A feed, not a platform
Most streaming services work as closed systems: the company stores the media, controls the app and decides what appears. Podcasts grew up differently. At their core, they rely on an open format called RSS, short for Really Simple Syndication, a way of publishing a list of items that other software can read.
A podcast feed is a web address that returns a structured text file (written in XML). It describes the show, with its name, description and artwork, and lists episodes. Each episode entry includes a title, date, description and a link to the audio file.
The pieces involved
Several separate parties usually take part:
- The creator records and edits the episodes.
- The hosting service stores the audio files and generates the feed. The creator uploads episodes there.
- Directories are searchable catalogues of feed addresses. Some are run by large technology companies, others by independent projects.
- Podcast apps read the feed, check it for new episodes and download or stream the audio.
The key point is that the feed is the shared link between them. A directory does not usually hold the audio itself; it points to the feed. An app subscribed to the feed checks it periodically, which is why new episodes sometimes show up with a delay.
Why this makes podcasts less centralised
Because the feed is public and uses a common format, any app can read it. That has several practical effects:
- You can switch apps. Most apps let you export and import subscriptions, so your list is not locked to one company.
- Creators can change hosts. A show can move to a new hosting company, and a redirect in the old feed points apps to the new one, though this relies on correct setup.
- No single gatekeeper decides everything. A directory can drop a listing, but the feed itself still exists, and listeners can add it manually by pasting its address.
This is a real difference from video streaming services, where a title exists only within one company’s catalogue.
Not everything is open
In practice the picture is mixed. Large platforms increasingly host exclusive shows or use their own formats, and some require a login or subscription. Some paid shows use private feeds, unique addresses given to each subscriber, which should be treated like a password. If you pay for a show, the rules of subscription billing apply as with any other service.
Open does not mean the same as ad-free or free of cost. Many shows are supported by advertising or listener donations.
What apps and hosts can know
An open feed does not make listening invisible. Hosting companies may count downloads, and measurement often relies on information such as an IP address and the app used. Some apps and hosts use tracking to estimate audiences or to serve targeted advertising. This sort of data collection resembles online tracking more widely, and it is worth looking at an app’s privacy policy and app permissions if it matters to you.
Listening over a service that recommends shows to you also brings recommendation algorithms into play, though a pure feed-based app mostly shows what you chose to subscribe to.
Practical points for listeners
- Subscribing means adding the feed, so you can usually find a show’s feed address on its website if the app does not list it.
- Downloads use phone storage, so check whether your app deletes played episodes automatically.
- Streaming a long episode is similar in principle to other on-demand media; the details are covered in how video and music streaming works.
- Keep private feed links to yourself, since anyone with the address can usually listen.
Why feeds have lasted
RSS is simple, old and widely supported, so many different tools can work with it. That simplicity is also its limit: the format says little about discovery, payment or audience measurement, which is where platforms have stepped in. The result is a system where an open core exists, with a layer of proprietary services around it, and where listeners can choose how far they want to depend on any one company.