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Teatrófono; La cultura al alcance de todas las clases sociales

En el siglo XIX el teatro y la opera eran conocidos por ser entretenimiento exclusivo de la alta sociedad, sin embargo, las personas con menos poder adquisitivo no ignoraban su existencia y era claro que deseaban poder disfrutar de estos espectaculos.

Esta necesidad fue la que impulso al ingeniero e inventor francés, Clement Ader, en la invención de su ambicioso y novedoso proyecto. Ya que el no comprendía porque la cultura no podía estar al alcance de todas las personas. Todo un revolucionario de aquellos tiempos.

Así que, como le era imposible llevar a todas las personas al teatro, llevo el teatro a todas las personas. Creando lo que se conocía como teatrófono. Y bueno estamos de acuerdo que no es el nombre mas creativo o bonito, pero sin duda era la herramienta que cumplía con todo lo que Ader buscaba.

Esta tecnología consistía en transmitir por medio de líneas telefónicas, osea en tiempo real. El audio de la presentación que se estuviera realizando en el teatro, y vaya que el sabia lo que estaba haciendo, ya que hacia apenas un año atrás había estado directamente involucrado en la incorporación de todas las líneas telefónicas en Paris, así que podemos decir que estaba en su campo.

¿Pero como es que esto funcionaba?, pues se colocaron aproximadamente 80 transmisores telefónicos, repartidos en todo el escenario. El objetivo era crearles esa sensación tridimensional a sus cerebros, lograr que los oídos de los receptores estuvieran lo mas inmersos posibles en el ambiente del teatro o recinto donde se estuviera realizando la transmisión. (Estamos hablando de la creación de un sistema binaural muy adelantado a su tiempo.)

Diagram of the théâtrophone prototype at the Opera, during the World Exhibition in Paris

luego esta señal es enviada a una enorme  ̈central telefónica ̈ donde las señales son seleccionadas y enviadas hasta el receptor de destino.

Este receptor se encontraba en los domicilios, era muy parecido a un teléfono. Pero su mayor diferencia es que este no contaba con micrófono, solo tenia un par de auriculares, uno para cada oreja. Continuando con la lógica que el sonido fuera lo mas inmersivo posible.

Aun llevándolo a las casas y haciéndolo mucho mas económico, esta opción seguía no estando al alcance de todos. y nadie podía parar esta misión educativa y sobre todo tan buen negocio. El teatrófono se podía encontrar en los mas populares bares y restaurantes de la ciudad. Y por una moneda de 50 céntimos se podía escuchar 5 minutos del recital que se estuviera presentando o por 1 franco podías escuchar 10 min. Y así tener a un mundo mas conectado.

 

Y si era tan buena idea entonces, ¿Por qué murió el teatrófono?, es que este no murió. Evoluciono, la tecnología fue avanzando y con ella llegaron maneras mas sencillas de comunicarnos, de ofrecer servicios parecidos a este y muchos mas accesibles. Ya era muy costoso mantener un sistema como el teatrófono comparado con las nuevas tecnologías. pero no podemos olvidar la historia y los inventos que nos han ayudado a llegar a donde estamos, si hoy en día disfrutamos de plataformas digitales como spotify, Apple music o hasta el mismo YouTube es gracias a ideas innovadoras como estas.

Y nosotros, ¿Qué legado le estamos dejando a nuestras futuras generaciones? ¿de que manera nuestras innovaciones podrían evolucionar en los próximos siglos?

Fuentes: https://tecnovortex.com/un-invento-adelantado-a-su-epoca-el-teatrofono/ https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/50196/Droumeva2005.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowe d=y https://hipertextual.com/2020/05/spotify-siglo-xix-teatrofono referencias y links externos de https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Théâtrophone

Maria Fernanda Medina, de Tegucigalpa Honduras. Estudie una Lic. En Tecnología Acústica y Sonido Digital en la Universidad Galileo de la Ciudad de Guatemala he ejercido mayormente en el área de audio en vivo. De manera independiente, Y con empresas de alquiler de Audio. Desarrollándome en el área de Backline, Stagemanager y Producción. Tanto en conciertos internacionales como festivales nacionales . actualmente, mi pasión por el audio y el compromiso social que siento con mi país me han encaminado en la divulgación y educación. Faceta que exploro y disfruto cada dia mas.

 

Theatrophone – Culture within the reach of all social classes

 

In the 19th century, theater and opera were known to be exclusive entertainment of high society, however, people with less purchasing power did not ignore their existence and it was clear that they wanted to be able to enjoy these shows.

It was this need that prompted the French engineer and inventor, Clement Ader, to invent his ambitious and novel project. Since he did not understand why culture could not be available to all people. A true revolutionary of those times.

So, since it was impossible for him to bring everyone to the theater, he brought the theater to everyone. Creating what was known as a théâtrophone. And well we agree that it is not the most creative or beautiful name, but it was undoubtedly the tool that he was looking for

This technology consisted of transmitting through telephone lines, in real-time. The audio of the presentation that was taking place in the theater, and boy did he know what he was doing since just a year ago he had been directly involved in the incorporation of all the telephone lines in Paris, so we can say that was in his field.

But how did this work? Approximately 80 telephone transmitters were placed, distributed throughout the stage. The objective was to create that three-dimensional sensation in their brains, to make the ears of the receivers as immersed as possible in the environment of the theater or venue where the transmission was taking place. (We are talking about creating a binaural system well ahead of its time).

This signal is then sent to a huge “telephone exchange” where the signals are selected and sent to the destination receiver.

This receiver was in the homes, it was very similar to a phone. But its biggest difference is that it did not have a microphone, it only had a pair of headphones, one for each ear. Continuing with the logic that the sound was as immersive as possible.

Even taking it to the houses and making it much cheaper, this option was still not available to everyone. And nobody could stop this educational mission and above all, such a good business. The theater phone could be found in the most popular bars and restaurants in the city. And for a 50 cent coin, you could listen to 5 minutes of the recital that was being presented or for 1 franc you could listen to 10 min. And so have a more connected world.

 

 

And if it was such a good idea then, why did the theatrophone die? It didn’t die. It evolved, technology was advancing and with it came easier ways to communicate, to offer services similar to this, and many more accessible. It was already very expensive to maintain a system like the theater compared to new technologies. But we cannot forget the history and inventions that have helped us get to where we are if today we enjoy digital platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, or even YouTube itself, it is thanks to innovative ideas like these.

And we, what legacy are we leaving for our future generations? How could our innovations evolve in the coming centuries?

Sources:

https://tecnovortex.com/un-invento-adelantado-a-su-epoca-el-teatrofono/

https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/50196/Droumeva2005.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

https://hipertextual.com/2020/05/spotify-siglo-xix-teatrofono

References and external links from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Théâtrophone

Maria Fernanda Medina is from Tegucigalpa Honduras. She received a BA in Acoustic Technology and Digital Sound at the Galileo University in Guatemala City. She works in Live Sound as a sound engineer, backline tech, and production.

 

Tour Manager Marguerite Nguyen

Marguerite Nguyen is an independent tour manager who has worked in the industry for 25 years and has been on the road since 2000. She got her start working as a production assistant and has done everything from Merch to VIP ticketing and Meet & Greets. She now tour manages some of the biggest names in the industry Coldplay, BTS, Janet Jackson and Charlie Puth.

While she always loved music, she had no idea she could have a career in it. She went to college and received a degree in Mass Communications, Radio/Television Broadcasting from VCU in Richmond Virginia.  Marguerite says “ Honestly I chose my degree cause I just wanted an easy A. I had to go to college, that was the next step in my education career as dictated by my Asian Family. They thought I was going to be the next Connie Chung.” She spent her time at VCU on college radio and became the program director in her senior year. It was then she realized that maybe she could work behind the scenes  “I thought maybe I’d end up at NPR or similar, working behind the scenes.”

During her senior year, she had a few internships that really highlighted the path she would take. “My senior year internships were so pivotal to me. I was fortunate to be shown two roads. One I thought wanted and one I didn’t know existed. I think without the Promoter Internship which eventually led me to my mentor Matt Miley, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”

The promoter internship led to working with a local promoter in the ’90s. It was during this time that she realized that there were very few women tour managers and decided to set this as her goal. Working on the promoter side of things helped her immensely to learn the business. Her mentor Matt Miley would eventually offer her a touring gig with The Indigo Girls. From there hard work, gaining experience, and a great attitude led to her successful career working with some pop’s biggest acts.

We asked Marguerite a few questions about her job

What do you enjoy the most about your job?

I have to say, I love touring and my job. The travel. Making people smile. I love everything about it. I love a daily routine but at the same time, troubleshooting whatever comes my way. And accomplishing impossible tasks. It’s not rocket science. We aren’t curing Cancer over here.

We all work really hard to make that show happen, being away from our homes, families, partners, etc.  So whatever I can do to make people’s days go by better + have a laugh at the same time – I’m in.

What do you like least?

I guess what I like least is that there are people in the world that want to make things more difficult vs easier.

What is your favorite day off activity?

My day off activities have been long gone. (note tour managers do not have days off) But I do like discovering good food in different places around the world. And seeing old friends in said towns.

What are your long term goals

I don’t really have aspirations to be a manager or go higher than where I am currently. I’ve always wanted to be a TM and I’ve done it at a level I never thought I’d be at. Oh one thing actually to retire before being sent home in a box.

What if any obstacles or barriers have you faced? How have you dealt with them?

I think every woman in every industry in the world has faced hardships in some sort of fashion. For me, it’s been sexism, ageism and racism. I try not to let it bother me, I mean I know it’s there, in my face all the time. But I’ve been fortunate to be around a great team of people who support me in those trying times. Ultimately, the less energy you give it the less power it has.

Advice you have for other women and young women who wish to enter the field?

Be kind. Be kind to everyone and not the proverbial you see the same people going up as you see going down.

I treat my singer the same as my runner as the security guy sitting outside my office and the cleaning staff that do rounds during the day.

Never stop learning.

Hone your craft. Perfect it.

Favorite gear?

Tumi Luggage, Good Tennis Shoes and Sunscreen.

Find More Profiles on The Five Percent

Profiles of Women in Audio

 

SoundGirls Living History Project

The SoundGirls Living History project is a collection of interviews with audio industry veterans. The project seeks to highlight the careers and achievements of women and underrepresented groups in audio. Interviews are conducted by SoundGirls members, with guidance from experienced interviewers in the audio industry.

For interview subjects, the program can be a way to share your story to an audience who may not know what the industry used to be like, or about the types of jobs that women have performed in the industry for decades. Interviews will be available publicly in our Living History Project and for educational use and research and through our social media, YouTube channel, and The SoundGirls Podcast.

The oral history interviews are typically unedited and will be archived in their original form.

Subject Requirements

The types of interview subjects we are looking to include in the project (only need to meet one of these requirements):

Why participate?

For a volunteer interviewer, doing an interview can give you an opportunity to spend time (virtually) with a professional you may not normally get to talk to. You will also be contributing to sharing stories that might not be heard otherwise. During the pandemic, interviews are a good way to get some social interaction, learn something new, and have something unique to add to your resume.

The total time commitment for one interview is 2-3 hours. Interviews will be 1-2 hours in length, require some basic research (internet search) to find background information on your subject (to help with questions), plus time to write questions (with guidance). Interviews take place by Zoom.

For interview subjects, the program can be a way to share your story to an audience who may not know what the industry used to be like, or about the types of jobs that women have performed in the industry for decades.

Proposals

Proposals are open to SoundGirls members. If you are interested in doing an interview for the project, please email soundgirls@soundgirls.org and include:

Completed Interviews

 

 

 

How to be an Ally for Marginalized Groups in Audio

It’s time to stop talking about the lack of diversity in the audio industry. and do something about it. In order to do this, we need to understand the barriers marginalized groups face, institutionalized sexism and racism, double standards, and unconscious bias. This will be a continuing series and this first webinar will two-parts.

August 13 and August 20

2 PM to 4 PM PST

Register for August 13

Register for August 20

Moderator

MIKE BANGS – GEORGE STRAIT AEROSMITH, ERIC CLAPTON, KATY PERRY, TOM PETTY, LYNYRD SKYNYRD

Mike Bangs 20+ year career includes experiences as a monitor engineer and production manager for A-list acts including Aerosmith, Eric Clapton, George Strait, Katy Perry, Tom Petty, Kid Rock, and Lynyrd Skynyrd. An early advocate of live digital mixing, Bangs assisted a multitude of others in making the transition from analog in the early 2000s. A pioneer in surfaceless mixing that naturally gravitated to Allen & Heath, he built a close relationship with the manufacturer and ultimately joined the company to provide support to those on the road using dLive mixing systems.

Panelists

JERRY LOPEZ – EDWARD SHARPE & THE MAGNETIC ZEROS, CHICANO BATMAN, THE NEIGHBOURHOOD

Named one the best LA-area live sound engineers by LA Weekly, Jerry Lopez mixes it up between running his own production company (Jerry Rig Audio) and engineering for some of the top acts in the world. Over the last 25 years he has mixed and supported a diverse range of acts like Run The Jewels, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, Chicano Batman, and The Neighbourhood.

KARRIE KEYES – PEARL JAM, EDDIE VEDDER, RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS, SONIC YOUTH

Hailing from Los Angeles, Karrie has spent the last 29 plus years as the monitor engineer for Pearl Jam and Eddie Vedder. Karrie started out doing sound for punk bands in Los Angeles in 1986 under the tutelage of Dave Rat of Rat Sound, where she spent twenty years helping to establish the company. She was able to gain an immense amount of hands-on experience and technical knowledge at Rat, which eventually led to her becoming the monitor engineer for The Red Hot Chili Peppers from 1990-2000. She first met and started working with Pearl Jam who opened for RHCP on their 1991-1992 Blood Sugar Sex Magic Tour. She has worked with Sonic Youth, Fugazi, and Neil Young.

JIM YAKABUSKI – VAN HALEN, AVRIL LAVIGNE, MATCHBOX TWENTY

With nearly 40 years as a professional sound reinforcement engineer, Jim started out mixing as club bands in western Canada in the early 1980s. He soon transitioned to a role as a concert staff engineer at dB Sound and the rest is history. Even with a packed schedule of writing pro audio books, penning articles for top industry magazines, mixing Peter Frampton, Journey, Avril Lavigne, Van Halen, Gwen Stefani, Matchbox 20 and basically any huge name band you can think of — Jim always has time to talk about the latest mix techniques, the coolest gear and fun audio tips and tricks.

DANA WACHS – MGMT, ST. VINCENT, M.I.A

A Brooklyn based Audio Engineer, Tour Manager, and Composer/Musician. Dana started her career in music in 1994, as bass player for the Dischord band Holy Rollers, which ignited her interest in live sound, after a national tour supporting 7 Year Bitch. Her first foray into the practice of live sound began after that at the Black Cat DC, and later the infamous 9:30 club.

Dana’s first national tour was as TM/FOH for Peaches supporting Queens of the Stone Age in 2002.  Her first International tour quickly followed in 2003 with Cat Power.  Since then, touring has kept her on the road 9 to 11 months out of the year with bands such as MGMT, St. Vincent, M.I.A., Grizzly Bear, Foster the People, Nils Frahm, Deerhunter, and Jon Hopkins to name a few.

Outside of touring, Dana composes and performs under the name Vorhees, with two releases on Styles Upon Styles (Brooklyn), and is currently composing her first feature film score.

SALIM AKRAM – BAD RABBITS, BILLIE EILISH

A multitalented and diverse musician, songwriter and engineer, Salim Akram is currently mixing monitors for pop superstar Billie Eilish (2020 Grammy Best New Artist, Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Album of the Year winner). When he isn’t behind an Allen & Heath dLive mixing console on sold-out global tour dates, he can be heard playing guitar at festivals and on tour with bands such as the post-R & B futuristic funk-punk group Bad Rabbits.

Webinar Part One

We will discuss

Institutionalized sexism and racism

How unconscious bias affects who is hired

Each of our panelists will share their experiences and insights on how we can move towards an inclusive industry where people are judged and hired on their skills vs. gender and race.

Questions and Answers

Webinar Part Two

We will discuss double standards, toxic masculinity, and creating a safe work environment for all.

We will be providing resources and checklists unconscious bias and sexism and racism.

Steps you can take personally take to be an ally.

Creating a safe work environment for all

Questions and Answers

Sexual Harassment in the Industry Seminar

SoundGirls will be hosting Kim Warnick, the Executive Director of Calling All Crows, Kim has over a decade of sexual violence prevention and response experience, including a specialized focus on workplace sexual violence since 2016, and six years of music industry experience, she was uniquely situated to design and lead the #HereForTheMusic campaign to prevent sexual violence at concerts and festivals.

The seminar will cover:

Kim Warnick, the Executive Director of Calling All Crows, is a professional with program design, project management, event production, facilitation, and communications experience in corporate, start-up, and nonprofit organizations. With a decade of sexual violence prevention and response experience, including a specialized focus on workplace sexual violence since 2016, and 6 years of music industry experience, she was uniquely situated to design and lead the #HereForTheMusic campaign to prevent sexual violence at concerts and festivals. After 9 tours with 3 different artists, she has opted to get off the road and settle into Long Beach, CA, a westward migration from spending most of her life in NH and MA. She holds a BA in Sociology from Harvard University, where her studies focused on social movements, organizational culture, and conflict and peacebuilding, including an intensive study in Rwanda.

 

SoundGirls Activity Pages

 

With each passing month, my little SoundGirl is growing by leaps and bounds.  This past month she started walking, and the month before that she figured out dancing.  Before long she should be able to hold a crayon without eating it first.  This is really exciting because there is an abundance of coloring pages for her to explore and learn from.  Taking a page from Sylvia Massy (check out the coloring books based on Recording Unhinged), I thought I would share some coloring and activity pages for SoundGirls of almost any age to enjoy.

Review of BBC Symphony Orchestra Discover

Review of BBC Symphony Orchestra Discover

I couldn’t quite believe my eyes when I saw Spitfire Audio was offering a smaller version of their BBC Symphony Orchestra titled ‘Discover’ at an affordable £49. Not only this but if users can’t afford the ‘buy it now’ price, Discover is available for free if you complete a short questionnaire and wait 14 days to download.

What is BBC Symphony Orchestra Discover?

So how and why has Spitfire done this? The concept behind Discover is to create an accessible gateway into orchestral composition for music creators at every level. Discover is a smaller version of larger BBCSO editions and features the same professional and detailed recording process for 33 instruments and 47 techniques, but is under 200MB.

Download and installation

The download process for BBC Symphony Orchestra Discover is extremely clear and simple, and options are given for choosing from a version for either Mac OS X 10.10 or later, Intel Core 2 Duo, or Windows 7, 8 or 10, Intel Core 2 Duo or AMD Athlon 64X2. Once you’ve selected the correct option for your computer, you can then open BBCSO as a plugin that is compatible with most music creation software and DAWs. The download and installation was quick, with easy to follow instructions and took a matter of minutes.

The Instrument Sounds

As soon as I’d installed BBC Symphony Orchestra Discover, I was like an excited kid, eager to open a project and start making noise. The first thing that struck me was the realism of the instrument sounds; Spitfire Audio did not skimp on the quality in Discover, and I was instantly impressed. Another element that I appreciated was that Spitfire kept the playable range of each instrument voice true-to-life; a decision that not only keeps the caliber of the sound where it should be but one that will also benefit learners who are finding their way around the orchestra.

The controls available to each instrument are intuitive and easy to navigate in the plugin window, and everything is labeled clearly. All instruments have three sliders that control the amount of expression, dynamics, and reverb.

Playing techniques are specific to each instrument, with options including long vibrato, spiccato, pizzicato and tremolo on all strings (minus tremolo on double bass). Woodwind and brass instruments offer long or staccatissimo. The percussion section provides realistic staccatissimo techniques for harp plucks, celeste, timpani hits and untuned percussion, tubular bells, marimba, xylophone and glockenspiel.

Another unexpected surprise in the plugin window is the easy editing option of instrument tuning, panning and volume controls.

Advanced Articulation

Depending on which DAW you are using, your articulation controls and methods will vary. Babylonwaves have created free Cubase Expression Maps and Logic Articulation Sets which are created to assist those who are struggling with these elements in Discover. This can be really helpful for learning and understanding how articulation can be used, and this shortcut should add to the creative experience rather than feeling like a separate and arduous task. The Babylonwaves free download is available here. https://www.babylonwaves.com/2020/05/07/free-art-conductor-for-spitfire-bbcso-discovery/

Other notable points

The library can be installed on up to two computers at a time, which is a nice option for people on the go, who are away from their main workstation. Spitfire has made it easy to copy the downloaded folder over to other devices for this purpose. With this in mind, owners of the Professional and Core versions of BBCSO will automatically receive Discover for free, and all editions are fully interchangeable and compatible with each other thanks to mode switching technology. The other editions of BBCSO are Core at £399, and Professional, which is £899.

The approach Spitfire Audio has taken with the BBC Symphony Orchestra Discover edition is one that provides high-quality instrument sounds to all, while also offering an insight into the more advanced packages that users can aspire to own when they have maximised their options and need to move on up. Personally, I can’t praise Spitfire’s approach enough; they have created a truly accessible option for orchestral composition without fault – there’s no catch, no compromise on quality and no hard sell. Discover is a highly pleasing product that stands alone, delivers more than expected, and authentically supports music makers and composers of the future.

You can find out more about BBC Symphony Orchestra Discover and download here: https://www.spitfireaudio.com/bbcso/discover/

 

 

 

The Power Of Audio

The online podcasting space is a playground for creators to innovate, connect and influence. What was once an underground movement is now an oversaturated market of opportunity for brands to speak to their customers directly. The development and global reach of podcasts continue to show how digital-first talent can create a streamlined partnership between their unique content and a brand, leading to what can be a successful revenue stream for both parties. However, with the widespread belief that “everyone has a podcast”, the challenge becomes how to stand out, create distinctive formats and effectively position sponsors within podcasts. It is important to note how podcasts can give a voice to smaller companies and niche markets in a succinct way. Conversations around branded partnerships on podcasts have escalated as the combination of creativity, a new platform and a new audience is increasingly attractive to brands.

With wide-ranging genres and topics, podcasts are increasingly pertinent in the media world to compete with the constant production of online content. The new wave of podcasting has increased the number of online places you can go to for information. There is an unlimited possibility for people to learn from others. The function of a podcast does not always have to be educational; most are far from it. Many comedians have turned to podcasts as a way to showcase their best work, edited in a way in which suits them. There are very few unedited, raw podcasts as producers lean towards a more stylishly finished piece with soundbites, clean-cut features and intro/outro music. All these different styles could look to integrate a brand partner that matches the themes and tones of the conversations.

YouTube once acted as the progressive powerhouse, a petri dish of creativity. It was an evolutionary form of “edutainment”. Too many podcasts jumping out of our screens every day may suck the creative content out of the world if every comedy duo around starts to host their own weekly conversational podcast. The sponsored messaging within podcasts must continue to evolve and represent current climates and global situations. Both brands and hosts of podcasts must work together to design creative, relatable and concise ad breaks within the episodes. We are living in a world of constant search to experience real-life through a virtual form, whether that be via audio or video. We are also becoming more distracted, 64% of young people are “online” when watching TV (Social Chain, 2018). This means that podcasts must move with the times and speak to their audiences honestly and authentically, becoming more creative with every change they make in order to maintain our attention.

New forms of immaterial, digital labour envelope our everyday lives.  Podcasting can be a form of labour in which you are constantly immersed. In order to network and succeed, you could always record one more episode, the belief being that the risk of becoming irrelevant is managed through social connections. What must be avoided is the tragic love story of creativity and success. Creative media appeals to those with a forward-looking vision. Listeners could be described as the “losers that keep waiting to be seen”, the dreamers amongst us that place value on positivity. Podcasters can weaponise nostalgia, hitting us with anecdotes, comedy sketches and old-school ways of living, allowing escapism from the real world. If a brand can produce messaging and continuously engaging information via an ad read, listeners will return for more and be more likely to investigate the product or service being advertised and brands can ensure the value is felt with full effect.

Film and television often represent historical standards of unfair representation and social norms, whereas podcasts by new wave millennials advocate more activism in the media industry to encourage inclusive, multi-faceted and ambitious creations. The influence on attitudes via audio-visual communication and advertising can be staggering. Challenging conversations lead to progression. This activism will increase the integrity of creative industries. It is interesting to evaluate the difference in influence between mainstream television and radio programmes and new media. Presenters of television and radio can often feel detached from their audience. Particularly when working with unbiased corporations, where they’re unable to promote or discuss any of their own opinions. This means that the audience, although engaging in their millions, does not know anything about the personal life of the person they are watching. They are not invested in their lives. They have no attachment. In contrast, digital-first talent has amassed their following by being open and honest online and giving their truthful opinions on everything ranging from food to politics to veganism. In the current climate of hedonistic lifestyles, it is unsurprising that online social media talent can influence audiences more than mainstream media. Taking this into consideration, it could be confidently suggested that partnering with podcasts is a great way to reach new audiences and provide clear explanations of what a certain brand may offer.

As podcasts provide copious amounts of content with the offer of inspiration, ideas and advice to make business and life decisions, they can be incredibly influential. You feel connected to a person through headphones, carrying out active listening such as nodding your head, laughing or verbally agreeing with someone that is not physically there. It is an exciting time for brands to be involved with a new wave of creative entrepreneurs that are using a simple medium to build global connections around the world. Podcasts whether they be educational, comical, fiction or everything in between bring people together in a shared moment of relatability. Quick and easy listening styles of podcasts sponsorships leave people wanting more and the content can be made personal to all listeners. Brands should be on the lookout for a podcast partner that matches their brand values and demographic, as it will enable them to reach a new audience using a creative and effective ad format.

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