Orchestra of
Double your audience, and
widen public exposure through podcasting concerts
The Premise:
Along with iTunes, the
popularity of podcasting has grown as fast as the iPod. The Orchestra of Southern Utah followed this
fast track to younger audiences and reached them through their headphones. The orchestra realized the growing popularity
of podcasting and began experimenting with it as a way to expand their
listening audience and public exposure.
How It Works:
Unlike negotiated contracts
with iTunes or other online music distributors, podcasting can be a free method
to spread an entire concert or a portion of a concert to listeners across the
globe. OSU podcasts generally span an hour
in length, but have reached 3 hours to include a full opera. Podcast length is only limited by the
orchestra’s server storage size, which has subsequently been upgraded to 100
gigabytes to allow for the longer length and greater amount of downloads. The podcasts can be downloaded by anyone with
an Internet connection – without fees or other obligations. This is truly free advertisement, marketed to
a demographic that already subscribe to podcasts. Aside from iTunes, OSU podcasts are also
available on Podomatic, the web site
where the OSU podcasts are stored and created.
Podomatic allows for integration with iTunes, and other Internet music
services, as well as storage for podcasts and a listener call-in line, allowing
listeners to leave messages for the podcast moderator. The site also tracks statistics such as the
number of daily downloads. The Orchestra of Southern Utah began podcasting
recitals in September, 2005, but soon expanded to include entire symphony
concerts. The podcasts grew to include
interviews with Xun Sun, music director, as well as the occasional comment from
a musician or audience member. By the
end of the 2005-06 season, the podcasts were uploaded
after every concert.
Early Results:
The inaugural podcast in
September 2005 capped at 200 downloads.
With each new posting, the number of downloads increased; the most
recent posting – the tenth to date – recorded 800 downloads. There are nearly 300 regular subscribers to
OSU podcasts, meaning that every time a podcast becomes available, it is
automatically downloaded on the subscriber’s computer. Recently, the OSU podcasts reached more than
400 downloads in the first month, with additional downloads coming after that
time. The number of downloads is nearing
the total audience count. The downloads are not centralized to the local community,
finding reception as far away as
Further info contact:
http://www.orchestraofsouthernutah.org/
Ken Hedgecock, kenh1242@aol.com 435-531-6446