Talking podcasts with Acast and Nothing Is Real

This is Let There Be Pod in Association with Acast. In each issue of the magazine, our partner Acast – home of the UK’s BEST podcasters – sits down for a chat with one of its creators to hear what they love about making podcasts. In this interview, from Issue #021, Acast spoke to Adrian Carty, Producer of the Beatles podcast Nothing Is Real!

Acast: How did Nothing Is Real come to be?

AC: I come from a background of working as a TV producer and have also been producing podcasts and audio content for 12 years. My cousin, Jason Carty and a friend Steven Cockcroft are immense Beatles fans and are The Beatles Brains of Ireland. They are both massive music fans with a considerable and encyclopaedic knowledge of The Beatles. They had been wondering about doing a podcast for a while about The Beatles. I suggested coming into the studio, do a demo episode, see how it goes. That was almost 4 years ago so it clearly went well and continues to grow.

Can you tell us about some of the highlights of the last six seasons?

For my part, I love producing and recording the show, and being a reluctant contributor from time to time and seeing how its grown and taken on a life of its own. For Jason and Steven, getting to interview the foremost Beatles historian Mark Lewison in studio was incredible. Working with Disney+ and getting exclusive pre-release access to the Beatles ‘Get Back’ documentary, and then doing podcasts around the release was quite something. We’ve created and produced over 100 episodes covering topics as diverse as individual songs, people, & places. A live recording of an episode inside Abbey Road. The only Beatles podcast to have watched every movie made by Ringo Starr. Selling out Dublin’s The Workman’s club for a live episode. And of course, the friends we made along the way. So many highlights.

Why do you think niche music podcasts work so well?

Niche works in any podcast capacity. Niche is best. Narrowing your focus while speaking to individuals with a common interest, is a great way to build a community. It allows you to develop a relationship with your audience. With music, the history, legacy and discography of bands and singer songwriters is so rich and fertile. Interpretations of songs, albums, band breakups, management interference, the individual personalities, music has all the drama you could wish for. The Beatles, for example, did so much in such a short space of time, you sometimes forget what they managed to achieve. We are still finding new things out about them. You only need to look at the Disney+ series, ‘Get Back’. That was over 50 years ago, and it has thrown up so much, we could be discussing that for years to come, guaranteeing your podcast will be completely unique, because there is only one you. Also, don’t hesitate to explore topics you’re passionate about on your podcast. I think listeners can tell and engage way more when a podcaster is diving into topics and conversations that really interest them.

What do you love about podcasting?

The intimacy and immediacy of the media and medium still fascinates and excites me. It’s a malleable form of engagement and entertainment in the way that radio is not. The immersive, on demand, conversational nature of the mode. You can produce evergreen content, it can be ephemeral, it can be free form, work in several genres. I love storytelling and what some individuals and companies have done with podcasting and audio in the last few years transcends the practice. There are existing commercial and creative opportunities available but so much that can be done and developed. Best of all, podcasting is open to anyone. The barrier for entry are non-existent. The content needs to be interesting and output needs to be consistent. One of the first podcasts I ever heard was Arsecast from my good friend Andrew Mangan. His style and flair blew my mind and opened my mind to what was possible with podcasts. That led me to listening to Comedy Bang Bang, which at the start was called Comedy Death Ray Radio. That show and WTF with Marc Maron was an aurally illustrative example of improv comedy and long form interviews respectively and you could do anything you wanted. I was hooked.

What attracted you to releasing additional episodes via Acast+?

Building an audience and a community is difficult in any form of entertainment. With podcasts, it’s not passive. People are making a concentrated effort to voluntarily listen to your show instead of doing anything else. Acast+ offered an opportunity to further engage with our community, reward their loyalty. We can produce even more shows, bonus content, early access and ad free content. For us, it was a no brainer to experiment further with the form and with Acast who we’ve had a great relationship from the beginning of the show.

What can listeners expect to hear on your Acast+ episodes that they wouldn’t normally hear?

We have put up interviews with special guests. We have done extensive deep dives into topics that the fair-weather Beatles fan may find a little too intricate and in the weeds. Back to the niche aspect of podcasts, there is an audience out there for anything. Some people think that these types of things are a cash grab exercise, but I can tell you, from feedback of our subscribers and we know this ourselves, our production, content, and output levels are consistent every time. Any good podcaster will tell you; you must respect your listener’s time. Again, if they take the time, effort, and money to listen and engage with your show, you must value that and respond in kind in a consistent, proactive, and reactive way.

Has Acast+ allowed you to better interact with your listeners?

Absolutely. It’s almost like another parallel world on Acast+. We have huge followings on Facebook (currently 7,000+ on our members page) and Twitter (currently 6,000+ followers). Conversations and comments are always going on regarding shows on Acast+ which leads people to see what they are missing. I know that Acast are developing further ways to engage with Acast+ subscribers which we are really look forward to seeing.

Follow Nothing Is Real on Twitter and Instagram @BeatlesPod. Listen to Nothing Is Real now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps.

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Want to join the UK’s BIGGEST podcast network, alongside Dane Baptiste, Jessie Ware and Adam Buxton? Start podcasting with Acast today! Use the code ACAST-POD-BIBLE for three months of their “Influencer” plan free at acast.com/start-podcasting. 

Do you love Nothing Is Real? Check out these other Beatles podcasts!