Is It Worth It?

Matt Cundill, Jon Gay, and Catherine O’Brien dig into the growing pile of tools, platforms, and metrics shaping podcast production today. The conversation starts with a key question for creators and clients: are downloads still the best measure of success, or is time spent listening becoming the more meaningful number? The group looks at the challenge of tracking audience behaviour across audio, video, Spotify, YouTube, and social platforms, where the old podcast measurement rules do not always apply. They also compare production tools including Riverside, Descript, Adobe, OneStream, and AI platforms, weighing features against cost, convenience, and workflow friction. Catherine highlights the importance of strong headlines and audience-first positioning, while Jon and Matt examine how subscription creep is forcing producers to rethink their software stack. It is a practical, candid episode about choosing tools that reduce hassle, improve output, and help podcasters focus on the work that actually matters.Both Johnny and David will be back next week.The Products we spoke about: Here’s a list of the products/services mentioned, with official links and approximate US prices (these change frequently)Riverside – from approx. $19/month (paid plans, annual discounts available)&nbsp;&nbsp;StreamYard – https://streamyard.com – from approx. $25/month (Basic) and $49/month (Professional, annual billing)&nbsp;&nbsp;OneStream Live – from approx. $10–$39/month depending on plan&nbsp;&nbsp;Descript (incl. Rooms) – from approx. $15/month (Creator) and $30/month (Pro, annual billing)&nbsp;&nbsp;Spotify for Podcasters – free hosting&nbsp;&nbsp;Simplecast – from approx. $15/month (Basic)&nbsp;&nbsp;ART19 – enterprise/network pricing (contact Roddy or Andy) - Matt can connect you.Libsyn – from approx. $7/month&nbsp;&nbsp;Headliner – free tier; paid from approx. $8–$15/month&nbsp;&nbsp;Adobe Audition – included in Adobe Creative Cloud (All Apps approx. $60–$70/month)&nbsp;&nbsp;Adobe Premiere Pro – approx. $23–$35/month as a single app; also in All Apps&nbsp;&nbsp;Adobe Podcast Enhance – limited free use; paid around $9.99/month or $99/year&nbsp;&nbsp;iZotope RX – RX Elements often around $99; Standard/Advanced in the several‑hundred‑dollar range (frequent sales)&nbsp;&nbsp;Levelator – free&nbsp;&nbsp;ChatGPT Plus (OpenAI) – $20/month&nbsp;&nbsp;Claude – free tier; Claude Pro around $20/month&nbsp;&nbsp;Grok (via X) – included with some X Premium tiers; Premium/Premium+ roughly $8–$16/month&nbsp;&nbsp;CoSchedule Headline Analyzer / Headline Studio – free tier; Pro/Headline Studio around $9–$20/month or about $100/year&nbsp;&nbsp;Shure SM7B – street price around $399&nbsp;&nbsp;Shure SM7dB – street price around $499&nbsp;&nbsp;RØDE PodMic – https://rode.com – around $99&nbsp;&nbsp;Focusrite Scarlett (e.g., 2i2) – common models around $130–$230&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://rode.com" rel="noopener