Apple: Please Get Rid of This “Feature” in iTunes (it cost me half of my audience)
I’ve been bitten for the second time by Apple iTunes trying to be "smart." Back in Podcasting Underground episode #5, I talked about a problem I had with redirects and iTunes. It’s happened again and this time I can’t fix it.
If you’re willing to get a bit technical with me, I’ll explain how the guilty iTunes "feature" works…
The first part of the problem occurs in the podcatcher part of iTunes. If the iTunes podcatcher detects that a feed address is being permanently redirected to a new address (not to be confused with the rewrites I use to forward my feed to FeedBurner), it changes the podcatcher subscription over to the new feed. This "feature" is meant to keep the listener’s feed addresses updated.
In addition, the directory portion of iTunes also updates the feed address in the music store listing so that any new subscribers will get the new feed address. Seems nice but…
…here’s what happened to me.
My web host for GothamCast, Powweb (who I also hold responsible) recently changed their infrastructure over to new servers. In the switch, my feed address:
http://www.gothamcast.com/feed
was redirected by Powweb to http://j (go figure) for a short time.
iTunes saw this and changed my iTunes subscribers to the supposed "new" feed address. Not only that, but it was changed in the directory. Any new subscribers are reading an address that is bogus. There’s nothing there. They get an error in their podcatcher. Bottom line is…
- All of my current iTunes subscribers are checking a bogus feed address. Because iTunes is by far the most widely used podcatcher, this amounts to over half of my audience. The only way they can get back to the actual feed address is if they notice something is wrong, go to my web site, get the real feed address again and enter it by hand.
- Right now I can’t get any new subscribers from iTunes. They think they are subscribing, but when they get an error they are likely to give up.
To make matters worse, the Report a Concern button in the iTunes Music Store is not working as of the writing of this post. This is essentially the only way to let Apple know that something is wrong with your feed. This means I’m dead in the water with GothamCast when it comes to the directory that gets the most traffic by far and the podcatcher that is used by the cast majority of listeners.
I know iTunes is the 800 lb gorilla in this space, but they need to consider the needs of those who are populating their directory with content. I have two requests (strong requests) for Apple:
1. Please, please, stop trying to be smart with the feed redirects.
There are just too many potential problems that, in one fell swoop, can ruin a podcaster’s hard work to build an audience. If you are going to detect permanent redirects and change feeds around, have some kind of failsafe in case you’re wrong. For example, at the very least you could have a listener’s subscription check back against the directory. That way, if I was able to correct the problem in the directory, you could change it back when you see a discrepancy.
2. Make it easier to contact someone who works with iTunes
I read far too many complaints from podcasters like: "My iTunes listing is all wrong. How do I fix it? They’re not updating my feed! They have the wrong address." It’s way too hard to get something fixed in iTunes (even when the Report a Concern link is working). I’ve know podcasters who wait helplessly whlie they nothing back from Apple but silence. Podcasters are populating your directory with content. The more content you have, the more iPods you sell. It would behoove you to listen to our needs.
Granted, I also hold my web host responsible in this fiasco. They’ll be hearing from me as well. But please iTunes…get rid of this "feature."
September 15th, 2006 13:12
Ack! Apple is becoming Microsoft.
September 15th, 2006 13:24
Jason:
OMG. You are so right. I had this happen when I first started podcasting. I made the mistake of making an RSS feed for each of my shows., then found out that I could have one feed for all my shows. This was a big problem, because iTunes would not delete my old feeds. So, I have to this date, 2 years later people using old feeds. I hope that apple listens to us and lets us update and move our feeds. Why can’t they put in place a better way for us to communicate with them? I just don’t know why they do this.
Sorry, to hear you had this problem. I’m updating your feed now.
Great info.
Keep podin .. David
September 15th, 2006 14:45
Ditto from my end, JVO. Feckin’ iTunes has not loaded my last two episodes of the About.com Guide to Podcasting podcast. Geesh. Anyone who breaks through, please let me know!
btw: great info from Podcamp
September 15th, 2006 19:26
Jason,
That was BAD. Although I think what they have done is correct in handling 301 redirect, at least they should check if the new feed url is a valid url and indeed a valid podcast feed.
December 31st, 2006 01:43
[…] Apple: Please Get Rid of This "Feature" in iTunes (it cost me half of my audience) […]
April 15th, 2007 20:00
Have you had any luck getting a response from “report a concern” yet?
I’m thinking you’d maybe want to just delete the feed and start over with the correct address (so at least new subscribers could find you). Or, if iTMS won’t delete it, you could submit a new podcast to the directory with a slightly different name, but with the correct URL.
The old one would be bogus and empty, but the new one could include a note saying that it replaces the old one.
August 5th, 2007 02:07
What is the problem with me?
I SUBSCRIBED to the Kim Komando podcast which asked for a username and password in itunes.
So later I unsubsribed with email.
Now I cannot even use Itunes because at the start up it asks for kim komando username and password, I tried removing every bit of Itunes and reinstalling and deleting files manually and everything I can think of.
Still the Stupid program some how remembers I once subscribed to a crappy podcast?
Hope someone has an answer.
September 17th, 2007 00:26
Hello
Very interesting information! Thanks!
G’night