I think there should be a fundamental change to the way podcasts are paid out in the league. When I first got here last season as a rookie, I went to the podcast section to learn about what was happening in the league. I was surprised to find out that so many of the podcast episodes were crackly hour long ramblings about the league, often with people playing game footage in the background (not my favorite thing, but I’m sure others probably dig it!)
So I decided I would make a couple podcast episodes with higher production value and ease of listening. Instead of rambling, I wrote a transcript and spent a solid hour editing the episode to include sound effects, music, and tighten up the dialogue. I was analyzing a game Minnesota had against the Luchadores, because I thought that would be a cool way to recap the game and make some content. You can find it here: https://soundcloud.com/user-211739363-18...luchadores
When all was said and done after recording and editing, for two hours of time invested and around 1800 words typed, I had 13 minutes of a podcast episode. BUT, I was really happy with how it sounded so I released it in spite of knowing that I wouldn't be paid for my efforts because the episode didn’t meet the 15 minute minimum requirement. I understood this, and didn’t make a fuss then, but damn it now you’re asking me to make an argument about something in the league. I felt discouraged from my efforts.
I think the way that payouts are done for podcasts discourages people from producing higher quality content. Not all content is created equal, but all are deserving and appreciated! This isn’t to knock others for just making a casual episode, rather, there should be incentives in place to encourage the best content possible should someone really put the time in. Perhaps a bonus rubric system if you add things like:
Music/SFX design: $200,000
Transcript: $1,000,000
Clear Audio: $250,000
Succinct (I.E. editing to avoid dead air, keeping to the point, overall how “tight” it sounds): $250,000
Video (ISFL related I.E. video of the users, footage of the game, background images of threads in the forum or on discord): $1,000,000
If there was a bonus payout structure like this, it would encourage people to go the extra mile while making their show, or at least incentivize it. This would lead to better sounding, more interesting podcasts, and more money for the creator who put the work in--the whole league wins with this change.
(440 words)
So I decided I would make a couple podcast episodes with higher production value and ease of listening. Instead of rambling, I wrote a transcript and spent a solid hour editing the episode to include sound effects, music, and tighten up the dialogue. I was analyzing a game Minnesota had against the Luchadores, because I thought that would be a cool way to recap the game and make some content. You can find it here: https://soundcloud.com/user-211739363-18...luchadores
When all was said and done after recording and editing, for two hours of time invested and around 1800 words typed, I had 13 minutes of a podcast episode. BUT, I was really happy with how it sounded so I released it in spite of knowing that I wouldn't be paid for my efforts because the episode didn’t meet the 15 minute minimum requirement. I understood this, and didn’t make a fuss then, but damn it now you’re asking me to make an argument about something in the league. I felt discouraged from my efforts.
I think the way that payouts are done for podcasts discourages people from producing higher quality content. Not all content is created equal, but all are deserving and appreciated! This isn’t to knock others for just making a casual episode, rather, there should be incentives in place to encourage the best content possible should someone really put the time in. Perhaps a bonus rubric system if you add things like:
Music/SFX design: $200,000
Transcript: $1,000,000
Clear Audio: $250,000
Succinct (I.E. editing to avoid dead air, keeping to the point, overall how “tight” it sounds): $250,000
Video (ISFL related I.E. video of the users, footage of the game, background images of threads in the forum or on discord): $1,000,000
If there was a bonus payout structure like this, it would encourage people to go the extra mile while making their show, or at least incentivize it. This would lead to better sounding, more interesting podcasts, and more money for the creator who put the work in--the whole league wins with this change.
(440 words)