Hey All Apologies For Not Updating Sooner But The Next Episode Will Drop On Monday The 12th. Little Life

HOLY MOTHER UNDER THE MOUNTAIN I love this so much. This is very close to how Conrad looks in my head and I LOOOOOOOOOVE this interpretation of Louis. Incredible work and thank you so much! GAH! The more I look at it the more I fall in love with it.

Fanart of the Dead West podcast cuz I’ve really enjoyed listening to it. ^_^

@dead-west-podcast

PSA for podcast and audio drama creators:

If you publish a new episode of your show and it never shows up on Spotify, *do not panic*.

If you're using any kind of background music, it might've gotten flagged by their copyrighted content scanner. If it has, they do not notify you directly about it. Instead, they will notify your podcast hosting platform (i.e. Buzzsprout, Acast, Podbean, etc.)

If your new episode doesn't show up on Spotify within an hour or two (as it normally does), here's what you should do:

Create a video of your podcast and upload it privately to YouTube.

Check the 'Restrictions' column of the Content page in YouTube Studio. If the video you uploaded has 'Copyright' in this column, something was flagged and this is the problem. (In my experience, YouTube and Spotify's scanners are aligned).

Hover over where it says 'Copyright' and click the 'See Details' button. This will tell you what got flagged.

Confirm whether this content was legitimately flagged or not. If it was (meaning you can't prove that you have rights to use the music), it's time to replace the track and reupload your episode. (You'll still want to do the following steps after you do that). If wasn't, it's time to document why the flagging was in error. In Metropolis' case, we use a lot of pre-1924 music that is in the public domain per Title II of the US Music Modernization Act of 2018. But rights holders are notorious for not removing things that have aged into the public domain from their claims list. That means we have clear rights to use the music (as does anybody: again, public domain!), but we still have to go through the appeals process.

Contact your hosting provider to get the notice email from Spotify Content Protection. You need to ask their support team if they've received an email for your show from Spotify with a Subject line of "Possibly Infringing - Notification Warning - Claim xxx - ref:_xxx". It usually takes about 30 minutes to an hour for them to receive that notification from when the episode was uploaded. Within the email, there's a unique link to appeal the decision. Note that you only get five days to appeal - procrastination is definitely not your friend here!

Use the Appeal Link from the Email to file an Appeal Notice If you click the link, it will take you to a form to appeal the decision not to post the episode. This is where you need to present your case by either that you've replaced the music in question, or that you have a right to use it. If it's the latter - make sure you present the case as thoroughly and completely as possible (with links and references). (You'll also want to confirm that the track that YouTube spotted is the one that Spotify flagged.)

From my experience, Spotify will usually respond 24-36 hours.

If you took the right steps, it'll usually be a short note that they've published the episode and you're in the clear.

Cheers, and happy creating!

Yaaaassss! Love it.

Inspired by our friends over at @dead-west-podcast we made a little mood board for ourselves.

Some affirmations for the day!

Found these at the local park while out with my kids. I was told these were from a celebration of life for a local child who lost their life to abuse. So, let these kids' words sink in and remember you are awesome, you are valued, and you are loved!

Frankenstein Audio Drama

Hello! We are Rhapsody Of The Exiled, an audio drama adaptation and retelling of Frankenstein Or The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley!

We are trans and neurodivergent written and directed, with a largely queer cast and crew, queer romantic, and neurodiverse storylines, and music! We can promise you a lot from our story, including a romantic Clervalstein subplot, non-binary Professor Waldman, non-binary blind hermit, Autistic William Frankenstein, neurodivergent Justine Moritz, lesbian Elizabeth and Justine, transfem voice actress for a non-binary creature, and a Professor Waldman x Professor Krempe consensual workplace relationship.

We want to use this beloved story and all its characters to explore ways in which we find ourselves isolated from the world, be it by no fault of our own, or somehow by our own hand. If that sounds like it would be of interest to you, do give us a follow! We are most active over on BlueSky, but you can follow us here, or over on TikTok @rhapsodyoftheexiled

Hope to see you around!

Getting rating bombed on your Audio Fiction podcast for being a guest on another show by a single person over many different accounts is WILD. And so very immature. I just started my show a few months ago and already see in the sparse data I have how much it has impacted growth and discoverability. Kill em with kindness and move on I guess?

Show Update:

We have a family member undergoing open heart surgery this week so my household is doing a lot of planning and prep, physically and mentally. Due to this tomorrow's episode will be delayed until Tues, the 28th. Sorry for the inconvenience but thank you so much for your patience. For clarity, they are going to be on a 48-hour constant watch cycle afterwards and the reality of it is that this will come down to my partner and I alternating this time between us while also tending to the rest of our family, and my job. Cuz Capitalism don't stop.

me in the coal mine: oh no i lost my canary because it's so dark in here and i can't hear her singing :( i better light a match so i can find my little songbird!

A recommendation to all the audio drama creators out there:

Always listen to your show in the way your audience is listening to your show.

We tend to edit using nice gear. Good over-the-ear headphones. Quiet rooms. But most of your audience will not listen to your show this way. A recent poll indicated that almost 20% of AD listeners listen with a *single* earbud in. Almost 10% listen on their phone speaker. That's a significant part of your audience that is listening in a mono environment or with tiny speakers (or both). You also likely have listeners with hearing loss in one of their ears*, and you want your show to be accessible to them. Before you release your show, make sure to listen to it at least once on a single earbud in a noisy environment. Is your show still legible this way? Can a listener still enjoy it like this, and understand all the plot beats and character moments? If not, it's a good idea to spend some more time on your edit so that they can. (And it's still definitely OK to make your show sound *great* for those who have a great audio setup! Just make sure the show still works for those who don't.) *You likely also have audience members with hearing loss in *both* ears. Transcripts are important. I'm behind in getting them posted for Metropolis, I need to get on that. (Episode 3 of Metropolis is live, BTW. Just waiting for Spotify to pick up the RSS feed before the big announcement. 😅)

Well, howdy! I just wanted to take a moment to introduce my new podcast Dead West! It is a horror audio fiction series that blends folk horror and weird western themes in a re-imagined American Gilded age. A time when everything was stolen, blood was let, and society grappled with modernity.

Our show follows Conrad, a self proclaimed Sin Eater, as he travels around Western America and deals with the horrors of humanity and the things that stalk them in the dark.

This audio drama will be faithful adaptation of the true American West, including voices that were normally silenced due to the racists, sexist, and xenophobic nature of the American People. The Show features a full cast to guide you through this valley of death and sound design to let the monsters into your ears. Content warnings will be present in the show notes, where needed. Transcriptions coming soon.

Where you can find it:

Spotify

Apple

Youtube Music

Here on Tumblr!

Podlink (Links to all the apps)

If you have an app where you do not see our show let us know and we will fix that!