Got more than one podcast? Get an iTunes artist page
Recently I needed to setup an artist’s page in iTunes for the podcasts we host on the Lifestyle PodNetwork, so I thought I’d share exactly how to do it (in case anyone else plans to setup a network in the near future!)
The Pre-requisites
The first thing you need to do is submit your podcast via the iTunes store. For this you will need to register with the iTunes store. Once registration is complete, navigate to the Podcasts section of the store and look for Submit a Podcast. At the moment this is featured in the bottom right corner of the podcasts home.
Once your podcast has been approved which will normally take 5-10 working days, you can then request an artist page be setup.
What Happens next sounds strange but I promise it is 100% legit…
You visit your podcast in the iTunes store, and click Report a Concern, and select Remove a Podcast.
In the comments box, make sure you let the cool guys at Apple know that you are after an Artist Page.
Give them the exact name of the artist page and include the iTunes store URL’s of all your podcasts that you would like included on this page.
If you’re not sure where to find the URL’s you can Right-click (PC) or Click and hold-down (Mac) on the image of your podcast – anywhere in the iTunes store – and you will get the option to copy the shortcut for your store URL.
And then the waiting begins…
Apple can sometimes take weeks to respond to requests via this method, and I have usually resorted to contacting Apple directly with a request, if it hasn’t appeared within about 14 days.
My experience with this method seems to indicate that they are either a) not following their own designated process, or b) not paying these requests much attention.
Normally once I email Apple, the request is actioned within 2-3 days without fail.
My feeling on this is, despite Apple’s process not appearing to work, you should always attempt to work within the guidelines first.
Once a reasonable period has elapsed I believe it is fair to contact Apple by email to repeat the request. Then you can honestly put hand-on-heart and say you tried to use the process.
If you’ve had similar issues, or a different outcome I’d love to hear it. You can share your story in the Comments section below.
And when I post new podcasts, do I have to report a concern and write Apple to add this podcast the my “artist page” for each podcast I update after they create my artist page?
by Daniel Grove
on 19. Jan, 2012
Hi Daniel,
I’m going to hone in on the language here to make sure we’re not speaking in tongues :)
If you’re talking about posting new podcasts, and you mean posting a new episode to your existing podcast then no, you do not need to notify apple.
IF you’re talking about creating an entirely new podcast (show), with new episodes inside that, then yes you need to contact apple via the artist page and have them add the new ‘show’ to your artist page. You would normally set up different podcasts (or shows) for different audiences. e.g. womens ministry podcast, kids ministry podcast, and church sermon podcast. This gives you a way to segment your messages, and allow people to subscribe to the messages they want to hear.
An artist page is a way of grouping all those different podcasts into a grouping ‘artist page’ so that people can go to the artist page, and select from the podcasts you have available, and find other podcasts in itunes from an initial one. By grouping them, the podcasts don’t stand alone.
I hope this explanation helps.
James
PS You’ve arrived on our site via an old link – our new site is at podcastersemporium.com
by jameswilliams90
on 19. Jan, 2012