Spotify’s free ad money for video creators

From our daily newsletter, the latest from podnews.net with Podscribe. Spotify is wooing some potential video creators with promises of

free ad money. Natalie Jarvie of The Ankler published a leaked Spotify deck. One slide shows an incentive of $5,000 of free ad credits within Spotify Ads Manager to help eligible new video creators to promote their shows. Spotify often highlights that many creators see a growth in consumption after adding video, but it hasn't mentioned that it gives $5,000 worth of free ads to drive that consumption increase. Today, June the 26th, marks the 13th anniversary of the launch

of the Apple Podcasts iOS app in 2012. The app featured a faux reel-to-reel tape deck, apparently a nod to the Braun TG60 tape recorder by Dieter Rams. In the Apple Podcasts app, speed controls were marked with a tortoise and a hare, and promotion for This American Life on the editorially curated featured section. The app also featured a Top Stations Discovery feature.

We'll link to a video from CT Tech Junkie showing how the app worked, a positive review from Revision 3, and a demo from Get Connected Media, which shows how the Top Stations feature worked, with an audio and video switch right at the top. Hey, now there's an idea. It's also the 20th anniversary of podcasting going into iTunes on Saturday. 86% of Gen Z listen to music or consume podcasts to help boost their mood, according to a new study.

The Gen Z report from Edison Research and SiriusXM Media says that 13- to 24-year-olds are most concerned with the economy, social injustice, and political division. 8% of their audio time is spent with podcasts. They discover podcasts most often by searching on YouTube. Speaking of which, last week at Cannes Lions, YouTube claimed 200 billion views a day for YouTube Shorts.

In his podcast strategy newsletter, Chris Stone points out that they changed the definition of a play for YouTube Shorts to account for any length of playback, with the result, he says, that these numbers are now a third bigger. And of note, YouTube has never published the definition of a play for regular videos. After a four-month gap, Alex Earle's Hot Mess podcast is to return, but kind of not. This is no longer going to be a traditional podcast.

It's going to be very video forward, she says, on YouTube, and it's to be posted on YouTube and Spotify. Now, the audio is still in the podcast feed, but what do you think's going on here? My special chicken. We're about to do our first shot together. Who knows? Guess we need to watch the video. Now, how much is Joe Budden making from his Patreon? He's posted a screenshot of his Patreon app, which appears to say that his membership earnings are $902,000.

The time period for that amount isn't clear. The UK government released its Creative Industries Sector Plan, part of an aim to ensure long-term economic growth. Podcasts get just one mention, acknowledging that they're now mainstream, but not mainstream enough to be recognised as part of the creative industries, though. And so the sector will miss out on investment, focus and tax support, a decision that Audio UK has described as baffling.

And Jason Snell of Six Colours posts all about the improved iPadOS

26 audio and video capture tools. Podcasters should be rejoicing, Jason says. Well, we haven't reported on our experiences with iOS 26 and iPadOS 26, because those developer builds are marked as confidential. And Apple specifically tells developers not to post screenshots or information. So we will give you coverage once the new OSes make it to public, Peter. Oh, and by the way, if you get value from Podnews, you can support us with money at podnews.net slash support.

You can hit that boost button. And thank you to those who do. We mention you in the Podnews Weekly Review. But you can also support us in other ways. Today, could you help make a Wikipedia page for Podnews? With more than 500 citations in Wikipedia, we'd really like one if you wouldn't mind. And we can't do it ourselves. In People News, KQED is preparing for as many as 25 layoffs. A further nine staff accepted voluntary payoffs earlier this year.

And Wisconsin Public Radio is to lay off at least 15 staff. And the station is closing four shows. And in podcast news, Impariamo l'Italiano piano piano. We learn Italian step by step. It's not for total beginners, but if you have a little Italian under your belt, it could be for you. There's a story at the heart of each episode, told first in slow Italian, then in English and Italian. But this podcast isn't just a story.

You'll also learn grammar and vocabulary in a way that actually sticks. So if you're learning Italian, then perhaps this podcast is for you. Piano piano, step by step. And the Random and Wonderful starts this week with stories that explore how travel shapes who we are. This week's episode looks at world schooling. Grace Simmons chats with fascinating guests about travel, personal growth, and all the unexpected twists that turn random moments into unforgettable adventures.

And this podcast is sponsored by Podscribe. They've just launched their June 2025 industry rankings. And in there, you can see the top podcasts, publishers and advertisers in the industry's ultimate ranker. Explore the full rankings to spot the leaders and biggest movers. There's a link in the show notes to help with that. And that's the latest from our newsletter. To read all the stories and subscribe for free, we're at podnews.net.