During the last few weeks, a number of popular true crime podcasts have decided to stop their shows. In the UK, the excellent Blood Ties and Scotland Yard Confidential have both made their last recording, which is, I think, a real shame,
There are many others who have stopped making true crime podcasts since the boom during the pandemic, when seemingly a new show or three started every day – ‘True Crime & Lawn Mowing’ anyone? Of course, everyone has their own reasons why they stop doing things – and we all have to adapt as life changes around us, but I think there are a number of reasons why so many shows are stopping.
Firstly, creating a regular podcast takes time and each podcaster has to ask whether the time spent on their show is a good investment of their time. Personal priorities change over time and new jobs, partners, children, hobbies etc all can easily lead to the decision that the time spent podcasting can no longer be justified.
Secondly, and I think most crucially, the rise of the corporates. When I started podcasting in 2016 the charts were filled by independent podcasters creating their own content from their homes. As the industry has progressed, we now see the charts filled with podcasts from corporate companies, with outstanding production values and massive marketing budgets. Often these shows are amazing, and I guess like radio and tv beforehand, this is just the natural evolution of the industry. This isn’t a bad thing because listeners, we get amazing true crime content.
Thirdly, and not unrelated to the two points above, with a few notable exceptions true crime podcasters aren’t getting rich anytime soon. In the UK, advertising revenue is down, and the cost of living crisis has naturally meant that many listeners who tried to support podcasters via forums such as Patreon are unable to do so. Podcasters, especially those who have been around for a while, may well take the decision that there are easier ways to make an income.
Fourthly, with corporates needing to quickly rake back some of their large marketing spend, we are seeing a seemingly unstoppable rise towards podcasts being available via subscription. Whilst this means that podcasters are able to be paid for their work and back catalogues, it does change the relationship with listeners. Maybe some podcasters will just take the view that this isn’t why they initially started their shows and will take the decision to stop. I get it.
Finally, some things just run their course don’t they, such as all the great TV series that ended whilst they were still at the very top of their game and attracting lots of viewers – if only the creators of ‘Last of the Summer Wine’ had appreciated this, many UK Sunday evenings could have been much happier.
In the internet and social media age of 2023, with so many demands for our attention 24/7, we can all clearly see that nothing lasts for ever. Maybe fewer, but better quality true crime podcasts is the future? Maybe. What do you think?
Good summary of developments. I guess the other problem (based on my knowledge but others might know more) is the lack of decent analytics and ability to track ROI on advertising on podcasts. This kind of reminds me of websites back in 2000s. They were flying high with click through ads and then they died a death because advertisers realised that they weren’t get a decent return on investment although others did survive.