When Theaters Close, Podcasters Lose Money, too
With live shows cancelled and meet-ups banned, podcasters are finding new ways to build community and finance their shows.
At first glance, you might not expect our current global pandemic to have affected the podcast community at large. For one thing, most of us listen to our favorite shows alone, so we can easily keep lapping up content during our time of social distancing. And, while podcasters may have to ditch the recording studios they’re most comfortable in, today’s technology has made it so that most things can still be produced remotely. But what all of this doesn’t consider is that for many podcasters, live touring and other events are a significant part of their programming — both financially and for community building.
So what, then, are podcasters doing to connect with their audiences in real-time when in-person interaction is not only cautioned against, but in most states around the country, actively banned?
The answer to that question is quite a lot, actually. This past Thursday evening, I attended a live taping of Kevin Allison’s long-running live storytelling podcast, RISK! Allison, along with four performers, two producers, and over three hundred audience members, tuned in to a private Zoom webinar to experience the very show that should have taken place the same night in New York City. Tickets were $10 for entry, and though I couldn’t hear the laughter and applause of the other people in the audience, I could feel their energy through the extremely active chat window loaded with emoji and other forms of encouragement for all involved. The storytellers themselves showcased a great mix of comedy, tragedy, and everything in between, and at the end of the evening, I felt close to everyone, no matter how far apart we all were.
While the team behind RISK! hasn’t officially converted all of their upcoming shows to be virtual performances just yet, the producers assured me that they plan to keep it up for as long as this quarantine lasts. Because of the digital nature of the updated show, they were able to cut a lot of overhead costs associated with their live version, and were able to sustain a larger audience than many (not all) of their regular venues. They only expect those numbers to grow, too, as the first quarantine performance was a test run. When I asked if this would help the show remain sustainable over email, producer JC Cassis said, “Absolutely. Our business survives off of many income streams — live shows, Patreon, classes, merchandise, etc etc — and we can’t really go without any of those income streams for months at a time, so keeping our live show income stream going and actually growing during this time is a life-saver for us. We’re so overjoyed and grateful to our fans that this all worked out!” Keep an eye on their events page for all future events.
Welcome to Night Vale had only just begun their 2020 world tour when it became fully apparent how serious the COVID-19 pandemic was. This year was a special one, too, as creators Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor were on the precipice of releasing their new novel, The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives in Your Home, and longtime star Cecil Baldwin had announced that this tour would be his last. While the team plans to reschedule the tour as soon as it is safe to do so, the reality this has created for them is grim. Not only has the expected revenue from ticket and merch sales on the tour gone away, but their merch company, Topataco, was deemed inessential by the Massachusetts government, so they won’t be able to do any shipping until further notice.
With their tour postponed and their merch business no longer operating, Welcome to Night Vale lost a majority of their steady income sources. Ad sales, which make up one of the Night Vale Presents network’s other main income sources, are also likely to be affected by the continued quarantine though, at this point, it’s too soon to tell just how much that will be. “We’re really dependent on our Patreon now, because most of our other income sources have gone away thanks to this,” Fink told me over the phone. “So we’re trying to steer people there who are able to help and kinda do this as a little thank you.” To thank those supporters, they are doing two variety shows a week for their $10 a month patrons, with storytelling, live music performances, and guests.
They also did a quick pivot and launched a new podcast called Our Plague Year. The idea behind Our Plague Year was to document this year, not from a scientific perspective, but an emotional one. The show launched on March 23, after Fink began working on it the week before. It was the fastest the network was ever able to turn around a podcast from concept to release. So far, episodes have included Joseph himself, co-creator Jeffrey Cranor, sci-fi authors Cory Doctorow and Nisi Shawl, and Night Vale tour manager Meg Bashwiner. Bashwiner’s emotional monologue touches on the far-reaching impact of the tour’s cancellation, showcasing the huge number of people who were financially affected by it: from their regular performers, to parking lot attendants, to merch sellers, to local restaurants, and more. While they did their best to pay their direct collaborators as much as they could, they know that for many of them, it won’t be nearly enough.
Criminal, the hit true-crime podcast from Radiotopia, PRX’s podcast network, also had to reschedule their spring tour, which would have taken them to London, Dublin, and various cities throughout the United States. To stay in touch with fans during this time of isolation, Criminal producers Phoebe Judge and Lauren Spohrer created Phoebe Reads a Mystery, in which Judge reads a chapter of Agatha Christie’s first novel in each episode.
While no other Radiotopia shows have had to cancel any 2020 events because of the novel coronavirus, many of their shows are putting together special episodes to address the pandemic. The Memory Palace is releasing “Stories to Wash Hands By,” a brand new episode featuring complete, 20-second stories to last the length of the recommended minimum hand-washing time by the Centers for Disease Control. Over the Road, a podcast from Paul Marhoefer, a long haul trucker, posted an update from the road and has a forthcoming episode with messages from other truckers, out there ensuring our supply lines keep running during these unsteady times. On Tuesday, March 31st, Radiotopia executive producer Julie Shapiro and network director Audrey Mardavich will host a free community listening event called “Listen In With Radiotopia,” bringing together Radiotopiafans for audio listening, conversation, and camaraderie.
PRX’s in-person Podcast Garage locations in both Boston and Washington DC are, of course, closed. In the meantime, their team has put together the Podcaster Toolbox, which is a crowd-sourced guide for independent, DIY, and/or early-stage podcasters working from home for the first time. The Podcast Garage is also providing its communities at both locations with new ways to learn and gather through a new lineup of virtual programming, ranging from workshops to listening groups. When I asked what their audience could do to support them during this time, Alex Birch, Senior Manager of the PRX Podcast Garage said: “This is a critical time for storytelling, journalism, creativity, and above all, community. We’re holding a space to support and listen to one another, and the best way to support is to join us there.”
Another network looking to continue connecting with their audience during the COVID-19 outbreak is Maximum Fun. While their annual Maximum Fun Drive was postponed and their planned Meetup Day on 3/24 was canceled, they put together an online resource for fans and creators alike to plan their own virtual meetups together. Many of their shows are also doing daily live streams for fans. Mallory O’Meara and Brea Grant of Reading Glasses are doing a regular #IsolationBookclub on Twitter, Fans of Dr. Gameshow have been hosting live gaming meetups, and John Hodgman of Judge John Hodgman has been hosting an Instagram live stream titled GET YOUR PETS. All of these events and more can be found on the Maximum Fun Calendar, and new live streams are being added daily.
There’s no clear answer for any of us how long the novel coronavirus pandemic will last, or what the podcasting community and world as a whole will look like once it does. The one thing that’s for certain, though, is that we are a social species and we’ll do as much as humanly possible to connect with and support each other throughout it. If you can support any of these creators or networks financially, I encourage you to do so, but if you can’t, don’t worry. Listening to and telling your friends and family about your favorite shows will always be the best way to support them. And who knows? Maybe the comfort they’re able to provide, be it through their backlog or a live-streamed event, will offer you the exact kind of respite you desperately need right now.
The Bello Collective is a publication + newsletter about podcasts and the audio industry. Our goal is to bring together writers, journalists, and other voices who share a passion for the world of audio storytelling.
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