Changing RSS Feed of Existing Podcast

The process for moving iTunes to a different feed is detailed here:

http://www.apple.com/itunes/podcasts/specs.html#changing

Note that you need access to the old feed in order to be able to add the tag which redirects iTunes to the new feed. Your current feed is at

http://buttonmasherpodcast.blip.tv/rss

and it's quite possible that Blip.tv won't allow you to add this tag - I don't know, you would have to ask them.

If they won't, you are rather stuck, and have only two options. The first is to abandon the old feed altogether. You should get the old podcast removed from the Store - instructions here - and submit your new feed as an entirely new podcast. You will probably need to make a small change in the title, as a bug in the Store software may tell you that the podcast has already been submitted: and of course you will lose any subscribers or comments.

The other option is somewhat uncertain. iTunes Support is notoriously unhelpful, often sending back form answers which often don't deal with the actual problem, or referring the questioner to this Discussions Forum (which may have sent the questioner there in the first place): however it has been known for someone to persuade Support to shift their podcast to a new URL, so it's worth trying. It's probably just a matter of luck who you get. To contact iTunes Support, go to http://www.apple.com/support/itunes/ - click on 'Other iTunes Store Features' in the list and then on 'Podcasts'.

Hi Roger,

Thanks for this info. I have a similar issue, however, I do not have access to the RSS feed file in order to edit it since I am using a service called PodOmatic.com. I contacted iTunes support, but the response was cut and paste, although the links did relate to the problem, essentially duplicating the links you've provided. No offer to make the change, just the suggestion to call the support help line and possibly be charged. I don't know what the fees are, but I am hesitant to try it for fear of just being told to remove and resubmit the podcast.

I'm not really loosing anything by resubmitting, since the podcast is new and has no subscribers yet, but I don't want to change the name of the podcast. If I wait until the removal is complete and it no longer shows in the store, do you think the same name would go through then, or does it stay in a database somewhere and refuse it?

Right now that looks like my only solution. 😟

Either way, the information was useful and enlightening as I try to figure this whole thing out.

Thanks,

Tom

If I wait until the removal is complete and it no longer shows in the store, do you think the same name would go through then, or does it stay in a database somewhere and refuse it?

From some posters' experience it will almost certainly give you the 'already submitted' error even after the podcast has been removed. Change the name just a bit: you can always change it back once the podcast is accepted.

Hi folks,

I have exactly the same issue. I host with a provider that does not allow me direct access to the RSS feed.

They build the feed thru their control panel and I cannot add the new-url tag that itunes requires.

Our podcast has been running for 4-5 years so keeping our subscribers is of upmost importance.

I will try to get apple to modify the url directly, however up until now I have had no luck. We have been in contact with them for 3 weeks now and have gotten no where.

I believe my only other option is to rehost (with the current url) to a platform that allows me direct access to the RSS feed. Then modify the RSS feed to change the URL, Then change the URL with the new host and setup a 301 redirect on the old URL. This seems a bit absurd to simply change a URL.

Does this seems correct?

I have also read that when you originally submit to itunes you should use a service like feedburner that allows you to change the url simply. Has anyone had experience with FeedBurner?

Any suggestions (including a new podcast hosting platform that allows RSS access) would be appreciated.

Thanks

Tom

thomasfromaustin wrote:

I believe my only other option is to rehost (with the current url) to a platform that allows me direct access to the RSS feed. Then modify the RSS feed to change the URL, Then change the URL with the new host and setup a 301 redirect on the old URL. This seems a bit absurd to simply change a URL.

If your current provider doesn't allow you to add the redirect tag, and iTunes Support won't co-operate, then nthing you do with any other host will allow you to move the iTunes Store to a new feed. You can only start a completely new podcast with a new feed URL and this will lose you subscribers - all you can do is place an announcement in and episode and its descriptions and hope that people pay attention to it.

Feedburner takes a feed you submit to it and adds assorted tags before submitting its own version to the Store. This done, you can change the feed you submit to Feedburner; but you can't access the Feedburner feed so once again you can't move away from it. Mostly Feedburner is OK, though people have occasionally had problems with it - it does add an awful lot of rubbish to the feed to make it compatible with other feed readers such as Atom (does anyone still use that?) but these are ignored by iTunes. Feedburner also does provide a certain amount of tracking statistics, so you might find that useful.

Most online podcast creation services don't allow you access to the feed. If you use a program such as iWeb, Podcast Maker or WordPress with the Podpress plugin, the feed will be on your own server, so you can download it, modigy it, and reupload it: though the next time you add an episode the program will over-write your changes so it's not something you would want to keep doing.