The tool is not the content : I Should Be Writing inspired me to finally put down my thoughts on the Podcasting Upheaval of 2010. I will say that what follows isn’t anger or frustration at one individual. This is my opinion as I personally view it. I don’t claim it to be right or wrong. Keep that in mind. If anyone feels like they want to comment on this post, go right ahead. But if this turns into a shouting match, shout amongst yourselves, I’ll be eating popcorn while working with those who take what is said for what it is and use it (because that is what writers do, they take criticism and turn it into magic shiny things of brilliance). Oh, and said shouting match participants will have their comments deleted. As a ref once said, “Let’s get it on!”
Nonconformity is one of those hidden gems not discussed much as a motive for podcasting fiction. It is implied that the product can’t be put into a nifty little box. “This is horror. This is science fiction.” And the ways podcasted novels have evolved into full cast productions can be considered logical, amazing, and a wonderful use of the tools given. Why are authors choosing to turn the written word into audio drama? Engage the listener (and potential customer) by creating a richer experience. Hutch is breaking away from the mold and I applaud him for doing so because the world needs more misfits. (Side note: You should read the latest newsletter I received from Chris Brogan; it expands on this not fitting in thing in better detail)
We all create worlds in our own ways and while there is a growing urge to focus on the self, (How can I get a better bang for my buck? Do I switch to producing some free content and have listeners pay for the rest? etc), there isn’t that sense of raising the bar. If we want to make podcasting a truly lasting part of the written culture like movies/tv/video games etc, we have to become more tightly knit. As it stands, this body is wriggling on the floor at moments, observing individual parts flex their muscles, running hard with fast starts out the gate, dazzling the crowds occasionally (Amazon sales rankings anyone?), but that well-oiled machine vibe isn’t present. Sure, a lot of us focus on our individual projects and encourage each other on Twitter FB etc, but there is more to support than retweets, promoting content, and buying books. We have discussions on forums and some people will chat on skype … what about conference calls so authors can bounce ideas back and forth? The skeletal framework is in need of some old fashioned physical conditioning. We should be willing to branch out and have podcasting as part of the whole … go into more uses of YouTube. (We like web series like The Guild. Surely, there can be web series based on the podcasted written content.) We like comics … figure out how to get more works done as graphic novels.
There are two glaring excuses looming over it all: “We don’t have the time,” and “We tried that before.” You get what you put in when it comes to creativity and I’m as guilty as anyone in not including more people of different backgrounds into my projects. But if we feel we don’t have the time, stop writing, stop creating, say you are done and move on; a “Poor pity me” cynic is worth cutting off. If we have tried that before, we wouldn’t be in the spot we find ourselves in; filled with doubt, debating over how to play the hand we are dealt, and feeding into the fear of failure.
The only way to break the cycle in my view is to stop being a reactionary community and start being a truly proactive one; this means quality over quantity, embracing all forms of entertainment to keep the listeners we have and attract new ones who may in turn buy our work, and also tap into markets that aren’t embraced much at all save for strictly best-selling books. (I am specifically meaning braille books in this case.) Audio is great but what 99% of you take for granted is the fact that there is a large community of patrons just waiting to get fiction and read it. Braille is a dying breed thanks to technology, but I feel that it still has it’s place. I personally wouldn’t have been introduced to a little book series about Harry Potter if I hadn’t gotten my hands on a copy from a braille publisher. There are many options open to us. Let’s stop looking at door numbers 1,2, and 3 and open them all. What do you say?
8
Mar
It is early in the morning and I find myself contemplating what I want to do in the next couple of months as far as the main Astral Audio Productions website is concerned. Already, I have some ideas. Mostly, this is content related. There a nice group of people behind the scenes waiting to be heard and I haven’t given them the proper credit they deserve. So once the next few planned podcast episodes roll out, I plan on haulting any podcast creation for the near future or at least cut down to one a month or so. I want to really buckle down and improve what you see when coming here. This means more about the actors – who they are, noteable roles they’ve been in, recent projects etc – more about myself, my personal thoughts on issues, my goals, and the random cool bits of info I find on a regular basis – more about podcasting in general, defining and showing examples of podcasts that influence us here at Astral Audio Productions – an. . . .
What do you want to see? Seriously, you come for the podcast episodes or because someone told you to check this place out. But what do you want from us to keep your interest?
This is your chance to shine. As one of our own has come under personal and financial difficulties, we can band together as one voice to lift him up and show how much we care. Tee Morris is synonymous with playing Shakespeare in Chasing The Bard, and it is with this in mind that we are going to do a reading of John Donne’s Holy Sonnet X. What we need from you is simple, a quick comment on this post telling me that you’d like to be a part of this project. Pip and I will break down who will say which line. And what is more, the rest can say the entire poem and will be added in as a background chorus of sorts. At the end of the reading, there will be a call to action for the listener to donate to the Chip In fund as well as a declaration of our emotional support to Tee Morris.
Update Sat Jan 9, 2010 at 6:45 PM CST — Due to the overwhelming support and volunteers, we are going to also do a reading of A Psalm of Life by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow for the auction for Sonic Boom so if you aren’t used for the first poem, you will be used in the second! Read more
10
Nov
Feedback Overload episode 1 (Right click, download, and experience.)
Welcome to episode 1 of our Feedback Overload series where we go over your feedback and update you on the latest happenings in the realm of Astral Audio Productions. This episode, I am joined by my associate producer Michelle. She came down to Natches from NJ for a month. (As of this writing, she is back in NJ.) The show was recorded on Friday Nov 6, 2009. We spent over an hour recapping various events and generally having a blast. See below to find out the songs we played in between segments. Read more
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:21:39 — 93.4MB)
25
Aug
Mevio {Mevio-335c10605287d88ebfcd77f2db339598}
It is time for all of you to break out your handy dandy notebooks, sit in your thinking chairs, put on your ultra-rad thinking caps, and think. No, this isn’t a call for you to find out what clues Blue has left for you; however, this is a chance to ponder questions for the infamous Tabz! Questions can be anything geek related, about podcasts, the ins and outs of audio productions; you name it. Questions are due 11:11 eastern Friday evening. Tabz will be emailed the questions and she will then record her reactions as well as her responses; then you will get a spiced up version of that. Sound good? Let the questions fly!
A couple things:
Questions should be emailed to all...@astralaudio.net.
Emails should have “Questions For Tabz” as the subject line.
Astral Audio Extra: Episode 10 (Right click, download,, and experience.)
An odd title for an episode eh? Trust me, I do have a reason for it. I have tried with each audio presentation to bring to you something that engaged me emotionally in some way. Even the themed ones have had something in them that struck a chord. So when I read a blog post regarding a contest that wanted people to write about such experiences, I became excited. The post discussed the wave of celebrities that have been populating Twitter as of late; most not caring to interact with people but to rack up a number of followers. While I could easily slip into a diatribe, I will instead take a different approach and highlight someone on Twitter who has used the given medium for what it is; a method of interaction between interested parties who follow each other. The band Collective Soul has broken the mold and remembers through each reply given or picture posted that it is thanks to their loyal fans that they are popular. So I did as that blog post instructed and followed @collective_soul, sent a direct message, and thus, the seeds for the podcast episode were planted. Read more
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (24.4MB)
14
Oct
Astral Audio Productions is looking for talented individuals who have experience in producing audio dramas and/or podcasts. As with all positions, this job is volunteer-based. If you would like to be a part of the creative experience for our productions, please send an email to Allen at astral audio (dot net). Be sure to include a couple samples of your work and website for more examples if possible. If you have your own range of sound affects and/or music, it will work in your favor. In future, there will be a form for this sort of position (and others), but for now, reply in the comments and email me. Thanks!
28
Jul
This post by J.C. Hutchins brings up some valid points and prompts me to lay out a more detailed mission statement of Astral Audio Productions. While a podcast is currently our main product, it is only the bait, (or more accurately, one form of bait), that grabs your attention. When I started thinking of what I wanted this place to represent, what I wanted to accomplish, and furthermore, how to achieve those goals, I knew that I wanted to be outside the box. I wanted to incorporate the things I enjoy into what I do and produce. The short answer is that Astral Audio Productions is here to entertain, inform, instruct, and inspire the community that is built through interaction. Let’s break it all down and remove the curtain and explain just how this has started. Since I love the whole concept of audio dramas, I started producing one. I listened to several established productions. I already had a basic storyline in mind. (It was something I had put on the back burner for years.) I already had a grasp of how to produce the podcast side of things thanks to my many conversations with Scott Sigler and research. I invested in the tools necessary to produce a good quality show. I sought volunteer actors that would be up to the task of bringing characters to life. But all of this made Astral Audio Productions no different than your standard podcasted audio drama. That brought me back to the “outside the box” concept. We have podcasts that fill a certain niche. Some like music. Some like audio dramas or storytelling. Why not combine the two? Couldn’t you build a world around the whole “broadcast” archetype? We’ve proven, (so far), that you can blend these forms of entertainment together. I personally am an eclectic fan of music. I knew that I didn’t want to just play one genre for [you] the listeners. Also, since I was still volunteering my time for a radio dj, I wanted to meld that into the final product. While that last part has been slow going, we are going to be introducing more and more segments from the broadcasted radio show as time permits. To further blend reality with fiction, Astral Audio Productions will be doing two things to generate interest. First, with Scott Sigler using maps to show his listeners the locations in his book, we see this as something we can do with the Astral Audio Experience whenever there are scenes that reference actual locations here in our world. And speaking of referencing, this brings me to the second way; using current events whenever possible. I won’t say how necessarily, but I will say that you might want to watch the news more or research online for some of the things we dredge up for content. And for the record, we won’t be taking a pro candidate stance if we happen to reference a political story; this is entertainment after all. Is there more that could be done? Yes. The above strategies aren’t ground breaking in their scope, but they are a start. The small network that has been built as a result of the formation of Astral Audio Productions allows us to do more than simply give you a podcast. We can teach you how we do what we do which would hopefully inspire you to participate. This means that you soon will be seeing tutorials on the writing, performing, producing, and marketing aspects. Also, we will present motivational videos that will help you become more than just a dreamer, but a doer. We want an inspired and active community of fans that will come back to us whenever possible. And not only do we want to show you how to do something, we want to examine what inspires elements of the Astral Audio Experience; namely, what inspires certain settings, plots, and characters. What better way than by profiling books, movies, and other sources that we come across in the research/writing process. Even though none of us are paid, we are a production company; we invest our time and effort. We hope to be as transparent and as engaging as Hutchins suggests. After all, the tag line is, “we are more than just a podcast; we are an interactive podcasting experience.” You experience the fruits of our labor, and in time, we hope that you will take the various tools we provide and use them to your advantage. This isn’t a one-sided deal. We will want your input so we can improve the quality of our work.
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