In this NY Mag article I previously linked to, Kevin Roose attributes the resurgence of podcasts to the newly connected cars systems, the ones you can connect your smartphone to and listen to any audio file you want. Following this article, Chris Dixon wrote a few words about other successful factors. These words especially stood out to me:

Podcasting, on the other hand, feels fresh in the same way that other forms of social media did 5-10 years ago. No one knows what the right way to podcast is. Very few people have followings. The expectations are low. You are rewarded mostly for being fresh and experimental. It’s the beginning of a new medium, and no one knows the rules. That’s what makes it exciting and attracts pioneering creators.

I’m already sold on podcasting. I listen to a ton of them, way more than music or watching TV, browsing the web, way more than any other form of media actually. I definitely see Chris Dixon’s point about experimentation and it clearly is the beauty of it.

However, I wonder how podcasts will conquer the hearts of a mainstream audience, especially in France. I guess the best introduction to them is via the traditional radio stations, which distribute their own shows as podcasts. Once accustomed to this new format, some listeners will subscribe to native podcasts.

I am not sure this will be enough though. I guess it will require one podcast series to be so good that the press will drive attention to it and introduce masses of people to this new format. Who is going to do this? A hobbyist? A big media organisation? A radio station?

Let’s see how it goes. I’m curious!