Charting Podcasting’s Pirate Ship Past with Adam Carolla
Presenting The Media Roundtable Limited Series: “What’s a Podcast? – The Extended Interviews.” This week, we have a guest who’s not only influential in podcasting history but in Oxford Road history too.
While conducting interviews for the series, Dan Granger (CEO, Oxford Road and Veritone One) got a chance to sit down with audio legend Adam Carolla (Host of The Adam Carolla Show).
Together they talked: Audio Magic, Betting on Yourself, Podcasting’s Meritocracy, and more. Let’s dive in.
“ Big picture, the people with the voices and the people with the ideas are gonna win. That's what makes it pure.”
Adam Carolla (Podcast Pioneer, Host of The Adam Carolla Show)
16 Million Minutes ⏱️ - When Adam left radio for podcasting in 2009, the space was pre-monetization. But Adam had a proven ability to connect with his audience, plus 16 million monthly minutes of streaming listenership to back it up. He bet on himself, paying $9k/month for hosting until he could figure out how to profit from podcasting. He started by pioneering live podcast tapings, and when Dan tracked Adam down about ad placements (giving rise to Oxford Road as we know it), Adam’s bet on himself continued to pay off.
Audio Goes Deeper 🎧 - Video gets a lot of attention, but for Adam, the lack of visual distraction and the portability of audio means he can connect with audio-only content more deeply. CAOs, look for podcast hosts like Adam who’ve started in audio-only formats because they know what it takes for their voices to come to life and connect with audiences.
The Podcast Meritocracy ⚖️ - Even though Podcasting goes through waves of “stunt casting,” where celebrity hosts launch new shows, the medium is fundamentally a meritocracy. After the initial curiosity dies down, new hosts still have to prove they’re worth listening to week after week. Audiences, not algorithms, connecting with hosts and choosing accordingly, has always been at the heart of podcasting.
For more insights from one of podcasting’s Founding Fathers, tune into the full episode below.