Mevio
Encyclopedia
Mevio Inc., is an American
internet
entertainment network, whose properties include PodShow+, PodShow Podcast Network, PodShowPDN, Podcast Alley, CastBlaster
, the Podsafe Music Network
and, BT PodShow. The network
has acted as both an index for podcast listeners and as a tool for podcasters to publish their content, communicate with their listeners and legally access and play music within their shows, but as of July 2008 the company has decided to focus more on video distributing.
mevio.com, the main brand of PodShow Inc., is a social networking website
, podcast
directory, podcast
delivery network, and music store.
in October 2004 by Adam Curry
and Ron Bloom, as a digital media network, with the aim of helping people publish and market their podcasts, and to help listeners find podcasts that suit their interests.
In August 2005, PodShow received about $8.85 m in Venture Capital
from the Sand Hill Road
firms Kleiner Perkins, Sequoia Capital
, and Sherpalo Ventures. PodShow set up company headquarters in San Francisco, California in a temporary office South of Market Street. In February 2006, Curry announced Podshow L.A., a production division being set up by Mark Yoshimoto Nemcoff
.
On August 23, 2005, PodShow announced the launch of their Podsafe Music Network
. The site allows musicians or record labels to upload podsafe
music into their system so that podcasters may download it for use on their podcasts, as well as the ability to sell music to listeners.
In September 2005, PodShow acquired Podcast Alley, a directory that can be used to help people find and subscribe to podcasts.
In September 2006, BT PodShow, a co-branded service for the UK and Ireland, was launched. On September 29, 2006, PodShow Inc. announced that the company had raised a second round of venture funding from new and original investors, totaling $15 million, led by DAG Ventures
.
In July 2008, mevio secured $15 million in a Series C funding round led by Crosslink Capital and including Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Sequoia Capital
, Sherpalo Ventures, and DAG Ventures. mevio intends to use the investment to continue expansion of its broadband entertainment offering and to launch new vertical entertainment networks.
In October 2008, co-founder Ron Bloom was replaced as CEO by Jeff Karp.
hosted by Curry and John C. Dvorak
, Curry's own Daily Source Code
. Other shows include The Dawn and Drew Show
(from October 2005 to October 2008), Madge Weinstein
's Yeast Radio (from July 2005 til April 2008), CC Chapman's Accident Hash
, Podshow Radio, Reaching for Lucidity, The Frank Truth, Pop17, The Scene Zine, Naive London Girl Podcast - hosted by a Black American Woman and White English Woman in London generating over 1 million downloads per month - fans include Tracy Ullman Tracey Ullman
, iPhone Games Network - Unleashed, tech vidcast GeekBrief.TV (from December 2005 to June 2010), and Madpod
. Alex Balcerski's Ride The Pine, It Could Be Worse..., and The Alex Show Podcast.
feeds were copied and modified by PodShow, with PodShow copyrights overwriting original feeds. Instead of XML
feeds linking to the original, they linked to the internal cache. Adam Curry
addressed the issue in the following Saturdays episode of the Daily Source Code
in which he stated "We basically cache
that, no different from what iTunes
does." Curry went on to explain by saying "What should have happened was that the link underneath the orange on white XML
button should be a direct link to the original, with original information, no added bits from us, original copyrights etc, Instead of linking to the external feed, it went to the internal feed. It wasn’t a bug, it was a dumb mistake, it slipped through."
PodShow and the PodShow Network have not released broadcast metrics publicly. On March 3, 2007 Adam Curry stated "For the record, In December 2006 the network produced 52 million download requests." This has created keen interest and rampant speculation by the public, due to the PodShow's notoriety. No clarification has been provided by Adam Curry or the PodShow Network on their use or definition of a "download request". This is of noteworthy interest, as a "download" is commonly interpreted as a single download request which results in a download, while a "download request" could include all requests made for a download (including failed download requests, system-to-system requests, internal administrative requests, or automated time-scheduled RSS feed requested). Additionally, "download requests" may include not only PodShow-owned podcasts, but any "download requests" made through links listed on the PodShow Network website to many independent podcasts.
PodShow's relationship with Sirius Satellite Radio
ended on May 1, 2007 without any formal acknowledgment or media release by Sirius Satellite Radio
or the PodShow Network. Speculation is that Podshow, having no control over its podcasts compression consistencies, could not guarantee audio quality across the multitude of content being produced.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
entertainment network, whose properties include PodShow+, PodShow Podcast Network, PodShowPDN, Podcast Alley, CastBlaster
CastBlaster
CastBlaster is podcast recording/producing software. Everything is recorded in realtime, making editing unnecessary. It ties into Mevio.com, Adam Curry's podcast network.-VidBlaster:...
, the Podsafe Music Network
Podsafe Music Network
Podsafe Music Network, or PMN, is currently the primary archive of podsafe music on the internet. It was established by PodShow, a podcast production company founded by Adam Curry and Ron Bloom, in the summer of 2005...
and, BT PodShow. The network
Social network
A social network is a social structure made up of individuals called "nodes", which are tied by one or more specific types of interdependency, such as friendship, kinship, common interest, financial exchange, dislike, sexual relationships, or relationships of beliefs, knowledge or prestige.Social...
has acted as both an index for podcast listeners and as a tool for podcasters to publish their content, communicate with their listeners and legally access and play music within their shows, but as of July 2008 the company has decided to focus more on video distributing.
mevio.com, the main brand of PodShow Inc., is a social networking website
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
, podcast
Podcast
A podcast is a series of digital media files that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication...
directory, podcast
Podcast
A podcast is a series of digital media files that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication...
delivery network, and music store.
History
Mevio Inc. was founded in San Francisco, CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in October 2004 by Adam Curry
Adam Curry
Adam Clark Curry is a broadcasting and Internet personality well known for his stint from 1987 to 1994 as a video jockey on the music video channel MTV. In the mid-1990s, Curry was a World Wide Web entrepreneur and one of the first celebrities to personally create and administer a Web site...
and Ron Bloom, as a digital media network, with the aim of helping people publish and market their podcasts, and to help listeners find podcasts that suit their interests.
In August 2005, PodShow received about $8.85 m in Venture Capital
Venture capital
Venture capital is financial capital provided to early-stage, high-potential, high risk, growth startup companies. The venture capital fund makes money by owning equity in the companies it invests in, which usually have a novel technology or business model in high technology industries, such as...
from the Sand Hill Road
Sand Hill Road
Sand Hill Road is a road in Menlo Park, California, notable for its concentration of venture capital companies. Its significance as a symbol of private equity in the United States may be compared to that of Wall Street in the stock market...
firms Kleiner Perkins, Sequoia Capital
Sequoia Capital
Sequoia Capital is a Californian venture capital firm located on Sand Hill Road in Menlo Park, California. The Wall Street Journal has called Sequoia Capital "one of the highest-caliber venture firms", and noted that it is "one of Silicon Valley's most influential venture-capital firms"...
, and Sherpalo Ventures. PodShow set up company headquarters in San Francisco, California in a temporary office South of Market Street. In February 2006, Curry announced Podshow L.A., a production division being set up by Mark Yoshimoto Nemcoff
Mark Yoshimoto Nemcoff
Mark Yoshimoto Nemcoff is a bestselling American author, voice over artist and professional independent media creator living in Los Angeles. He is possibly best known as the creator and host of the politically incorrect podcast Pacific Coast Hellway and the author of the Amazon bestselling books ""...
.
On August 23, 2005, PodShow announced the launch of their Podsafe Music Network
Podsafe Music Network
Podsafe Music Network, or PMN, is currently the primary archive of podsafe music on the internet. It was established by PodShow, a podcast production company founded by Adam Curry and Ron Bloom, in the summer of 2005...
. The site allows musicians or record labels to upload podsafe
Podsafe
Podsafe is a term created in the podcasting community to refer to any work which, through its licensing, specifically allows the use of the work in podcasting, regardless of restrictions the same work might have in other realms...
music into their system so that podcasters may download it for use on their podcasts, as well as the ability to sell music to listeners.
In September 2005, PodShow acquired Podcast Alley, a directory that can be used to help people find and subscribe to podcasts.
In September 2006, BT PodShow, a co-branded service for the UK and Ireland, was launched. On September 29, 2006, PodShow Inc. announced that the company had raised a second round of venture funding from new and original investors, totaling $15 million, led by DAG Ventures
DAG Ventures
DAG Ventures is an American venture capital firm based in Palo Alto, California. It is known as a "coattail" fund for co-investing in later-stage private financing rounds alongside more prominent top-tier venture funds such as Kleiner Perkins, Sequoia Capital, Benchmark Capital, and Accel Venture...
.
In July 2008, mevio secured $15 million in a Series C funding round led by Crosslink Capital and including Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Sequoia Capital
Sequoia Capital
Sequoia Capital is a Californian venture capital firm located on Sand Hill Road in Menlo Park, California. The Wall Street Journal has called Sequoia Capital "one of the highest-caliber venture firms", and noted that it is "one of Silicon Valley's most influential venture-capital firms"...
, Sherpalo Ventures, and DAG Ventures. mevio intends to use the investment to continue expansion of its broadband entertainment offering and to launch new vertical entertainment networks.
In October 2008, co-founder Ron Bloom was replaced as CEO by Jeff Karp.
Podcast shows
Mevio maintains a small stable of flagship podcasts, including No AgendaNo Agenda
No Agenda is a podcast which takes place two times a week on Thursday and Sunday in the morning, hosted by Adam Curry and John C. Dvorak on the mevio network. The show is a free-flowing conversation that deconstructs recent news and media memes. Much of the appeal of the show comes from the odd...
hosted by Curry and John C. Dvorak
John C. Dvorak
John C. Dvorak is an American columnist and broadcaster in the areas of technology and computing. His writing extends back to the 1980s, when he was a mainstay of a variety of magazines. Dvorak is also the Vice-President of Mevio and well known for his work for Tech TV...
, Curry's own Daily Source Code
Daily Source Code
The Daily Source Code is a podcast by Adam Curry, often considered a pioneer of podcasting. Curry talks about his everyday life and events in the podcasting scene or the news in general, as well as playing music from the Podsafe Music Network and promotions for other podcasts...
. Other shows include The Dawn and Drew Show
The Dawn and Drew Show
The Dawn and Drew Show is a podcast starring and produced by a married couple, Dawn Miceli and Drew Domkus . They just recently celebrated their 7th podcast anniversary. The couple moved back to their farmhouse in Wayne, WI after being robbed and nearly killed in their home in Cocles, Costa Rica...
(from October 2005 to October 2008), Madge Weinstein
Madge Weinstein
Madge Bertha Weinstein is a fictional Internet personality who maintains Yeast Radio, which has developed a cult following and is among the 50 most-subscribed-to podcasts...
's Yeast Radio (from July 2005 til April 2008), CC Chapman's Accident Hash
Accident Hash
Accident Hash is a popular award-winning music podcast hosted and produced by C.C. Chapman.Hash serves as a showcase for podsafe music from various genres from around the world...
, Podshow Radio, Reaching for Lucidity, The Frank Truth, Pop17, The Scene Zine, Naive London Girl Podcast - hosted by a Black American Woman and White English Woman in London generating over 1 million downloads per month - fans include Tracy Ullman Tracey Ullman
Tracey Ullman
Tracey Ullman is a British stage and television actress, comedienne, singer, dancer, screenwriter and author ....
, iPhone Games Network - Unleashed, tech vidcast GeekBrief.TV (from December 2005 to June 2010), and Madpod
Madpod
MadPod podcast started in late 2004 as madlymedia, later changed to madpod in January 2005. New Media creator and producer James A. Donnelly, features a weekly celebrity Interview from Musicologist Shadoe Steele...
. Alex Balcerski's Ride The Pine, It Could Be Worse..., and The Alex Show Podcast.
Criticisms and Controversy
After the release of PodShow+ on July 6, 2006 other podcasts's RSSRSS
-Mathematics:* Root-sum-square, the square root of the sum of the squares of the elements of a data set* Residual sum of squares in statistics-Technology:* RSS , "Really Simple Syndication" or "Rich Site Summary", a family of web feed formats...
feeds were copied and modified by PodShow, with PodShow copyrights overwriting original feeds. Instead of XML
XML
Extensible Markup Language is a set of rules for encoding documents in machine-readable form. It is defined in the XML 1.0 Specification produced by the W3C, and several other related specifications, all gratis open standards....
feeds linking to the original, they linked to the internal cache. Adam Curry
Adam Curry
Adam Clark Curry is a broadcasting and Internet personality well known for his stint from 1987 to 1994 as a video jockey on the music video channel MTV. In the mid-1990s, Curry was a World Wide Web entrepreneur and one of the first celebrities to personally create and administer a Web site...
addressed the issue in the following Saturdays episode of the Daily Source Code
Daily Source Code
The Daily Source Code is a podcast by Adam Curry, often considered a pioneer of podcasting. Curry talks about his everyday life and events in the podcasting scene or the news in general, as well as playing music from the Podsafe Music Network and promotions for other podcasts...
in which he stated "We basically cache
Cache
In computer engineering, a cache is a component that transparently stores data so that future requests for that data can be served faster. The data that is stored within a cache might be values that have been computed earlier or duplicates of original values that are stored elsewhere...
that, no different from what iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
does." Curry went on to explain by saying "What should have happened was that the link underneath the orange on white XML
XML
Extensible Markup Language is a set of rules for encoding documents in machine-readable form. It is defined in the XML 1.0 Specification produced by the W3C, and several other related specifications, all gratis open standards....
button should be a direct link to the original, with original information, no added bits from us, original copyrights etc, Instead of linking to the external feed, it went to the internal feed. It wasn’t a bug, it was a dumb mistake, it slipped through."
PodShow and the PodShow Network have not released broadcast metrics publicly. On March 3, 2007 Adam Curry stated "For the record, In
PodShow's relationship with Sirius Satellite Radio
Sirius Satellite Radio
Sirius Satellite Radio is a satellite radio service operating in North America, owned by Sirius XM Radio.Headquartered in New York City, with smaller studios in Los Angeles and Memphis, Sirius was officially launched on July 1, 2002 and currently provides 69 streams of music and 65 streams of...
ended on May 1, 2007 without any formal acknowledgment or media release by Sirius Satellite Radio
Sirius Satellite Radio
Sirius Satellite Radio is a satellite radio service operating in North America, owned by Sirius XM Radio.Headquartered in New York City, with smaller studios in Los Angeles and Memphis, Sirius was officially launched on July 1, 2002 and currently provides 69 streams of music and 65 streams of...
or the PodShow Network. Speculation is that Podshow, having no control over its podcasts compression consistencies, could not guarantee audio quality across the multitude of content being produced.