Podcasts and Audio Originals: The New IP Incubators
TV schedules and streaming libraries are filling up with series based on podcasts. Hollywood stars and hitmaking music artists are signing deals to create original audio productions with an eye toward spinoffs. Once a sleepy backwater of the publishing business, non-music audio is becoming a development hotbed for new IP franchises. But metadata standards, licensing practices, and royalty collections are still works in progress. What needs to happen for creators, performers and rights owners to take full advantage of the emerging category?