Google introducing podcasting to Play Music

Google’s Play Music users will “in the coming months” be able to hear podcasts on the streaming service. It will be trialled in the United States first before rolling out in other countries.

This week, it began inviting a dozen podcast creators to upload shows before the official launch. Among them were Gimlet (creator of the enthralling Startup podcast), Nerdist, HowStuffWorks, Public Radio International and HBO.

Podcasting’s worldwide hiss in the last few years from early adopters to mainstream users – who find them easier to download and consume through their smartphones, especially the iPhone – has been reflected in Australia as well.

Last year Radio Today’s Brad March profiled the likes of Hot FM WA’s Ryan Jon, Hamish & Andy and Nova’s Tim Blackwell whose compelling personalities took advantage of it to widen their following and create content that stretched the boundaries of what they did on their regular gigs.

In April 2014, ABC Radio reported that podcasts through its various platforms drew 6.2 million that month.

In America, 46 million people listen to podcasts a month, according to Edison Research in February. Three month later, in May, it reported that 17% of its respondents had listened to podcasts in the past month. Estimates have 50% of new cars in the US have Internet connectivity, and in all of them by 2025.

Google’s strategy is to target those who don’t listen to podcasts (about 83% of Americans). Rather than merely serve podcasts, it will suggest content based on time of day, interests and moods. In other words, if a user is feeling down and wants a pick-up or wants something to listen to when they’re jogging, they’ll be directed to the right podcast.

Play Music’s Product Manager Elias Roman told Re/code, “Our goal is to serve content that makes what you do every day better. The future of content is a lot less about how people find things and it’s much more about how things find people.”

Play Music is through its podcasts also making a grab at media producers who tend to head to Apple first for content. The podcasts will be available on both on subscription and free tiers. However subscribers who pay more to have ads snipped out, will have to sit through ads in the podcasts.

This makes sense for Google. Past US studies showed that almost 80% of podcast listeners prefer to buy products from brands that advertise on, or sponsor, podcasts “when price and quality is equal.” 90% of these have actually bought from brands as a result, and over 40% tend to be receptive “to the right message in the right context.”

The move intensifies Play Music’s competition to iTunes. It will also be the first native app for podcasts on Android.