Celebrities turn to podcasts to hang on to fans during pandemic
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Cooped up like many of us, movie stars, politicians and reality show types eager to hold onto their fans are turning to podcasts to get through the pandemic, converting their homes 鈥 even a bathroom in one case 鈥 into makeshift recording studios.
There is something out there for everyone: While Demi Moore, with her trademark raspy voice, headlines an erotic podcast called 鈥淒irty Diana,鈥 Jamie Lee Curtis and Matthew McConaughey read stories for kids.
Former first lady Michelle Obama talks about personal issues in a podcast called simply 鈥淭he Michelle Obama Podcast,鈥 while actors Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett interview other celebrities on one called 鈥淪martLess.鈥
Donald Trump鈥檚 former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, has been waging a crusade against him since September in a podcast called 鈥淢ea Culpa.鈥
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have one, too. The first episode featured contributions from prominent people talking about how they are coping with the pandemic and what they are learning from it.
Reality show stars are also in on the craze. Paris Hilton is scheduled to launch a podcast at the end of February through radio giant iHeartMedia late this month and Kim Kardashian signed a deal this summer with Spotify to develop a show on criminal justice reform, a cause in which she has been active.
Flexibility of podcasts
While podcasts with stars are nothing new, their sudden abundance is a natural consequence of the COVID-19 crisis, said Nicholas Quah, creator of a blog called Hot Pod.
With Hollywood largely shut down because of the pandemic 鈥渟o many of these celebrities are unable to get television or film productions going,鈥 he said.
鈥淭his is an opportunity for these people to still reach fans and reach people.鈥
Many are drawn by the flexibility of podcasts because there is no need for a set or camera or special wardrobe, and doing them is safe COVID-wise.
For the sexy podcast 鈥淒irty Diana,鈥 co-produced by media and podcast company startup QCODE, the actors recorded themselves at home, said the company鈥檚 co-founder Rob Herting.
For the best sound, he said, 鈥渢hey had to find a great room in their house. And for Demi it was the bathroom. It ended up being a lot of fun and we certainly have had other actors recording in closets, or whatever has the best acoustics.鈥
What is more, podcasts can be made relatively quickly and cheaply.
鈥淒irty Diana,鈥 for instance, was recorded in May and released in July, whereas once a movie is shot it can take a couple of years for it to come out.
The average budget for a QCODE podcast, some of which feature Oscar-winning actors such as Rami Malek, is in the low to mid six-figures, while even a low-budget movie needs maybe a million dollars, said Herting.
Revenue from the podcast industry is still far smaller than that of movies, TV or music, even if podcasts are all the rage now. Ad revenue from podcasts should rise by 15 percent in 2020 once figures are in and approach a billion dollars, said a study published in July by PricewaterhouseCoopers.
鈥淭his is now a space that some entertainment industry people see as a worthwhile investment. And that was not necessarily a 100 percent the case previously,鈥 said Quah.
鈥淚t鈥檚 bad in the sense that a lot of the advertiser money which would have been going to people who where in the space for the long term ends up going to them first,鈥 he said, referring to the celebrities.
Staying in the limelight
鈥淚 think most celebrities that come in, they would probably think that it's an extension of their brand,鈥 said Quah.
鈥淚t鈥檚 just for the celebrity to stay in your attention, whether they鈥檙e going to sell you a book or not, as long as they still have your attention,鈥 he added.
However, podcast studios like projects with stars because their fans guarantee an audience and these shows offer the possibility of being adapted to film or TV.
Amazon, for instance, is getting ready to turn 鈥淒irty Diana鈥 into a TV series starring Moore.
But will the podcast boom last after pandemic lifestyles end and stars go back to making movies and such?
Yes, says Herting. 鈥淭he time commitment for an actor is just so low,鈥 said this boss of QCODE, which plans to launch more than a dozen star-studded podcasts in the coming year.
But Colin Anderson of Stitcher, which produces a comedy podcast featuring the actor Rob Lowe, warns of the risk of saturation of 鈥渏ust famous people talking to other famous people.鈥
鈥淐elebrities are going to have to be more creative with the podcasts they launch and give people a more compelling reason than just their celebrity to subscribe,鈥 said Anderson.
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