Russ: An ad-skipping tool that skips the exclusive content you paid to get instead of ads...
Nadia: This is Nadia.
Russ: And I'm Russ.
Nadia: And this is The Feed for Friday, August 14th. We've got three big stories shaping what you hear.
Nadia: Spotify is testing a new feature that has the entire podcast industry terrified.
Russ: Plus, a pop star and an A-list movie star have teamed up for a music video.
Nadia: And believe it or not, the Oscar race has already started... on a podcast.
Nadia: So, Podnews dropped an exclusive this morning: Spotify is testing a new 'ad-skipping' tool in the US.
Russ: Okay, I skip ads all the time. It's called the 30-second forward button. What's new here?
Nadia: This is different. It's an automated tool that identifies and jumps over ads—including the host-read ones that pretty much pay for this entire industry.
Russ: So instead of me mashing a button, Spotify does it for me. Sounds... convenient?
Nadia: Convenient for listeners, maybe. Catastrophic for creators. But here's the wild part: the report says for Premium subscribers, the tool could also skip sponsored content—the bonus stuff that’s supposed to replace the ads.
Russ: Wait—hold on. I pay for Premium specifically to get that bonus stuff instead of ads. And Spotify is testing a feature that would... automatically skip the content I'm paying for? What the—
Nadia: Exactly. It completely misunderstands why people pay for Premium. Why would you pay for bonus content if the app is designed to help you skip it?
Russ: This makes no sense. It feels like they're trying to solve a problem for free listeners and accidentally breaking the entire model for their paying customers.
Nadia: And the timing is just bizarre. The same report, sponsored by Magellan AI, notes that brands are leaning in to podcasting. They point out Explore Worldwide just quadrupled its podcast spend with Earmax Media.
Russ: So a company quadruples their ad buy, and Spotify's response is to build a machine to make sure no one hears those ads? [laughs] Brilliant.
Nadia: And that campaign won an award! It proves host-reads work. But this tool treats them like any other ad, and that's the threat. Your favorite shows could lose funding, and you could miss out on content you literally paid for.
Russ: So what does this mean for me, the listener? My podcast app is about to get dumber?
Nadia: It means the whole ecosystem gets weaker. It's a direct shot at the creators who make the shows you love. This is a really big deal.
Russ: Okay, let's shift gears. Pop star Troye Sivan has a new single, 'She's the Best,' and the video has a very famous co-star.
Nadia: That's right. Variety is reporting on the video, which co-stars Nicole Kidman. It's directed by Gordon Von Steiner, and yeah, it's a huge get.
Russ: Nicole Kidman. Okay. But is this a podcast story? I mean, it's cool, but it's a music video. Is the song any good?
Nadia: Well, remember that first-look deal Nicole Kidman signed with Spotify a few years ago to develop podcasts?
Russ: Right, one of those big nine-figure celebrity deals. Did she... ever actually make a podcast from that deal? Because a music video cameo feels a lot different than producing a slate of shows.
Nadia: Not a single one. But that's not really the point. It shows that major stars see the audio space as a key part of their brand. It's about being part of the culture, and right now, that means podcasts.
Russ: So for the listener, this is just a cool video. It's not like we're about to get a 'Big Little Lies' after-show hosted by Celeste herself. It's just cross-promotion.
Nadia: For now. But every time a star that big dips a toe in, it makes the entire space more legit. It's a signal to other A-listers and their agents that this is where they need to be.
Russ: A 'leading indicator'. Got it. So I'll keep an eye out for Meryl Streep's new true-crime podcast, then.
Nadia: [laughs] You joke, but don't be surprised when it happens. That's the direction of the entire industry.
Nadia: And finally... it might feel way too early, but Variety is already kicking off Oscar season with their predictions.
Russ: It's August. Please don't tell me we're doing Oscar predictions in August. And what does this have to do with podcasts?
Nadia: Because the predictions come from Variety's 'Awards Circuit' podcast. It's hugely influential, and this week they're asking if this is the year for Penélope Cruz to win Best Supporting Actress.
Russ: So, to be clear, Penélope Cruz isn't making a podcast. This is a podcast about the possibility of her winning an award... six months from now? Who is listening to that?
Nadia: Hollywood is. Academy voters, publicists, studio heads... this podcast helps build the Oscar narrative. It's a key part of the campaign machine, not just for film buffs, but as an industry tool.
Russ: So it's insider baseball. For a normal listener, it's just noise, but if you're an Academy voter, the 'Awards Circuit' podcast is basically homework.
Nadia: Exactly. It's a perfect example of a legacy brand like Variety using a niche podcast to flex its influence, keep a powerful audience engaged all year, and shape the conversation in its own industry. It's a brilliant strategy.
Russ: A content strategy to make sure we're talking about the Oscars even when there are no Oscars to talk about. I guess that's one way to stay relevant.
Nadia: Alright, let's wrap this up.
Russ: Spotify has a new idea to 'improve' podcasting by automatically skipping the parts of podcasts that actually pay the bills.
Nadia: The new Troye Sivan and Nicole Kidman video shows just how tangled up the audio and celebrity worlds are now.
Russ: And the Oscar race is already on, with podcasts playing a key part in the campaign.
Nadia: Before we go, a little piece of podcast industry absurdity for your Friday...
Russ: I'm ready. What is it?
Nadia: The folks behind International Podcast Day, which is in late September, are apparently already selling merchandise... for next year's event.
Russ: [laughs] Of course they are. Pre-orders for a commemorative day that's 13 months away. That is the most podcast-industry thing I have ever heard. I kind of respect it.
Nadia: That's our show. We'll be back on Monday.
Russ: Until then, what we're actually listening to is 'The Rest is History'. Their new series on the fall of the Aztecs is incredible. Don't let Spotify skip any of it.
This show is made with AI: the hosts’ voices are synthetic and the scripts are AI-assisted. Every story links to its original source.