by diving helmet wearing, gorilla-suited aliens hell bent on universal domination! Humanity is but one family away from extinction! This is an exciting episode that CANT BE MISSED! HURRY! Put your audio goggles on and tune in as an epic battle rages, bubbles are blown, and the fate of our world is decided, ALL IN ASTOUNDING TECHNICOLOR 3-D STEREO!!!!"

Head over to the all-new Schlock website and download away! Welcome back to the audio cinema world- we've missed you!

Podcast Peer Nominations Are Open

The Winter '08 nominations for the Podcast Peer Awards are now open! All new categories this time, and that includes an Audio Drama one! (You won't be able to see the link unless you are registered, and you can find out how to do that by clicking here.)

There are all ready six audio dramas that have been nominated:

* Mustache Rangers
* Buffy Between The Lines
* The Red Panda
* Firefly: Old Wounds
* Children of the Gods
* Wonder Woman: Champion of Themyscira

There are plenty of other categories to nominate shows in as well- so have fun browsing, voting, and adding your own nominations! There is a lot of time for nominating, now through February 2nd! However, I'd get nominating in now, and then get voting! The top five of all the nominations make it to the finals.

Good luck, and spread the word to all your fellow podcasting peers!

This one time.. at PodcampAZ

Podcamp AZ? Wow. Wow. WOW. Is it next year yet? Because I can't wait for next year's Podcamp AZ!

Seriously friends, I now know what it's like to be in on the sessions that I can't afford to go to at the New Media Expo, and it was great! Discussing podcasting and new media all day long, meeting up with old friends again. Seeing ALL the new faces right here in my state who either are podcasting, or are interested- that blew me away!

(All links below are to the session-leader's websites.)

First session for me was how to be a social puddle-jumper. Which, if you look at the side there, I'm well on my way. I was also given reason to take another look at Facebook, which I've pretty much hated since I first joined it. I still prefer Myspace, but might go browsing around Facebook a bit more and check out more of the applications.

Next was a great session about determining the length of your podcast- which turned into a great discussion. I love that with podcasting you have the freedom to have a show be 10 minutes or an hour and a half. Even the same show!

Lunch was a good time, at least with the company and the performances. The food was so-so. They could have charged $5 instead of $8.50 I think. The music was really good though, but they didn't have the audience I think they could have, because it was flipping HOT. It just shouldn't still be so hot in November, even for Arizona.

The next session was on cross-promoting your podcast, which I definitely learned a lot in. Alot of targeting your audience and seeing if anyone else (like radio) would even be interested in airing your show. It made me wonder how many audio dramas would actually have people interested in giving them air time. You just don't see that anymore.

Final session was on the community and New Media. I was mostly there to support the session leader, but it's true- community support is the biggest driver of your show and where it goes.

Really good and informative day!

The facility itself, that was impressive all on its own- the perfect place for an event such as this. I do hope that next year they might consider an extra day, or even just an half day. My only regret was that I couldn't attend half the sessions I wanted to because of 5 or 6 being in a group. One of the rules of podcamp are you can leave and wander, but I didn't want to miss anything in the sessions I was in! If they added an extra afternoon or day, they could have less sessions in a track, and we can attend more!

Check out how neat the event was!
Photos tagged "podcampaz"

I highly suggest if you have any interest at all in podcasting, vid-casting, or any social media in general, that you check for a podcamp near you! It's beyond inspiring!