Podnews Daily - podcast industry news The ad-free shows in Apple Podcasts - who pays?
Oct 10, 2025
Apple Podcasts promotes shows as âad-freeâ but fails to compensate publishers, particularly hurting public radio stations. The conversation delves into the impact of AI voices on the trust between hosts and listeners, with varied opinions on their reliability. A new free tool from Transistor allows creators to generate episode art directly from their podcast feeds. Additionally, the podcast discusses legal regulations affecting advertising loudness and new EU rules on political ads that may shift how podcasts approach monetization.
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Episode notes
Apple's Unpaid 'Ad-Free' Promotion
- Apple is promoting shows as âad-free in Octoberâ without paying publishers for lost ad revenue.
- This practice affects public radio stations already facing funding cuts and raises fairness concerns.
Parasocial Trust Versus AI Voices
- Podcasting creates a strong parasocial one-on-one connection between hosts and listeners driven by rhythm and proximity.
- Experts debate whether AI voices will harm that trust, depending on responsible use and prosodic cues.
Use AI Voices Responsibly
- Use AI voices only when they employ correct prosodic cues and are used responsibly to preserve listener trust.
- Consider AI-performed ads as a potential revenue unlock, per Tom Webster's analysis.