Podcasting Forecasts For 2025

 The beginning of the new year tends to birth pseudo-experts and opportunistic fortune-tellers, who spin their predictions for the coming year, full in the knowledge that no one will remember their ridiculous predictions next year.

Far be it from the folks here at Ear Worthy to miss out on such a once-a-year exercise in futility. 

After a long meeting with the entire staff -- no muffins or donuts were served because of New Year's resolutions, but they'll return in March -- we've come up with our forecasts for 2025. 

I have to confess that we did use AI -- you know, adequate intelligence. Please make sure you do not keep these predictions because we do not want to be embarrassed next year when we introduce the 2026 forecasts, and you pop up in the COMMENTS section reminding others how we fucked up. 

I will be using the Elon Musk Accuracy Scale. Since almost all of what Elon Musk says or writes is wildly inaccurate, the precision of my forecast will be rated on a 1-10 basis. 10 being the most accurate and 1 being most of what Elon Musk says or writes. 

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# 1 Independent podcasts will thrive and attract more listeners, sponsors, and media attention. This one is a no-brainer. Much of what emanates from podcasting that has value is created and produced by independent podcasts. Remember that Joe Rogan and Call Her Daddy began as indie podcasts. 

Musk Accuracy Scale: 10

# 2 Listeners and podcast networks will tire of the endless slew of vacuous celebrity podcasts. We've passed the tipping point here. I think Spotify is trying to make a celebrity podcast with a guy who was on the How I Met Your Mother TV show as an extra. What's next? People who don't pass the Jeopardy quiz will have their own podcast?

Musk Accuracy Scale:7

# 3 Grievance-fueled and hate-spewing conservative podcasts will still blame Joe Biden for anything that goes wrong during the Trump Administration -- because...verifiable facts no long matter. In fact, it was Biden who stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021, to stop his own certification.

 Musk Accuracy Scale: 9

 # 4 The average runtime of a podcast will finally begin to decrease. The straw that broke the camel's back will be an eight-hour interview by Joe Rogan with Dr. Klaus Lunatix about how COVID-19 vaccines contain nanobots that turn people into military drones. On the show, Rogan will convert the drone into an MMA fighter of extraordinary skill!

Musk Accuracy Scale: 6

# 5 Video podcasts on YouTube will try to disguise the fact that the video just shows a bunch of people surrounded by microphones. Like the popular Masked Singer on TV, podcasts guests on video podcasts will wear masks on the show and the viewers can comment on their identity. 

Musk Accuracy Scale: 3

# 6 All large podcast networks will begin to release quality, innovative, and genre-smashing shows. Just kidding. I wanted to see if you were still reading.

Musk Accuracy Scale:1

# 7 Somebody or some organization will create a governing body for the podcasting industry. While desperately needed, such a body will remain a fiction as "Big Audio" squashes any attempt to democratize the industry

Musk Accuracy Scale:2

# 8 Podcast discoverability -- especially for independent podcasts -- will be made easier for listeners. The last thing podcast networks want to see is a system in which listeners can find independent podcasts that are far better than the general crap they release.

Musk Accuracy Scale:1

# 9 Podcasts will become even more diverse with more BIPOC podcasts, LGBTQ podcasts, and diverse lifestyle podcasts. Plans by Christian nationalists to force all podcasts to read a verse of The Bible after the intro music of their show will ultimately fail.

Musk Accuracy Scale:6

# 10 Podcasts will continue to grow in popularity despite the industry's chronic issues with organization, discoverability, and lack of focus on indie podcasters.

 Musk Accuracy Scale:10

 Happy 2025 Pod people! May all your podcasts be independent!