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Yesterday, podcasting went mainstream. Apple's iTunes issued an upgrade, the ninth such upgrade of the 4.x version of our favorite digital media player (and as an aside, it begs the question of what additions will be made to a 5.0 version, that kind of jump usually marks a large leap in software tech right? Video Cast? Non-quicktime based streaming media?), and all of a sudden the world knows about feed-based subscription style sound files. KCRW shows -- like Harry Shearer's Le Show and Left, Right and Center which we subscribe to -- increased their subscription base tenfold in the 24 hours since the release. That's a jump from 10,000 subscribers to 100,000 for their most popular shows.
It probably helps that KCRW's feeds work. We're finding lots of shows featured in the iTunes podcast directory don't comply with the iTunes podcasting standards and so subscribing creates errors and confusion and unnecessary workarounds.
Maybe one day LAist will get a silky voiced contributor that wants to deliver his or her information in weekly or daily audio goodness.
