Podcast data donation: A data-driven method for studying the datafication and platforms of podcasting

This article explores data donations as an approach for collecting podcast audience data from platforms and answering urgent questions about the nature of such data. Scholars of podcast audiences have historically faced challenges due to the lack of empirical audience data: distribution through RSS yields little data feedback, and the platforms are most reluctant to share data. This article argues that data donations and GDPR legislation present a viable and legitimate approach to accessing hitherto unseen audience data collected by platforms. Through an explorative study, we establish a methodological framework for managing the data download packages claimed voluntarily by informed users of Spotify. We review the data and outline their usefulness for empirical analysis before discussing the platforms’ incentives to collect it. While we will not draw any conclusions about podcast audiences, this article lays the groundwork for future studies to do so.