Weird Darkness Is Literally One In a Million Two Million
According to Amplifi Media there are now over 2-million* podcasts out there in the interwebs. Not episodes – but actual podcasts. (Graph below.)
Only 36% (720,000) of those 2-million podcasts have posted ten or more episodes… ever. That means 64% of people who started a podcast found out within their first nine episodes exactly what I did: Holy crap, this is hard work! It turns out, even for a broadcaster and voice artist with over thirty years of experience such as myself, quality, consistent podcasting is not as easy as it sounds (pardon the pun); it takes a lot of time, energy, planning, and dedication. This alone made me feel pretty good about where Weird Darkness has come in the past five years. Hey, Mom and Dad – guess what?!? I actually stuck with something I started!!! Trust me, this is an accomplishment.
But the report whittles it down even more, showing that only 8% (156,000) of those 2-million podcasts have posted ten or more episodes AND posted a new episode within the past seven days. That’s an incredibly tiny number as compared to two-million. That’s only 156,000 podcasts at this moment you can possibly label as “still breathing”… while 1,984,400 podcasts lie rotting in the proverbial Podfade Graveyard, or are clinging to life, gasping for their last breaths in the Podcasters Intensive Care Unit.
Somehow, through all of those numbers, episodes, and podcasts, you stumbled upon Weird Darkness – and you are still listening. I remember how excited I was when about three years ago I finally hit 1-million downloads. I was through the roof and to the moon with glee. To have that number “1-million” associated to me in anything positive is something I never truly thought would happen. One-million mistake in my life? You betcha. One-million dollars in my life wasted on 7-Eleven/QuickTrip/CircleK hotdogs and soft drinks? Probably. One-million times something I created would be listened to? No way… c’mon… really?
Two years ago I hit 5-million downloads and as my eyes widened and eyebrows shot to the ceiling I really began contemplating whether it would… dare I say it… be possible to have a podcast that could maybe help pay some of the bills that were piling up?
It was an emotional question, as we were still digging ourselves out of debt from having to live on credit cards (including making house payments) for a full nine months when I was first out of work. We ended up over $50K in debt (not including the mortgage) – and my radio job and voiceover business were not getting us very far very fast.
Fast forward to April 13, 2021. I just looked, and according to Spreaker, Weird Darkness has garnered over 931,000 downloads in the past thirty days. I’m getting dangerously close to 1-million downloads per month. I honestly can’t wrap my head around that number. You could tell me 1-million downloads per day and it would probably mean just as much because it’s such a big number that I find it hard to grasp.
But what I can understand is the sense of relief Robin and I finally have not having to worry about where the house payment will come from next month. We can buy groceries without first having to look at the checkbook to make sure we have money in there. It’s a bit easier now to afford the medications I need for my increasing variety of fun ailments and health issues. We are by no stretch of the imagination “rich” in the eyes of most of Western society – but for me and Robin, this is our honest and true definition of wealthy.
Where you, my Weirdo family have brought me over these years is truly humbling, and I can’t thank you enough for the support you’ve given – not only listening, but telling your friends and family, recommending the podcast to others you meet, even wearing the merchandise to help spread the word. Not only have you made Weird Darkness a successful (hit?) podcast – but you have literally changed my life and the life of my bride. You have helped our lives become more positive… despite all the weird darkness this world has the habit of dishing out!
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