You Can Opt Out Of Podshow – PodcastingTricks.com

In case you haven’t heard, MTV VJ Adam Curry founded a company called Podshow, a company that among other things, runs a much-hyped podcasting directory. It created a lot of buzz when it received venture funding earlier this year.
Podshow got off to a rocky start when rumors began to circulate on the Internet about the company’s practice of “hijacking feeds.” This means that Podshow was changing the feeds of podcasters in such a way that the original content was modified without the podcaster’s permission.

Podshow claimed it was all a mistake.

I went to their site and realized that there is a trade off to being listed in their directory. They run lots of ads around the podcasting content they present, whether they own the show involved or not. In fact, it’s hard to tell a Podshow podcast from a non-podshow podcast.
After the hijacking incident and my realization that my show could be used to make them money, I contacted Podshow and advised them that use of my intellectual property without my permission was prosecutable under the US Copyright Act. They took my shows off their network (about two weeks later.)

So the moral of the story is this. You don’t have to let Podshow or any directory present your podcast if you don’t want them to. You can opt out. That doesn’t mean you have to or even should. Many podcasters will no doubt benefit from a Podshow relationship. I have no intention of forming any judgment at this time as to the motives of the company. I cast no aspersions on them. I simply don’t want them to make money off my podcast without sharing it with me.

This is something podcasters need to pay attention to. When you submit your podcast to ANY podcast directory, be sure to see how it’s presented, check to see that your original content is protected and then decide if the exposure the directory offers is worth the trade off.