Economic Pressure on a Novice Independent Podcaster in the Middle East: A Case Study

Abstract

This paper examines a Saudi novice independent podcaster making episodes on Buzzsprout, a podcast hosting service that enables businesses to create, publish, and distribute podcast episodes across several platforms. Buzzsprout is a well-known podcast hosting platform that has assisted over 100,000 individuals in establishing podcasts since 2009, and it offers several tools to help podcasters create and sell their episodes. This paper’s main objective is to illustrate how Buzzsprout monetizes and regulates its policy on beginner podcasters in the Middle East. This paper will explore the regulations social media platforms impose on new podcasters, emphasizing the domination of corporate media platforms that control creators’ content and storytelling if they do not pay for a monthly subscription. To reach a deep understanding of monetization and regulations in the media system, we will apply Marx’s critique of the political economy. Finally, this paper will discuss different models for monetizing and regulating podcasts.