The American tech company Apple has revolutionized the market several times. Whether with his pioneering operating system, his iPhone, iPad or the iTunes store. The world has always loved the innovations from California and has bought these products en masse. More than 15 years ago, Apple first established the podcast function in iTunes. A lot of time has passed since then. The podcasts have conquered the world and continue to enjoy tremendous attention. Now Apple is preparing to dare to innovate again.

After all, Apple has long ceased to be the sole ruler of the podcast market. Spotify has grown into a serious competitor. Therefore, Apple is now planning to introduce a payment function for podcasts. That could cause a stir. After all, Apple was partly responsible for the boom. The name podcast itself initially came from the iPod mp3 player. The iTunes store popularized the shows. Today, almost 20 years later, everything is different. There are now countless podcast publishers. Streaming services, in particular, invest a lot of money to bind listeners to their service and then sell them subscriptions. Spotify, for example, buys formats exclusively. The Swedish company is said to have invested billions of euros in podcasts to date. That also includes company takeovers such as those of Gimlet, Anchor and Megaphone.

Producers Can Now Ask For Money

So Apple has become one of many providers in the meantime. So far, the group has not tried to turn its offer into face value. That could change now. Apple CEO Tim Cook last presented a new function at the spring keynote. The podcast app has a unique feature with the latest iOS 14.5 operating system. That should enable the producers of podcasts to offer paid content on the platform in the future.

To do this, however, they have to participate in the new Apple Podcasters Program. However, that only costs $ 20 a year. After that, they can ask for money for their podcasts. You determine the price yourself. Apple then deducts the amount from the listener monthly or annually. Apple collects a commission for this. The group already uses this system with the Apple ID in the App Store and Apple TV, and Apple Music. You can share the podcast with your own family. Up to six people can take part. At the same time, Apple will provide its customers with an analysis function. That is how to podcast producers can measure the success of their shows.

But the $ 20 annual fee is not enough for the producers. If rumours are true, the group will receive a commission of 30 per cent of sales in the first year of use. This fee should then be only 15 per cent in the second year. That is nothing new; Apple also charges similarly high commissions in other areas of its business model. Exclusivity is not required, but it makes perfect sense. After all, a podcast listener expects an added value. That could be due to the abandonment of advertising and the addition of exclusive content.