I LOVE ART! Bonus Points If It: - Makes Me Uncomfortable - Makes Me Think - Has Multiple Layers That

PSA for podcast and audio drama creators:

If you publish a new episode of your show and it never shows up on Spotify, *do not panic*.

If you're using any kind of background music, it might've gotten flagged by their copyrighted content scanner. If it has, they do not notify you directly about it. Instead, they will notify your podcast hosting platform (i.e. Buzzsprout, Acast, Podbean, etc.)

If your new episode doesn't show up on Spotify within an hour or two (as it normally does), here's what you should do:

Create a video of your podcast and upload it privately to YouTube.

Check the 'Restrictions' column of the Content page in YouTube Studio. If the video you uploaded has 'Copyright' in this column, something was flagged and this is the problem. (In my experience, YouTube and Spotify's scanners are aligned).

Hover over where it says 'Copyright' and click the 'See Details' button. This will tell you what got flagged.

Confirm whether this content was legitimately flagged or not. If it was (meaning you can't prove that you have rights to use the music), it's time to replace the track and reupload your episode. (You'll still want to do the following steps after you do that). If wasn't, it's time to document why the flagging was in error. In Metropolis' case, we use a lot of pre-1924 music that is in the public domain per Title II of the US Music Modernization Act of 2018. But rights holders are notorious for not removing things that have aged into the public domain from their claims list. That means we have clear rights to use the music (as does anybody: again, public domain!), but we still have to go through the appeals process.

Contact your hosting provider to get the notice email from Spotify Content Protection. You need to ask their support team if they've received an email for your show from Spotify with a Subject line of "Possibly Infringing - Notification Warning - Claim xxx - ref:_xxx". It usually takes about 30 minutes to an hour for them to receive that notification from when the episode was uploaded. Within the email, there's a unique link to appeal the decision. Note that you only get five days to appeal - procrastination is definitely not your friend here!

Use the Appeal Link from the Email to file an Appeal Notice If you click the link, it will take you to a form to appeal the decision not to post the episode. This is where you need to present your case by either that you've replaced the music in question, or that you have a right to use it. If it's the latter - make sure you present the case as thoroughly and completely as possible (with links and references). (You'll also want to confirm that the track that YouTube spotted is the one that Spotify flagged.)

From my experience, Spotify will usually respond 24-36 hours.

If you took the right steps, it'll usually be a short note that they've published the episode and you're in the clear.

Cheers, and happy creating!

YES! YOU ALL HAVE TO CHECK THIS ONE OUT IMMEDIATELY.

Hands down one of my favorite listens lately, the world is grim and gritty but the characters ARE SO FUCKING GOOD. And the magic system is ::chef's kiss::

Hello people of Tumblr! Tumblrs? Tumblefolk?

We’re Last Dance, a dark fantasy audiodrama where your body is quite literally your temple. Follow a battlefield scavenger as he’s thrown headfirst into the bloodiest invasion his home has ever seen.

If you like The Silt Verses, Tumanbay and The Witcher series then we’re probably right up your alley.

@luxradium suggested that we get ourselves on Tumblr and so here we finally are!

You can find all our links in our bio, but for now you can see our the first panel of what’s apparently called a Quattrodectych. We have lots more quality fantasy art for the show to share, and I’d love to post a bit more of our worlds lore right here as it seems like it’d be well received!

Anyway, I’m looking forward to figuring out how Tumblr works - see you real soon.

- Max

hello it is world radio day and I want to talk about the state of audio drama very quickly--

over on bluesky, there's a lot of chatter about saving AD at the BBC and it's really worth reading through the tag. public funding for the arts, especially a medium in which experimentation and diversity are prioritized, is crucial and I'm deeply concerned about the BBC getting out of the game.

and, for me, this feels like part of a bigger discussion. the state of art in general is, uh...tough right now. when it comes to getting stories that you feel represent you - that are exciting and inclusive and meaningful - we just have to hope that some big stakeholders have spines and want to still make challenging stuff. idk about you, but I don't want to put all my eggs in that basket.

audio drama has always thrived in america because of you - welcome to night vale, wolf 359, the bright sessions, even the magnus archives (which isn't american but very popular here) have all been able to exist because of listener enthusiasm and support, not public funding or investment from large companies.

the best thing about podcasts is that they are mostly separate from governing bodies/regulations. sure, we all rely on hosting services to carry our shows but if push came to shove, we could create our own RSS feeds. the state of both the us government and tech (and the ways in which those two things are becoming increasingly intertwined) makes me nervous for free expression, but I take comfort in the fact that a lot of shit would have to change for someone to be able to bully me into making my art less diverse.

we have to start aggressively supporting small studios and independent creators again. if you can do that monetarily, fucking great - atypical has a membership program, most shows have patreons or crowdfund, etc. - but that's not the only way to support the art you love. talking about it, making fanart, telling your friends, reblogging, live posting, whatever! we talk a lot about the health of fandoms/reblogging here on tumblr and that's part of it too--we need to start really actively participating in our enjoyment of art again.

anyway, here are two crowdfunds you can give to right now that are still trying to meet their goal:

Camlann Season 2 Heartglass

and an incomplete list of audio dramas that I've been enjoying recently:

Red Valley Un(con)Trolled Havana Syndrome Sherlock & Co

My favorite comment to date.

Fiction Frequency

The Holmwood Foundation Interview: Fio Trethewey and Georgia Cook

Their thoughts on favourite shows, making podcasts, and what makes Holmwood special The Holmwood Foundation is a found-footage horror podcas

This Tuesday’s article is an interview with Fio Trethewey and Georgia Cook, the creators of @theholmwoodfoundation!

They talk about what got them into Dracula, what podcasts they’re listening to, and what they’re most looking forward to listeners hearing. They’re also sharing the best and hardest parts of podcast production and their top tips on making one yourself.

(Not so) fun fact that people updated with Hi Nay may know is that I wrote Hi Nay in response to real life Philippine fascism, with our main character Mari, a warm, sweet woman who seems relatively cheerful in the face of all the Horrors, having lived through fascism and having had to do monstrous things to combat it. It all comes back to the Duterte presidency.

The real horror is fascism, and the apathy of the rich and powerful, but we keep living, and despite it all, we find surprising moments of queer joy.

That's what drives the story of Hi Nay. It's why we've never shut up about politics and global issues even if we're an indie fiction podcast. I'm glad so many people have resonated with it in some way.

Last but not least, the chorus. These people provided voices for minor characters, making the soundscape of Haven that much richer. Big thanks to Alex, @wastedarkcell, @dead-west-podcast, Jack, Loggerhead, Katrina, Ashlee, @starplanes, J.E. and @superhumanfoods for lending their voices to this project.

Just a casual reminder to do your best every day from an inspiration for the show.