New Podcast Host? Not So Fast Sir.

Well, it looks as if I spoke too soon. It seemed as if anchor.fm was to be the new home for Ten For Tuesday and it would solve all of my technical problems I've been having with Podomatic. As the old adage goes, if it looks too good to be true then it probably is.

The very next day after switching to anchor they took Ten For Tuesday down. Here's their email to me:

Hey there,

We’re writing to notify you that we found evidence of potentially infringing content in your podcast, Ten For Tuesday. As a result, it has been taken down.

Per our Terms of Service we take action on potentially infringing podcasts to protect legal entities and our users from formal copyright claims.

If you have any further questions about the legality of content in your podcast, we suggest reaching out to a legal specialist directly.

Thank you for understanding,

Anchor Trust & Safety

To tell the truth, I didn't even think about anything going wrong. After all, the vast majority of the bands I play aren't very big and some even message me thanking me for playing their music. My reply to anchor included that thought as well as the fact that I intentionally chose not to monetize the podcast. It would be wrong for me to try to make money off of other people's copyrighted material. I even asked if I could add something about not owning the content and that it was the property of the copyright owners.

anchor wasn't having it. Here's their reply to my reply:

Team Anchor (Anchor) Aug 23, 2020, 7:35 PM EDT Hi there, Having taken a look at your podcast, I can see it was removed for potentially infringing music content. By uploading music you may not own the rights to, you may be distributing it unlawfully. As per our Terms of Service, we take action on podcasts that carry a risk of infringement. You are welcome to start a new podcast without music content, but please note that any evidence of potential infringement will make it subject to removal. I appreciate this may be disappointing news, but hope you understand. Best, Team Anchor Anchor ⚓️ Do you think I appreciate their offer to start a new podcast without musical content? Hell no. You would be correct in thinking that I should have read through their terms of service carefully but come on. It's 2020, not 1995. There are a ton of music podcasts out there in the world that do things just like I do. Some of them even have sponsors so that they can make money. My initial inclination was to send an expletive laden response telling them what my exact thoughts were but it's not worth the effort to get myself worked up. I won't change their minds no matter how much sense I make. My options right now are to just put up with the issues I've had with Podomatic or do some proper research on another hosting site, perhaps one that I have to pay for that I know allows music podcasts. I'm looking in your direction Libsyn. For now I think I'll delete all of the episodes on Podomatic and start fresh while I do my research. Perhaps this is a sign to let Ten For Tuesday die off. Time will tell.

Written and Published by Don Leach. May not be used without permission from the author.