Major record labels turn up their noses at podcasting

Podcasting has made the leap from being a niche technology for the tech-savvy to becoming a major new form of media distribution.

As podcasts grow in mainstream popularity, their influence and commercial importance are growing, too. ... The total podcast audience is estimated to be 10 million, growing to 50 million in 2010. Major music labels, though, are opting out of the podcast revolution, leaving the world of podcasting to a growing number of indie music podcasts.

Major labels have not licensed full-track songs to the podcasting community. The music industry has traditionally limited rights to music in order to control what gets promoted.

Surprise, surprise!

Podcasts, on the other hand, are typically MP3 downloads that can be freely copied and distributed.

Technology is levelling the playing field. Time to play ball!