#Luminary podcasts free series
#Luminary podcasts free free

Given the immediate backlash to Luminary’s tweet, it’s a tall order. People who likely already pay for Netflix, Hulu, and any number of other subscription services are now being asked to start paying for podcasts, and RSS feeds, which have produced the open industry we have today, might be left behind for walled gardens. Its shows, combined with other networks locking down their programming, could fundamentally change the podcast industry.

#Luminary podcasts free free

Luminary has to convince listeners to pay for a traditionally free product Other companies, like Stitcher, the BBC, and Spotify, have also made exclusive content a priority, but Luminary was the first company to structure its entire launch and marketing pitch around the idea. The more than 40 ad-free shows that Luminary has planned will come out on a rolling basis, and they won’t be available anywhere else but Luminary. Daily Show host Trevor Noah, Queer Eye star Karamo Brown, and Girls writer and actress Lena Dunham will all release shows, as will already established podcast stars, like Guy Raz of How I Built This, Manoush Zomorodi of Note to Self, and Adam Davidson of Planet Money. Luminary can be used like any other podcast player, but what the company really wants is for listeners to pay $7.99 a month to access its exclusive programming.

Through the app, listeners can access most podcasts that are distributed through publicly available RSS feeds, except for those that the big networks have asked Luminary not to include. Both launch Tuesday, April 23rd, in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia. There are two pieces to Luminary: a podcast app, which anyone can use for free, and a network of exclusive shows, which will cost a monthly fee and only be available through the app. The decisions that happen now will reshape the way podcasts are distributed in the future. It certainly seems like the first shot fired in the inevitable premium podcast war and could destabilize one of the first buzzy, well-funded entrants before it can make a dent in the industry.

#Luminary podcasts free series

Shows by Anchor’s network of smaller creators won’t be on the app, nor will series from Parcast, both of which are owned by Spotify.īy withholding their shows, the Times and Spotify are setting Luminary up to fail - or at least struggle to get off on the right foot with users. When it rolls out to the public on iOS, Android, and the web, Luminary’s podcast app will be missing some of the industry’s biggest shows, including The New York Times’ The Daily and Gimlet Media shows like Reply All and Homecoming. “We really do feel like what we’re introducing is choice and optionality and trying to help elevate premium and paid podcasting, which would be good for creators and listeners, as well,” he says.īut the industry hasn’t accepted Luminary or its impending launch. The New York Times and Spotify have asked Luminary to withhold their shows