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GannonLand
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Q: Podcast update inquiry on iTunes

Hello,

 

It's a common question, but I need a bit of clarification.

 

I have a podcast called CheapShow and when you search for it on the iTunes store - it only lists episodes up to Oct 31st 2015... and none of the episode I have made since can be searched for - they have certainly not been updated to the list of episode you can find browsing.

 

However, if you subscribe to the podcast - you do get all the newer episodes - but this does not help people just looking for the latest episodes and those unwilling to subscribe.

 

I've had a load of inquiries from listeners saying that they cannot find the latest episodes on iTunes and its hard to give them a reason why - this certainly effects people who may be discovering us for the first time and thinking we haven't put out anything new for 4 months.

 

Advice please?

Podcast, Windows 10, Podcast

Posted on Mar 1, 2016 9:46 AM

by GannonLand,Solvedanswer
GannonLand GannonLand
Level 1 (0 points)
A:

Hello!

 

Thank you for the email address, it is MOST useful and I will get on to them on Monday.

 

that's a massive help and very much appreciated!

 

PG

Posted on Apr 16, 2016 6:22 PM

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GannonLand

Q: Podcast update inquiry on iTunes

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  • by Roger Wilmut1,

    Roger Wilmut1 Roger Wilmut1 Apr 2, 2016 5:09 AM in response to GannonLand
    Level 9 (78,557 points)
    iTunes
    Apr 2, 2016 5:09 AM in response to GannonLand

    The Soundcloud feed does have 18 episodes. However your podcast does not appear to exist in the iTunes Store.

     

    If you can locate your podcast there and it is indeed using the acast feed you can change to the Soundcloud feed by following the procedure outlined here:

     

    http://wilmut.uk/move

  • by GannonLand,

    GannonLand GannonLand Apr 2, 2016 5:23 AM in response to Roger Wilmut1
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 2, 2016 5:23 AM in response to Roger Wilmut1

    Hello,

     

    I have already done that - and it has not worked - always reverting back to the acast feed whenever I submit the Soundcloud feed.

     

    I removed my podcast from the itunes service and then Validated and then submitted the original RSS feed from Soundcloud.

     

    I get an email a few minutes later saying it has successfully received the Acast feed... then a few days later the Podcast Connect feed page is empty - so I go through the process again.

     

    I am going around in circles - I am pretty sure at this time, Acast are the problem as it feels as though whenever I submit my original RSS, it is hijacked by the Acast one during submission.

     

    this is driving me mad.

     

    I am awaiting a response from Acast before I proceed further, because I have done all you have asked and this has not been fixed and continues to remain the same problem

     

    PG

  • by Roger Wilmut1,

    Roger Wilmut1 Roger Wilmut1 Apr 2, 2016 7:45 AM in response to GannonLand
    Level 9 (78,557 points)
    iTunes
    Apr 2, 2016 7:45 AM in response to GannonLand

    I didn't have time to check earlier, but I've looked at your SoundCloud feed and the episode files are still forcing a download. This could be a problem with the submission.

     

    The email you quote above, from the iTunes Store, doesn't say that your podcast has been added to the Store, it says that the submission has been successful and it's under review. This could take a couple of weeks. You should try to solve the downloading problem before they get round to it. You've submitted the Soundcloud feed and we don't know yet what the situation is but I can't see the acast feed turning up in the Store. The message you quoted is from Soundcloud and I don't know what that means, and of course I don't have access to your Soundcloud account to check. In any case, all the episodes are on Soundcloud and the feed works fine when subscribed to manually in iTunes (the forced download isn't an issue in the iTunes application - it used to be in the Store and may still be but I don't know for certain).

  • by Roger Wilmut1,

    Roger Wilmut1 Roger Wilmut1 Apr 2, 2016 10:43 AM in response to GannonLand
    Level 9 (78,557 points)
    iTunes
    Apr 2, 2016 10:43 AM in response to GannonLand

    If the acast feed is really replacing the Soundcloud feed this could only happen if there was a redirect set up on Soundcloud, which seems unlikely. Subscribing in iTunes using the Soundcloud feed doesn't cause a redirect, and neither does opening it in a browser, so if it is redirecting this could only be by acting only on requests from the Store. That's not technically impossible but I can't see why they would do that - however it's on Soundcloud that you probably need to look for an explanation rather than Acast.

  • by GannonLand,

    GannonLand GannonLand Apr 2, 2016 11:25 AM in response to Roger Wilmut1
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 2, 2016 11:25 AM in response to Roger Wilmut1

    I will be honest - at this point - I am completely lost & frustrated

     

    All I know is that wasn't a problem until I signed up with Acast at the end of Oct - which was the same time as when the newer episodes stopped showing up on various podcast apps.

     

    If I take off the "available to download" option on Soundcloud then other independent podcast apps won't let people listen to the episodes (which I know because I've had listeners tell me they can't listen to the new episodes) and as i say, that hadn't been a problem when I originally set up the iTunes account.

     

    I know that I have waited over 3 weeks since my initial re-submission of the feed and I think that HAS to be more than enough time, right? and yet I do this, nothing changes and my Connect dashboard says I have no submissions pending and also no podcast on that dashboard...

     

    People cannot find my show on Itunes and on some podcast players, the episodes don't play...

     

    I add the Soundcloud RSS and yet the email i get from Apple saying the submission has been successfully received BUT with the Acast address.. which I KNOW I have now removed from the "stats prefix..." box and yet that's what Apple tell me they are taken from.

     

    At this point, I am wondering if I can just start from scratch again and ask Soundcloud for a BRAND new rss url and see what happens, because this has become a nightmare for me.

     

    The solution seems simple, but the execution isn't. Your advice SHOULD be working, but it is not.

     

    Sorry is this is as maddening for you as it is for me - but I am truly at the end of my tether - I am MORE than happy to give you access to my soundcloud and Podcast connect account if this help because I seem to be either doing it wrong - or I am simply not understanding - but as far as I know< i have done all that you have instructed and I am back to square one.

     

    thanks

     

    PG

  • by Roger Wilmut1,

    Roger Wilmut1 Roger Wilmut1 Apr 2, 2016 1:52 PM in response to GannonLand
    Level 9 (78,557 points)
    iTunes
    Apr 2, 2016 1:52 PM in response to GannonLand

    It's not that unusual for a submission to take several weeks to be accepted. When it is you should get an email giving you the URL of your iTunes Store page. You can't really do anything until it's in the Store.

     

    At that point you should:

     

    1. Check which feed the Store is using.
    2. If it's the Acast feed, go through the process to move to the SoundCloud feed.
    3. Give it a couple of days or so to see whether the Store moves to that feed.
    4. If it does, keep an eye on it and note how long it is if it changes back to the Acast feed.
    5. At that point you should contact Support and explain what's going on. They may be able to unravel it.

     

    To contact Support, go to https://itunespartner.apple.com/en/podcasts/overview and click the 'Contact Us' link at the bottom of the page.

  • by GannonLand,

    GannonLand GannonLand Apr 16, 2016 3:52 PM in response to Roger Wilmut1
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 16, 2016 3:52 PM in response to Roger Wilmut1

    Hello (long sigh)

     

    Acast has said they have done things at their end to remove themselves from the redirect, which was why i submitted the Soundcloud RSS feed to Apple but still got an email back from iTunes saying it had come from Acast...

     

    So after waiting a full week after they had done whatever they had to do and confirmed to me the process was over, I resubmitted the Soundcloud RSS and got an email from iTunes saying... YET AGAIN.. that it had come from Acast.

     

    I am at my wits end.

     

    Can I speak to someone at the Apple iTunes Team with regards to submitting the rss code... as I have done this too many times now, received the same reply about it coming from Acast... and it's embarrassing, frankly... and probably ruining my chances with my podcast on the iTunes store.

     

    I need to speak to someone who can help me out with this more directly, as Soundcloud seem to think all it well at their end... I have done all you have asked at this end and Acast seemingly don't know what they **** they are doing... and I am in the middle still utterly confused as to how to fix all this, other than burning it all away and starting from scratch, removing myself from Soundcloud and iTunes and finding a new podcast host to start all over again!

     

    best regards

     

    PG

  • by Podcast_Fan,

    Podcast_Fan Podcast_Fan Apr 16, 2016 6:09 PM in response to GannonLand
    Level 2 (161 points)
    Apr 16, 2016 6:09 PM in response to GannonLand

    PG,

     

    GannonLand wrote:

    Can I speak to someone at the Apple iTunes Team with regards to submitting the rss code

    Yes, email the Apple support team: podcastsupport@apple.com.

    Tell them your iTunes URL, and the feed URL you desire to use.

     

    They can sort out why your URL seems to be switching back to acast, and help you get it activated. If you ever need support in the future, click Contact Us at the bottom of this page: https://itunespartner.apple.com/en/podcasts/overview

     

    -Fan

  • by GannonLand,Solvedanswer

    GannonLand GannonLand Apr 16, 2016 6:22 PM in response to Podcast_Fan
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 16, 2016 6:22 PM in response to Podcast_Fan

    Hello!

     

    Thank you for the email address, it is MOST useful and I will get on to them on Monday.

     

    that's a massive help and very much appreciated!

     

    PG

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