But if we put it on The Blockchain, you can mint PodCoins by listening to podcasts! Of course, to ensure you're really listening, you'll also need a secure cryptographic module installed in your auditory cortex. Depending on how well that surgery goes, maybe it finally can put the killer in killer app.

No, I fully agree, the idea being that there’s a standard set of analytics and a way to report on them that apps can openly support.

Granted the odd ball out would be Apple and if they’d support the analytics in their podcast app, but much like Apple’s podcast directory is the defacto directory, there’s an opportunity for a better, OPEN, solution.

EDIT ADD: I’d be surprised if every podcast app doesn’t already collect a robust amount of analytics on listening, they just don’t report it where podcast owners could see easily.

The reason podcasts are so great as a medium is that they have not yet been “platformified” and many still just distribute with RSS.

Do not enshittify podcasts.

RSS is a RFC MUST for it to be called podcast.

These are common events used by the ad industry as well