You know a medium is coming to it's own when someone who can't even drive yet lands sponsorship. Enter Martina Butler, a 15-year-old girl who runs the Emo Girl Talk podcast. Her podcast has just received corporate sponsorship from Nature's Cure - a company specializing in acne treatments. MobileCast Media brought the two together, pitching Nature's Cure with the benefits of highly targeting the teen market. And it's not only done that for them, but it's generated a boatload of PR for Nature's Cure as well. Kudos to the Marketing team there!

BTW, if you don't know what Emo is, that's probably because you're not a teen. 

Reggaeton is one of the fastest growing music genres right now. Podcasting, as we all know, is a rapidly growing medium as well. Do the math kids, combining the two has some serious potential, and Barrio 305 is in there like swimwear.

Barrio 305 offers a deep insight into the world of Reggaeton (which pretty much has taken over Salsa and Merengue at all the Latin Clubs if you haven't been to one lately), with interviews and in-studio features and other goodies of that nature. So far, they've already had interviews with Reggaeton and Urban Latino superstars like Fat Joe, Pitbull, Nicky Jam and Tego Calderon. Kick ass.

If you're curious, "305" is the city of Miami's area code.

You know what's the problem with College Radio? The Radio part. College Radio is the one terrestrial medium that actually has creativity and passion behind it's programming, but unfortunatly for many of us we are never exposed to it due to the relatively weak broadcast power behind the stations. If you want to hear emerging independent artists, cutting-edge music, and DJs who actually LOVE what they're doing - College Radio has got it. Next to Internet Radio, you can't beat it as a free medium.

But College Radio's reach just sucks! Enter Tables Turned. This 100% volunteer group is trying to bring Independent Labels and College Radio stations together, and get them to start podcasting. Using emerging media to expand the reach of emerging artists - awesome.

[via CMJ]

DigitalSoundboard is an online music store that hosts live performances and sells them online, mostly targeting Indie (Unsigned) Artists that are struggling to get exposure. With the limited playlists offered by terrestrial, not to mention the corporate payola scandals, indie musicians need to find more creative methods to get airplay for their work.

As a result, DigitalSoundboard has developed a podcast that features full-length tracks from their newest releases. By podcasting, DigitalSoundboard is essentially giving emerging artists the 'airplay' they deserve. Awesome.

Mark Hoppus of the band Blink 182 bas recently launched his first Podcast. Hoppus played bass in Blink 182 and is currently working on a new project with drummer Travis Barker (the group is on an "indefinite hiatus"). Hoppus and Barker entitle the project Plus 44 which is set to debut next summer.

The podcast on the Plus 44 website is described as fantastic waste of time and a desperate cry for attention (awesome!). Episodes will be released bi-weekly, and will consist of all things rad. Rock on.

Music label Mute Records has launched their podcast, Mute Station, featuring in-depth interviews with various artists and whatnot. In the first episode, oddly named Communique #1, features the duo Goldfrapp who apparently are doing darn good in the UK music charts with their latest album Supernature.

Goldfrapp talks about the production their album, along with the inspirations behind the music.

The PodSafe Music Network has done the unthinkable and has actually emerged out of beta, marking it's official launch. The PodSafe Music Network was created and supported by PodShow Inc (who recently received an amazing $8.5 Million), and is designed to meet the need for podcasters to be able to easily access music that can be used without restriction on their programs.

An awesome resource for both podcasters and artists alike, PodShow's sponsorship model may actually take hold considering that ABSOLUT Vodka is a key sponsor in the PodSafe Music Network's kickoff. Very cool.

So yeah, I don't play the Banjo, or the Guitar, but if I did - I'd listen to this podcast. It's one of those super-vertical things that makes you smile and say "This is why podcastings exists!" because there are undoubtedly people out there who want to listen to this stuff, but just not enough for MSM to feel they need to acknowledge them. But this what podcasting is all about - vertical content for a vertical audience.

So head over to the How and Tao of Folk Music, where you can listen to banjo and guitar lessons on their podcast - and whether you know what frailing is, or just want to learn about it - you might enjoy yourself.

Thanks Pat!

William Eddins, music director for the Edmonton Symphony, will be launching a Podcast this month entitled "Classical Connections."

Including such things like discussions of classical-music history and performances of chamber music, the first episode will be available on August 21st with music by Debussy and Copland. Drew McManus, a music administrator and blogger, will be Eddins' guest for that episode.

There are other Classical Music Podcasts (though not many of them) such as from the San Francisco Opera, recordings from the label Naxos, and a program produced by Parterre Box (an opera web site).

A&R man Jason Bernard and Korn/Velvet Revolver producer Josh Abraham have brought their entertainment muscle together to create a badass Podcast about the behind-the-scenes world of the music industry. Sort of an "online audio magazine" these two have hooked up with the peeps from Korn, Weezer, Mötley Crüe, Rooney, Yellowcard, Taproot, 30 Seconds to Mars, and Ray Manzarek from the Doors (to name just a few) to create "On the Pulse," available on Pulse Recording's website.

Combining a bunch of repackaged syndicated content from featured bands, as well as interviews and road reports, the weekly Podcast is recorded at the chic Silver Lake studio of the newly formed Pulse Recording. While I could do without the uber-Hollywood "daily meditation" feature by a California yoga instructor "Astrid" - I guess I'm just too high-strung East Coast for it - but I can still respect the originallity of the content.

With major record labels failing to get their act together when it comes to drafting up licensing agreements for Podcasting of "mainstream" music, Podcasters have been forced to go with different channels that help promote Indie/Unsigned musicians (such as the PodSafe Music Network). These record labels have in essence provided a HUGE injection of distribution for music they don't represent.

It's a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecey. Record labels are so hung up on people pirating music from Podcasts, for fear of losing their precious sales, that they've driven away all the exposure to lesser known (and more flexible) sources. Unfortunately for them, they're allowing very EASY exposure to their competition, and in essence losing precious sales.

The issue they seem hung up on is that since Podcasts are individual downloads - EACH episode would require a license agreemenet - whereas streaming music and radio can get a single blanket agreement. Lame.

It's not just "Indie" Podcasts that have gone the Podsafe Music route, it's also radio stations that have gone with Podcasting (like the beloved KCRW). Geez, talk about missing the boat.

Professional opera company, Hatstand Opera, announced the first of its monthly opera Podcasts - the world's first professional operatic Podcast entitled the Podopera. This following a recent, and somewhat controversial, free digital offering by the BBC of the complete works of Beethoven, performed by the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra. Presented by Hatstand Opera director Kirsty Young, the Podopera features an interview with Australian soprano Toni Nunn as well as other Opera goodness.

Created on a Mac G4 by Young the audio was recorded using a basic microphone and mixed in Garageband. It's available through iTunes or directly from Podopera.

KEXP, a famed Seattle music station that does it's best to showcase local music talent from rock to hip-hop, has done the unthinkable and is now offering Podcasts of their music content. Yes, even when all of Big Radio still doesn't "get it" (well, some almost do) and continues to regurgitate their awful content only in MP3 form, out comes something like this that renews our faith.

KEXP "gets it" and damnit, that's a good thing. They get it so much that they're actually considering phonecasting as well. There's definitely one smart cookie over there.

The major record rabel Interscope recently released The Rock Podcast program through Apple's iTunes. The first episode contains tracks from a number bands published by the label (like NIN, U2, and AudioSlave)with interviews and other good stuff coming in the future.

This level of endorsement from a major record label like Interscope shows that the industry has quickly embraced this medium as a way to promote their artists.

While I think it's great, it would be even better if they included the entire song in the Podcast, truly embracing it as a replacement for radio - but only adding snippets, it's just not the experience that Podcasting should be.

(via Punknews.org)

The incredible part of this Radio Revolution isn't just that we're getting exposure to "citizen journalists" starting their own Podcast show, but the mass distribution opportunities for independent/unsigned musicians. Take Indie911 for example. They're an independent music network broadcasting over 55,000 songs for free to listners. In the first week of making it available, their independent music Podcast reached over 10,000 downloads in the first week. That's badass.

These are opportunities that rarely would be available to musicians otherwise. Oh sure, perhaps Indie911's popularity may be in part kick started by the sex-induced songs like "Hotties with Guitars," and "Sex Fruit Challenge" - keywords that instant spark the pr0n-minded to click the "subscribe" button - but that's not the point. This is good shit, and it's music we never would have heard before.