Pods Like Us

Martin ”Marv” Quibell

Martin 'Marv' Quibell talks to different podcasters each week about their different shows.

  1. 3 days ago

    Faster Than Bolt, Slower Than Skip Ahead: Pods Like Us Chronicles

    Engaged Views and Disengaged Truths - Pods Like Us Chronicles — Episode Show Notes Host: Martin "Marv" Quibell Episode Summary Marv opens with a look at the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing (kicking off Saturday 22 August 2026), including a robot smashing Usain Bolt's 100m record and a musing on what happens when you put an LLM inside a humanoid robot. Then it's on to the week's podcast industry news: audiobook/podcast crossover, YouTube's changing definition of a "view," Spotify's new ad and skip-ahead features, AI's growing role in podcast discovery (and its occasional gaslighting), a tribute to John C. Dvorak, and more. In This Episode Industry Reads Frank Racioppi's Forbes piece on the audiobook/podcast listener overlap, and Noiser's audio drama adaptations of Dickens, Conan Doyle, and AustenCody McLaughlin's Substack interview with Brad Pipkin (IAB Tech Lab) on whether podcasting is becoming "the evolution of television"Frank Racioppi's spotlight articles on This Podcast Will Kill You and Auntie PleaseJohn McDermott's Random Thoughts newsletter — praise for School of Podcasting's episode, Apple Podcast embedding woes, YouTube's payout threshold change, and the headaches of vertical video repurposingSam Illingworth's viral Substack post (40,534 views, 575 comments, 364 restacks) and his follow-up on LLMs "gaslighting" users — plus the finding that a Substack upload of Moby Dick was flagged 44% AI-writtenStephanie Fuccio's two Substack pieces on using Stephen King's On Writing as inspiration for better show notes and titlingPlatform & Business News Spotify's new "unskippable" ads on its own shows, with skippability elsewhere governed by contract clauses (via Podnews Daily)Inception Point AI has rebranded as Liquify AI (parent of Liquid Studios), covered by the New York TimesYouTube redefines "view" as an "engaged view," roughly aligned with the IAB/AMP consumption-length standard — and doubles the download threshold for ad payouts from 4,000 to 8,000Megaphone's advertising issues, and Flightpath's new "Automation Playbook" tool, via Podnews DailySounds Profitable's That Stupid Radio episode — Tom Webster's story of a nine-button Italian radio rendered useless when its app stopped workingPodcasting Craft & Community Podmastery: Neal Veglio on checking your show name isn't taken — and the underrated problem of how your title sounds when spoken aloud (Marv's own "misheard lyrics" comparison to Sister Sledge's We Are Family)School of Podcasting: Dave Jackson on YouTube/Spotify changes and a potted history of Spotify in podcastingIn and Around Podcasting: Rob and Elsie trace the history of skipping — from 1930s reel-to-reel to Spotify's new "Skip Ahead" button — plus Overcast updates, a tribute to John C. Dvorak, and Ana Xavier's sit-down with Barack ObamaInto the Podverse: Tony on AI-driven podcast discovery (asking ClaudeAI, ChatGPT, Gemini, Siri, and Alexa for show recommendations), video podcasting, hosting migration risks, and how to vet download-growth offers from unsolicited emailsDan Murphy (SiriusXM co-founder) on his new book, They Pay For WaterComicbook Nation Corner A nod to Connor Casey's "Christ on a crouton cracker" line from December 2023, and a bit of nostalgia for the old news-desk format

    Faster Than Bolt, Slower Than Skip Ahead: Pods Like Us Chronicles
  2. 16 Aug

    A Portal, Not an App: Chronicles 16 August 2026

    Liquid Content, Skip Buttons, and a Memory Walk - Episode Summary This week Marv shares a personal reflection on a memory walk marking one year since his mum's passing, then runs through a jam-packed week in podcasting news — TrueFans, Spotify's skip button backlash, YouTube's tougher monetisation rules, a new AI voice platform, African podcast monetisation struggles, Disney's deal with The Overlap, and more. Plus: Marv reveals he used Claude AI to help tighten this week's script. Timestamps [00:00:00] Intro — Marv's memory walk for his mum, and getting a shoutout from Sam Sethi on Podnews Weekly Review[00:01:00] Monday — TrueFans in Forbes, RSS.com's HLS video distribution, BBC's Acoustic Kitty episode, Stephanie Fuccio's discoverability experiment, the Spotify "skip forward" debate[00:03:00] Tuesday — YouTube's doubled monetisation requirements, Apple's fuzzy play-count data, BionicVO's AI voice cloning, the citation problem, Dave Campbell's "start where you are" message[00:05:00] Wednesday — John McDermott's radio stress dream and shrinking listening feed, a self-replicating LLM on AI Girls Club, Too Long Didn't Listen's season finale, a new Buzzsprout WordPress plugin, African podcast revenue ($3.1bn industry)[00:09:00] Thursday — Disney signs The Overlap for Disney+, a survey on "what is a podcast," Substack's Stripe/Africa payment problem[00:10:00] Friday — RSS.com's HLS video plans on Podnews Weekly Review, an Obama "podcast" from Audible, Sam Sethi's feedback on newsletter length[00:13:00] Sign-off — Format experiment notes, where to find the show[00:14:00] Trailer — Fallacious Trump(Timestamps are approximate, taken from the transcript's minute markers — worth a quick check against the actual audio before publishing.) Mentioned This Week Frank Racioppi (Forbes) / Sam Sethi — TrueFansJames Cridland — Podnews Daily / Podnews Weekly ReviewRSS.com — HLS video distributionJohn Scott Dryden — Central Intelligence (BBC)Stephanie Fuccio — discoverability experiments, SubstackNeal Veglio — PodmasteryDan Price — BionicVODave Campbell — SubstackJohn McDermott — newsletter, "Cridlandism"/"McDermottism"Grace — AI Girls ClubDubble Audio & Josh Craggs — Too Long Didn't ListenGavin Gaddis & Jim Ballas — Sounds Profitable / PodbizTony Doe & Israel Usolor — Into The PodverseRob Greenlee — New Media ShowBen & Alberto — RSS.comCredits Distributed and sponsored by RSS.com. Find "Pods Like Us" wherever you get your podcasts, and all links at themarvzone.org

    A Portal, Not an App: Chronicles 16 August 2026
  3. 13 Aug

    Immersive, Not Gimmicky: Gunshots, Ghosts and Kylie Minogue in 360°

    Risk, Rears, and Reverb Marv reunites with two old friends from the Nottinghamshire music scene — Dolby Atmos mixing engineer Kurt Martinez and music educator/dementia-charity worker Rob Huskinson — for a wide-ranging chat about immersive audio, career risk-taking, and what it actually means to teach music in 2026. Kurt walks through how he backed into podcast/audio-drama mixing via Audible's early Atmos launch, why documentaries and scripted drama get treated completely differently in the mix (stage-setting vs. free-roaming immersion), and the gunshot-and-bullet-trajectory example that shows just how precisely spatial audio storytelling can get. He also talks through mixing Kylie Minogue's latest album in Atmos — commuting with it on AirPods Max, checking it on a Sonos speaker while doing housework, and revisiting it recently on 7.1.4 headphones to see how it's held up. Rob brings the conversation into music education, talking about designing a curriculum that starts from what's relevant to students now rather than working backwards from music history, and his work with Open Door, a Nottinghamshire dementia day service, where he helps organise carer support events (money management, physiotherapy, nutrition) alongside the day-to-day group sessions. There's also a candid stretch on ADHD, time management, and the different but complementary ways Kurt and Rob each work in a studio. The three of them close on the value of informal networking ("smooshy events"), the risks each of them took to build a freelance/portfolio career, and what's next for each — including Season 2 of I Am Not Nicholas, out now. In this episode: How Kurt got into Dolby Atmos, from a Guinness cinema ad to mixing I Am Not Nicholas for BBC/AudibleThe difference between mixing music, scripted audio drama, and documentary in AtmosMixing Kylie Minogue's latest album in immersive audioBuilding a curriculum around student relevance vs. music historyOpen Door — a Nottinghamshire dementia day service, and Rob's work with carersADHD, time management, and studio workflowCareer risk-taking, freelancing, and the value of informal networkingWhat's next: I Am Not Nicholas S2, new Alfie Duke and Meek singles, The Script's new albumGuests: Kurt Martinez — Dolby Atmos mixing engineer (Audible, BBC, I Am Not Nicholas, Kylie Minogue) — find him on LinkedIn and InstagramRob Huskinson — music lecturer and grants/events lead for Open Door dementia day service — find him on LinkedIn

    Immersive, Not Gimmicky: Gunshots, Ghosts and Kylie Minogue in 360°
  4. 10 Aug

    A Dump Truck Full of Worms: Pods Like Us: Chronicles - 9th August 2026

    The Skip Heard Around the Podcasting World - Spotify's "Skip Forward" fallout The big story of the week: Spotify's new ad-skipping option for premium users, first flagged by James Cridland (PodNews) and picked up by Elsie Escobar and Rob Walch on In and Around Podcasting. Marv unpacks why it's such a headache for ad-supported podcasters, traces it back to Spotify's 2018 "Active Media" experiment in Australia, and previews Neil Veglio's upcoming Podmastery episode (Monday 10th August) on how creators might respond — including making shows "less skippable." Sodajerker Songwriting Lab — quick announcement A special one-day workshop from Bri and Si of Sodajerker on Songwriting, Friday 4th September at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, with songwriters Sacha Skarbek and Ben Parker. Small groups, hands-on writing, open to songwriters of any level. Details and booking: sodajerker.com/lab Meta's $942 million New Mexico ruling A New Mexico judge has ordered Meta to pay $567 million on top of an earlier $375 million penalty, bringing the total to $942 million over harm to children and teens on Facebook and Instagram. The ruling also mandates stronger age verification, safety education, and deletion of under-13 user data. Marv connects this to the wider question of platform design and engagement, and what it might mean for podcasters who rely on social media for discoverability. Musical tangent: Yazoo, Alison Moyet, and Prefab Sprout Prompted by a Stephanie Fuccio Substack post about the band Yazoo (Yaz in the US) and singer Alison Moyet ("Alf"), Marv goes down a musical trivia rabbit hole — including a nod to Paddy McAloon of Prefab Sprout, whose reported perfectionism has allegedly kept several albums unreleased. Around the podcasting Substacks Frank Racioppi on the new International Advisory Board for Eurowaves, and a review of fiction podcast American AfterlifeNeil Veglio (Podmastery) on letting go of the "consistency is key" mythStephanie Fuccio on perfectionism vs. creating, and on how a podcast's real direction often only becomes clear in hindsightRob Walch explaining the AMP Accords and the IAB's role — guidelines, not commandmentsJohn McDermott's newsletter and listening round-upTony Doe's Into the Podverse — new podcast launches, PodGround funding news, and Elsie Escobar's 20 years in podcastingA shared surprise that no black woman appears on Forbes' highest-earning podcasters listPaul D Brazil's Substack piece on actors who've had songs named after themHousekeeping An apology for a missed Wednesday episode due to a tricky multi-part edit, plus thanks to sponsor RSS.com. After the sign-off A trailer for Keep the Flame Alive, the Olympics and Paralympics podcast.

    A Dump Truck Full of Worms: Pods Like Us: Chronicles - 9th August 2026
  5. 29 Jul

    The Hidden Disability: Talking Aphasia with Jonathan Hirons

    On the Tip of My Tongue: Jonathan Hirons on Aphasia, Advocacy, and Podcasting This episode, Marv sits down with Jonathan Hirons, host of the podcast On the Tip of My Tongue, to talk about aphasia — a communication disorder that affects language but not intelligence or memory — and how it shaped his life and work. Jonathan shares the story of the sudden stroke that left him with aphasia, the speech and language therapy that followed, and the vital role his wife played early on using flashcards to help rebuild his vocabulary. He and Marv discuss why aphasia remains so poorly understood despite affecting more people than Parkinson's disease, and why groups and community support make such a difference for people relearning to communicate. The conversation also traces how Jonathan's aphasia documentary evolved into a podcast, why he brought on co-host Rob Edwards to handle scripted segments, and how the show balances lived experience with expert insight. They wrap up comparing notes on production workflows, episode artwork, and the "teaser hook" technique both shows use to draw listeners in. In This Episode ● What aphasia is, and why it's known as a "hidden disability" ● Jonathan's personal story: sudden onset, hospitalization, and diagnosis ● The road through speech therapy and relearning to read, write, and speak ● Why community groups are key to rebuilding confidence ● How a documentary film became a podcast ● Behind-the-scenes: recording with Zoom, editing in Reaper, publishing via Buzzsprout ● The importance of podcast artwork and episode "teasers" ● Where to find On the Tip of My Tongue and how to support the show Links & Contact On the Tip of My Tongue: tipofmytonguefilm.com Email Jonathan: hello@tipofmytonguefilm.com Find Jonathan on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn Pods Like Us Contact: podslikeus@gmail.com All links and socials: themarvzone.org

    The Hidden Disability: Talking Aphasia with Jonathan Hirons
  6. 26 Jul

    Big Bits That Jut Out the Side of Your Head: The Artwork Roundtable - Pods Like Us Chronicles.

    Mercedes vs. Ford: The Great Podcast Artwork Debate - Marv (Martin Quibell) rounds up a busy week in podcasting, featuring a special roundtable on episode artwork with NJ Belenky (PodBiz) and Neil Veglio (PodKnows, Podmastery), plus the usual roundup of podcasting news, links, and listens. Panel: Should You Change Your Episode Artwork? (The "Mercedes vs. Ford" Question) Marv is joined by NJ Belenky and Neil Veglio for the first in an occasional series answering listener questions. Kevin Brown (host of Seaside Pod Review, The Tom Petty Project, and Ultimate Catalog Clash) asks whether shows should use one consistent piece of artwork ("Mercedes approach") or unique artwork per episode ("Ford approach"). Trailer A trailer for Creatures of the Wind, created as part of the July Podcast Prompt Challenge, plays out the episode. Links & Mentions Pod Biz — NJ BelenkyPod Knows / Pod Mastery — Neil VeglioKevin Brown's shows: Seaside Pod Review, The Tom Petty Project, Ultimate Catalog ClashWhen They Was Fab (with Ed Chen)Podbites newsletterStephanie Fuccio / Melanie Goodman — LinkedIn/Substack flywheel articleSounds Profitable — The DownloadPodnews Daily — Kids PodFrank Racioppi — Streamlined SolopreneurCaleruega Media — John McDermott's newsletterRick Beato's YouTube channelJames Cridland — Radio Land newsletterLeftlion Podcast, Notts Rock CastStephanie Fuccio — "Five Podcast Discoverability Elements That Help Old Episodes Get Found"Andrea Coscai — Euro Waves newsletterMIC Media — Vic Elizabeth TurnbullTony Doe — Into the PodverseEthan Alexanian (artwork design)Trailer: Creatures of the WindGet in touch: Questions for future roundtable episodes → podslikeus@gmail.com Find the show: themarvzone.org Sponsor: RSS.com

    Big Bits That Jut Out the Side of Your Head: The Artwork Roundtable - Pods Like Us Chronicles.
5
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

Martin 'Marv' Quibell talks to different podcasters each week about their different shows.