Hey Podcast Messengers! Welcome to episode 24 of The PodQuest Show. Today I’m going to dig into Anchor and the Artist Formerly Known as Prince – but mostly just Anchor. And when I say dig… I mean DIG.
I’m going to go over their Terms of Service, which can be found at www.anchor.fm/tos almost line by line. I am not an attorney, and this episode is my opinion; however, I think these are terms that most novice podcasters are not even noticing or recognizing for the future of their podcast business.
Here are a few of the things I cover:
- Section 3: They own their stuff (which makes sense, but…)
- Section 4: They can break up with you without so much as a text message
- Section 5 (1): You may still own your content, but you are giving them EVERYTHING – no rights reserved!
- Worldwide rights and transferrable – it’s like getting married but telling your partner you can pass them off to a friend at any time
- Derivative Works?!? This is a massively wide right!
- No limitations
- Their fine print “explainer” is laughable
- Holy Shit – you even give up the right to complain when they don’t identify you as the author!
- BTW, your co-host is included and they want to make sure you let them know, too
- Section 5 (2): Based on this section, I’m a little nervous about even being interviewed on someone’s show that is on Anchor. BUT you, as an Anchor host, must ensure that your guests also know what rights they are giving up!
- Section 9 in general isn’t so bad, but Section 9 (2) leaves to question their accountability.
- Section 9 (3) limits who you can have as sponsors – WTF!
- Section 9 (5) covers their fees which are not terrible, but the $20CPM is below industry standards, and it makes me wonder if they are charging more and then claiming that amount. YOU, as the host, have zero way of knowing what is going on behind the scenes.
- If their numbers hold accurate, you would be getting about 1.3 cents per download after their 30% cut – but even those downloads are based on what THEY decide counts.
- Section 9 (7) passes responsibility to you. Hmmmm… very interesting and could put your butt on the line.
- Section 9 (8) – Spotify is basically saying – we’re not going to double-check our sponsors – that’s up to you.
- Section 10 means they can dump you in a heartbeat! Even their explainer is a bit ruthless.
- Section 11 on Warranty Disclaimer is almost funny – but defines the whole tone.
- Section 13 is basically saying – “If you don’t like it, there’s the door – don’t let it hit you in the ass on the way out.”
- Section 14’s arbitration clause seems fine, but know that you are foregoing being involved in a class-action suit against them.
- Section 15 is a miscellaneous catchall and in Section 15 (5) on Assignment, you again note that you give up any rights to transference and they absolutely keep theirs.
Get your ticket to PodQuest Live before it’s too late! Limited seating, guaranteed podcast bookings, and more!
Inside this episode, our featured Promo-Bite is for:
Spiritual Entrepreneur with Devi Adea.
Don't forget to listen for your PQ Token and go to PodQuest.net/Rewards to enroll and play for awesome prizes.
Follow us on Facebook and check out our Website for more details and to engage with our podcast community. If you'd like to have your own Promo-Bite for your show, go HERE. And if you'd like to be a guest on the show, click HERE.
