Funferal

Local podcast aggregators – have they a role?

It’s interesting to see the emergence of groups such as PodcastMN, an aggregator of Minnesota podcasts. We’ve seen local and niche blog aggregators, such as Indyblogs or Irish Bloggers. I wonder how audio aggregators will develop. Will they become another conduit for getting material to listeners (and for listeners to choose content)? My thought is that they may face difficulties, as listeners’ interests are frequently more complex than can be measured along a single dimension. At the same time, if these groups can provide some added benefit – perhaps by drawing on lessons from the community radio movement – they may establish a position for themselves.