Why Podcasts Are Comedy's Second Coming: Adam Carolla, Marc Maron and Greg Proops Weigh In (Q&A)

This piece seems within the new problem from the Hollywood Reporter. Clickhereto begin to see the cover.our editor recommendsMelissa McCarthy Focusing on Comedy with 'The Help' Director How 'SNL' Made Her CryModern Film & Television ComediansThe Comedy Roundtable Podcasts happen to be in comparison to television within the nineteen forties, and permanently reason: The medium is entering uncharted territory but has got the possibility to rival terrestrial radio. PHOTOS: Modern Film & Television Comics Throughout yesteryear 2 yrs, as the radio industry has obsessed over formats along with a problematic rankings system that frequently does not precisely gauge audience amounts or census, podcasts from the comedy variety have prospered. Adam Carolla and Marc Maron lead those, following a pioneering path removed by Kevin Cruz, Ough Gervais and Jimmy Pardo. The amounts tell the storyline: Carolla, who avoid 15 marketplaces when his syndicated CBS Radio morning show was canceled last year, has accumulated a crowd 10 occasions as large together with his daily podcast. The Adam Carolla Show has drenched a lot more than 50 million downloads each year Maron's two times-weekly WTF reaches 20 million and counting. Both of them are offered free of charge, while aged episodes (like Maron's intense 2010 interview with Robin Williams) cost $1.99 at iTunes (nothing changes hands between your programs and Apple, but server space is down to show producers and may get pricey at about $10,000 per month). Cash begins flowing when listenership hits certain benchmarks and marketers come calling, which, based on Carolla, they've -- in a major way. VIDEOS: The Comedy Roundtable "A variety of it is performance-based, and our audience works," states Carolla, the first kind Guy Show and Loveline host who spent about $125,000 of their own profit the podcast's nascent days and whose marketers include ProFlowers.com and Nissan. "It's better than radio, high's a lot Baloney about cumes, time spent listening, people completing Arbitron journals with golf pens. ... With podcasts, you are able to tell the number of shows happen to be took in to, lower towards the click. That's better for that sponsors as well as for us." The good thing about the podcast is its simplicity: Anybody can buy a microphone and mixer, and also the price is nominal in comparison to some traditional radio program. "By having an investment of $700 to $1,000, you may make a show," states Maron, whose podcast regularly charts within the iTunes Top Ten and charges $1,000 to $15,000 per sponsor. The comedian conducts interviews in the garage of his La home, but he's rarely there nowadays as interest in his stand-up shows (which frequently be used as podcast-recording possibilities) has leaped by 50 %. "I'm now carrying out in rooms," cracks Maron. "After I began WTF, I had been a marginal character who couldn't get reserved -- a respected but acquired taste, not really a seller of tickets. Now, I'm able to sell very good.Inch STORY: America online Starting Late Evening Block With Kevin Cruz, Adam Carolla and Kevin Pollak "Like a singular business, a podcast is probably not lucrative, but when you appear at other revenue streams that may grow from this, it certainly is," states Judi Brown-Marmel, partner at Levity Entertainment Group, which handles such comics as Jim Breuer and Hal Sparks. "Who it serves best would be the people who don't fit a conventional broadcast model. Like, if George Carlin were 22 today, an amount he do? Most likely a podcast." Past the spoken word, the ripple effect may bring revenue from retailing, book deals (Carolla's NY Occasions best-seller In Half A Century We'll Be Chicks was launched this year, and Maron is focusing on his first book for Spiegel & Grau), apple iphone applications (after Apple and Google take 10 %, revenue is split 50-50 using the developer) and purchasers of comedy albums. Maron, within an ironic twist after being told last year to ride out his contract in the now defunct Air America, has came back to terrestrial radio through NPR, which pays to air edited versions of WTF.Presently, 13 public radio affiliate marketers carry the PRX version. Obviously, not every podcasts are produced equal. Greg Proops, who hosts cult favorite The Wisest Guy on the planet, states what he makes from his Proopscast "isn't even gas money. I actually do it because around 200 1000 individuals will hear me, that is a lot more than my gigs combined." Maron states his initial goal ended up being to "make a genuine buck" and pay his mortgage. And today? "I'm earning money because I've had the opportunity to book more work, however it's still just me along with a guy during my garage." In comparison, Carolla also works from his garage -- "He's got a bunker!" mocks Maron -- but he utilizes 18 people, from "$10-an-hour men" to individuals "making six figures." "It's a company,Inch he states. "Madison Avenue and corporate America happen to be involved. I don't understand how to define success, but I will tell you that 18 several weeks ago, the likes of Nissan or LegalZoom didn't appear in our podcast world. Description of how the're inside it inside a large way, along with other companies are developing board." ReadThe Hollywood Reporter's Q&A with Maron, Carolla and Proops following the jump. Related Subjects Adam Carolla Marc Maron Greg Proops 1 2 next last