Screw Mevio- That Failure of a Company
Why do I hate Mevio/Podshow? Let me count the ways.. Actually I probably don’t have time left in my lunch break to cover it all, but now they are REALLY making me see red.
A very brief summary for those who don’t know what Mevio is. Remember that old VJ on MTV from the 80’s that everyone used to make fun of, Adam Curry? Back when podcasting started, he formed a network called Podshow, and offered up a contract to select podcasters with the promise of being able to ‘quit your dayjobs’ and get paid podcasting. A contract was sent out for people to sign to join Podshow. The contract basically stated things like if they ever left Podshow, they would no longer be able to keep the podcast name or do the current show, Podshow owns the name of the podcast and all their content while under contract. They can’t sell their own merchandise, etc. There were a bunch of rules. Many podcasters joined anyway- I know one podcast DID lose the right to its name when they left Podshow.
A few months ago, Podshow decided to make some changes, and renamed theirself “Mevio”. Co-founders Adam Curry and Ron Bloom were heard in a recorded statement laughing at the podcasters who joined Podshow by signing what they called ‘the dummy contract- because only dummies would sign it.” They also said something about never believing in independant podcasting as a means of entertainment. I don’t have the exact quotes- but if you google anything about podshow sucks, you’ll probably find them.
The next thing they did was start releasing all the podcasts who followed them by not renewing their contracts, leaving them now without jobs or pay. Dawn and Drew and Yeast Radio definitely got the axe, not sure who else.
Here is why I’m pissed off, now. I have heard Keith and the Girl complaining many times that Podshow/Mevio has put KATG on the Mevio site as a way to use their name to drive up Mevio’s numbers. They did not have permission to place KATG on the site.. I heard they are doing it to other podcasts, now. I did some searches, and sure enough.. SLPN VIDEO and KEEMECAST is on the Mevio website, as if they are with Mevio. Who knows how many others are on there also, I don’t have time to look.
Mevio is using our podcasts to inflate their own web hits. Screw them.
Through my eyes.. 
Didn’t catch all the details because I’m a podcast newb but caught the most important ones. That sucks big time
. Are you gonna send an e-mail asking them to take it off or do you think it’s not worth your time since they probably won’t do it?
Well, Keith and the Girl have been writing to them for months, and publically demanding on their podcast for Mevio to take them off the site. They’re being ignored, even though KATG is one of the biggest podcasts out there that really does make it as a full time job.. they have lawyers and copyrights and everything, but they still can’t get taken off the site, probably unless they bother sueing. I don’t expect it to make a difference if I write, but I plan to anyway, just for the principal of it.
I was using the free hosting Podshow had for my own podcasts until they became Mevio. Didn’t like their remarks about podcasting not being a viable source of entertainment, so I did an episode called “The Double Headed beast” about it which included my rant about it and a reading of the quote itself with a sinister voice effect, then I left and started my own podcast. Thankfully, I didn’t have a contract with them, but because I used them for hosting my podcasts, I was able to put links to my new website and I’m using them to drive traffic there.
The quote itself was “We have never believed in user-generated content as a business, or even as a sustainable entertainment offering,” and it was made by Ron Bloom, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Podshow/Mevio.
Thanks for the quote, Guy.
And just to make it clear, since I’m hearing from some of you that you did use Podshow as hosting- I know for an absolute FACT that Podshow/Mevio is still going out and mass gathering other podcasts against their will and using them on their site. This has been an ongoing problem for several months to a year, and now it looks like they are making it more widespread.
I doubt Stuart authorized them to post SLPN anywhere on Mevio, being that he hates them as much as I do.
The Mevio sucking in feeds has existed since 2006 btw. And you are right in the fact that Mevio has absolutely NO authorization to post our feeds.
I did once use them for the hosting of Podmafia, but that changed from Episode 9. The episodes 1-9 remain at Mevio for now. But apart from that I pretty much severed all my ties to Mevio. I don’t even subscribe to anymore of their shows now.
I think all this came about because Adam Curry realized that his in-world girlfriend was really a man. It’s certainly at least a good part of his sudden flight from SL.
I’ll give Adam all the respect he deserves. I’ll post this and then I’ll never mention him again.
What do you mean by failure? If you mean because Mevio/Podshow sucks then by popular opinion – yes. But if you mean financially — Has it failed yet in that regard? Can you clarify?
Ninja- it failed because the main focus of Podshow when it first started out was to put together a network that would allow podcasters to succeed as independant businesses.. thus, the ‘quit your dayjob campaign’. And yes, for awhile that DID work for some podcasters like Dawn and Drew, and Geek Brief, etc. But ultimately things began to fail to the point where Podshow changed their name,backpeddled on their claims of believing in independant podcasters, and eventually stopped renewing some (if not most- I don’t know) of the contracts of the more popular podcasters.
Keith and the Girl as a podcast is doing independantly what Podshow WISHED they could do, but failed.
I know another important way that they are a failure – they’ve failed to meet the needs of the community they said they would – the podcasters. I haven’t talked to anyone in a long time who’s said, “Wow, those guys are doing great things for me!” Most people that talk about them seem to me to use words that start with “mother” but are hardly parent addressing adjectives.
It’s hard to think of another company that’s engendered so much ill will among so large a portion of the community it claimed to be the dominant force in. I’m sure there are some. I just can’t think of any who’ve succeeded so well at this. And in this case, that kind of success is failure.
Ok, call me biased. I’ve had my contract renewed by Mevio.
I see podcasting as a vehicle to something larger. Podcasting in and of itself may not be profitable, but if it launches me into something more mainstream then I’m all for it.
Maybe that’s the idea that Ron Bloom was trying to covey.
Just a heads up:
Ron Bloom…
Fired
In response to Mevio pulling in other podcasts have you noticed that all podcasts directories do the same thing. There is no difference in what Mevio is doing. I know podcasters with contracts that are making money have lost some of their wages due to the advertisers changing the rules or Mevio changing. I don’t know which but I do see Mevio moving away from supporting podcasters for free. Bandwidth cost money and perhaps they aren’t making as much money as needed to break even. I don’t really know, just speculating. I plan to move my podcast to another source regardless.
Mevio is so slow that it;s practically unusable.
Why doesn’t everyone with a podcast just start making fun of Adam and Mevio on every show. It won’t do much… but bug the hell out of him. He is such a raging conspiracy idiot too. Hey Adam the “shadow government” is coming to get you. lol
Perhaps if KATG make a podcast that exposes what Movio is doing they would finally get removed from their site? Perhaps they could start sending a monthly invoice to Movio for using their ‘cast! Astonishing what people will do.
Mevio is not the net friendly, new media company they mascaraed as, they never answer emails and the content although it is in flash does not work with Linux.