🌎 Make like a tree and leave(leaf)
True Crime Climate Change, Oscars, trial updates, and 💨
Hey Party People,
Just a friendly reminder, Mother’s Day is not this weekend. It is May 9th! Some of us, *cough cough*, thought it was April 25th.
In podcasting news: Facebook is adding new audio features around podcasting and live audio, like a Clubhouse competitor. Read about it here.
Apple is adding premium podcasts that creators control(get paid) like Patreon, but lack analytics to understand the audience. Read about that here.
Hot take: Having worked at TuneIn for 8 years, I’ve seen a lot of ideas never leave beta. Even premium ad-free podcasts. It’s a difficult process to break a habit of not paying for podcasts when we’ve all grown up with the majority of the content being free in the Western world. However, there are still 50% of Americans that have not listened to a podcast yet! I’ll definitely keep an eye out for what gains traction.
On that note, I might actually pay for this one piece of content. Dave Chappelle, Yasiin Bey, and Talib Kweli announced a Luminary premium podcast that was recorded at Dave’s Summer Camp 2020. My gut tells me Luminary just shook off that bad subscription press for itself with this partnership. Watch the trailer here.
Sharing Website update: Last weekend we added logos when sharing a podcast from the Great Pods mobile page! Woo. So if you share on iMessage, Twitter, Facebook, Slack, etc. you will see the podcast logo now.
On to my picks this week…
🎶Listen to the landdddd…..listen to the land.🎶
Every Earth Day, I am reminded of this musical track on my Disney Theme Parks CD, Listen to the Land. It’s pretty neat. What’s also neat is a variety of podcasts and episodes on Earth Day-related topics.
Podcast: BBC Earth Podcast
Genre: Nature
Publisher: BBC
Wow. The soundscape on this podcast is awesome. I should’ve expected this from the BBC Earth team.
“If you do listen to it, it will warm you in these dark months and remind you there’s a bigger world out there.”
Sarah Griffin - Irish Times - Dec 8, 2018
Podcast: The Crisis
Genre: True Crime-Climate Change
Publisher: Vice News
I didn’t think I was going to recommend a True Crime-Climate Change hybrid podcast, yet here we are. The Crisis gives us a look into the dark side of Climate Change. It shows us the length corporations will go to get the Earth’s resources, which includes benefiting and funding murderous conflicts in foreign countries.
“The Crisis is a brave and resourceful attempt to reframe the climate crisis in an immediately human light...”
Miranda Sawyer - The Guardian - Apr 3, 2021
Honorable mention episode: NASA’s Curious Universe - Only On Earth
Podcast: Little Gold Men
Genre: Film
Publisher: Vanity Fair
Roll out the red carpet! It’s OSCARS time. Get your commentary discussion from the experts at Vanity Fair, including interviews with nominees, like my boy Riz Ahmed. I can’t believe he was in the Bay Area filming and my friends didn’t see him (it was mentioned in his interview).
“…rotating series of guests obsess over every snub and scandal in the lead-up to Hollywood’s biggest night.”
Eliana Dockterman - Time.com - Dec 20, 2019
Podcast: Inside the Oscars
Genre: Film
Publisher: ABC News
Hosted by ABC’s Ginger Zee, this podcast pulls back the curtain at the OSCARS, especially the 2021 version of it.
While I couldn’t find a Critic review on it, I did listen to the episode on the “Anatomy of the Academy” because I wanted to learn about how voters actually pick Best Picture. It was super detailed. If you want to be an expert on Sunday with friends or family, this is it. Additional episodes include fashion and representation.
Podcast: Up First
Genre: Daily News
Publisher: NPR
The verdict on the murder of George Floyd was handed down on Tuesday. You can get a good informative recap with NPR’s Up First on Wednesday’s episode release.
“…they have truly perfected how to pick out the key pieces in a discussion to provide value to listeners quickly.”
Alison Osborne - Quill It - Oct 19, 2020
Podcast: Great Moments in Weed History
Genre: History
Publisher: David Bienenstock, Abdullah Saeed (Independent)
Educational and entertaining! David and Abdullah, cannabis connoisseurs, are reshaping the narrative of cannabis history. They recap the “humor, heart, and historical importance” of cannabis. I thoroughly enjoyed the “Louis Armstrong’s Weed Dealer Transformed Jazz” episode and the “Gettin' High With Willie!”(Willie Nelson Stories) episode.
"It’s well researched, thoughtful, and a blast to listen to.”
Dane Rivera - Uproxx - Feb 24, 2021
You made it this far! Here are some audio clips from the picks!
Stay safe, get vaccinated, wear a mask, and plant a tree.
XOXO
Captain Ron
About: Great Pods is a podcast discovery and recommendations ecosystem that uses podcast critic’s reviews and ratings to help you find your first or next listen.