The AudioBoom Conundrum: Help Needed!

Hello CheapShow Lovers! We have another query we would love your advice on, because we really do care/worry about what you guys think... Well... To an extent, we won't be asking you about what clothes we should wear or make each episode 3 hours long because you demand it... You get the point.

So, to cut a long story short, we have been approached by Audioboom which (if you don't know, according to the internet) "is the leading podcasting and on-demand audio platform for hosting, distributing and monetizing content." They would like CheapShow to come over to their platform and help, hopefully, to grow the show and get it seen/heard by as many people as possible.

Obviously, Eli and I would love that.

We would love to be able to grow the show from a few thousand downloads to a couple of hundred thousand. We adore making this show and when we started out we didn't think it would become what it has, with a devoted audience who care about our content and happy to help support us in our endeavours. This is why we started the Patreon, to help keep the show going and aim to give back what we could to say thank you.

But here is the catch. The move to Audioboom would mean that the show would take on adverts. They would not be live reads in the show, but rather short ads before and after each episode. We are talking 15 seconds or so, hopefully nothing intrusive and nothing that effects the content of the show itself. That is certainly our desire anyway. These ads would mean a little extra money coming our way to CheapShow and also pay for being on Audioboom's network.

We would also move our content from SoundCloud to Audioboom as a result, meaning anyone subscribed to us on that platform would have to resubscribe to us on Audioboom. It's not the worst thing in the world, but we are concerned about losing listeners in the process.

Audioboom have assured us, as best as they realistically can, that they would do what they could to get the podcast noticed by a wider listening audience. They also say whatever adverts they find for us would be suitable for the show... So no adverts for luxury Harrods hampers or package holidays to the Swiss alps.

We don't think for a minute this would effect how we make the show or dictate the content of the show. It would still be the same bumblefuckery of laughs, fights and cheap tat.

What we are wary of is upsetting our audience with the inclusion of these ads, the move from Soundcloud and the fact that some of you who have become patrons on Patreon would feel this is a little against the ethos of having our audience help support our show if we are also getting a small financial bit of assistance from Audioboom too.

A lot of podcasts have both a Patreon and take on adverts, this is especially common in the United States where monetising podcasts is more accepted and encouraged. I think Eli and I want to be able to make the show bigger, pay for a comedy tour, grow an audience large enough to warrant a tour and basically make CheapShow our job!

We would still make CheapShow very very recognisably CheapShow...

This is why we care about your feedback!

So get in touch on Twitter @thecheapshowpod or via email thecheapshow@gmail.com with your thoughts?

Specifically: 1) Would you hate adverts at the start and end of the show? 2) Would moving to Audioboom put you off us?

3) Would this effect or change your decision to give us money via Patreon

4) Is this a bad idea/good idea? 5) A 5th thing

We want to know.

We have spoken to Audioboom and what with our recent spurt of popularity (The Guardian review, the iTunes Top 50 UK Comedy Podcast ranking etc etc) we would love to make CheapShow just as awesome as some of the shows we admire, but we DO care about how this effects the audience we have that came on to us early and have been dedicated, loyal, supportive and vocal.

So get in touch. Nothing has been signed, sealed or delivered yet.

We just wanted to run this past you lot first and make an educated decision. One way or the other.

What say you?

thanks

Paul Gannon (CheapShow Chap)

#Audioboom or #Audiodoom ?