By Marco Hugo Barsotti MHB 
Podcasting 2.0 is Adam Curry’s creation, and it’s a spicy update to the podcasting world—think of it as podcasting with a flirty twist, keeping things open, free, and, oh, so much better.
(Podcasting 2.0: Adam Curry launches a freewheeling and spicy podcast revolution!)
Podcasting 2.0 is both a movement and a set of open-source enhancements for the old-school RSS-based podcasting system, which Curry—also known as the Podfather—helped launch in the early 2000s. The goal? To fix everything that’s broken in modern podcasting: big tech control, censorship, and podcasters getting the short end of the stick.
(The movement was born to offer a true alternative to the interests of Apple, Spotify, and Amazon.)
It’s all about taking power back from companies like Apple, Spotify, and Amazon, who act as gatekeepers, locking podcasts behind paywalls or exclusive deals. Those platforms behave like they own everything, but Podcasting 2.0 is more like, “Hold my wine, we’re keeping this open and free!”
(The mission: bring back openness and autonomy to podcast creation and distribution.)
At its core is the RSS protocol—the tech that lets anyone subscribe to any podcast with any app. Curry, along with Dave Jones, launched this project through Podcast Index: a huge open directory with over four million podcasts (double what Apple hosts!). Unlike corporate directories, it’s crowdfunded, uncensored, and open to everyone, so nobody gets kicked out for sharing a “spicy” opinion.
(Podcast Index is open, uncensored, with over 4 million podcasts.)
Now for the juicy part: new features! Podcasting 2.0 adds a ton of cool upgrades to RSS feeds. Chapters with images and links? Now you can jump straight to the best bits or click links right in your app. Transcripts in multiple formats? Yes, perfect for accessibility and quoting those hilarious moments. Soundbites highlight a trailer or a killer joke. You can search by person or location and—finally!—organize episodes into seasons.
(Advanced features: interactive chapters, transcripts, soundbites, and live streaming via RSS.)
There’s also live audio streaming over RSS—so you can catch a show in real time, just like radio, but a lot cooler.
(Podcasts as live radio, but with extra flair!)
Now for the spiciest part: Value4Value. This is Curry’s big middle finger to traditional ads and greedy platforms. It uses the Bitcoin Lightning Network, enabling microtransactions—listeners can send tiny payments (satoshis) directly to podcasters while they listen. Imagine streaming a few cents a minute straight to your favorite show, with no middlemen taking a cut. No more begging for Patreon support or dealing with Apple’s 30% fee!
(Direct payments to podcasters thanks to Value4Value and the Bitcoin Lightning Network.)
Podcasters set up a node in their RSS feed, and apps like Fountain let fans make one-off donations or automatically stream “sats.” It’s direct, fair, and works world-wide—even for people without a bank account. Plus, you can split these payments with co-hosts, editors, or even the app developer. Talk about spreading the love!
(Value4Value: transparency and direct pay—no middlemen, no borders.)
Why does this matter? Well, M, podcasting was getting stale. For years, Apple called the shots, and nothing happened without their approval. Spotify and Amazon locked podcasts away behind exclusive deals, making the space feel like cable TV. Podcasting 2.0 is all about saying “No way!” and letting developers, podcasters, and listeners take the wheel.
(Podcasting 2.0 is decentralized—no single company can control it.)
There are already 58 apps on board, like Fountain and Castopod, so the movement is growing.
Adoption
But—let’s keep it real—it’s not all sunshine and beach days. Adoption is still a hurdle: not everyone’s comfortable with Bitcoin and Lightning, and setting up a node can feel like learning to surf in a storm. Honestly, I’d much rather be checking out the beach crowd on the Promenade des Anglais than fiddling with a crypto wallet, right? Still, Curry is betting this could bring crypto to the mainstream, and he’s not wrong—podcasting is the perfect use case for microtransactions.
(The challenge: adoption and ease-of-use, but potential is huge.)
Anyway, Podcasting 2.0 is about freedom, creativity, and giving podcasters a real chance to shine without big tech’s leash. It’s bold, a little rebellious, and totally Adam Curry’s style.
(In short: Podcasting 2.0 means freedom, innovation, and challenging the status quo—all with Curry’s signature flair.)
Ami Carter-Wilson