Recent stats are in. They show an incredible trend: 47% of U.S. people aged 12 and up have listened to a podcast in the last month. That’s an impressive 12% increase year over year, with a significant increase for female listeners. But it's not just podcasts that are gaining ground. Online audio consumption is going through the roof, with 90% of people aged 12-34 tuning in over the past month. These numbers are signaling a shift in how content is consumed. Good news for us, creators. But wait! There is more! OpenAI is stepping up the game with groundbreaking voice cloning technology. It creates “natural” and “emotive” speech from just 15 seconds of audio. This could revolutionize the way we create, but also seems extremely dangerous! They even labeled the technology too risky for wide release during an election year. (Can you imagine the Chaos?) So, we might have to wait a bit longer.... Today's last update is all about Google Podcasts shutting down. A reminder of the ever-evolving landscape of modern digital media. Even giants have to pivot and adapt... have you accounted for this on your content creation? This brings a few interesting questions: With platforms like YouTube already dominating video and audio, what's the future of specialized podcast platforms? Are we moving towards a more consolidated digital media environment? These are some of the things we talk about in today's episode (481). Come join the conversation! Timestamped Overview: 00:00 Growing trend in podcasting, easily accessible content. 04:16 Focusing on show premise and hook efficiency. 08:37 Reject the danger of cloning in politics. 10:39 Be cautious with technology, prioritize ethics and sustainability. 14:03 YouTube content must disclose AI creation process. 16:39 Creating cost-effective content is popular among creators. Connect with Fonzi: Facebook Instagram LinkedIn Twitter Connect with LUISDA: Facebook Instagram LinkedIn Twitter Subscribe to the podcast on Youtube, Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, or anywhere you listen to your podcasts. You can find this episode plus all previous episodes here. If this episode was helpful, please don’t forget to leave us a review by clicking here, and share it with a friend.