If you’ve listened to more than a couple episodes of No Agenda, you’ve heard it: “get a real podcast app.” That’s not just a running bit — it’s a genuine push toward something called Podcasting 2.0, an open-standard upgrade to how podcasts work, co-created by Adam Curry himself (yes, the same guy hosting the show) alongside developer Dave Jones. They run a companion podcast, also called Podcasting 2.0, where they build out new features for the RSS podcast standard in the open, live, most Fridays.
So what actually is it? Regular podcasts run on RSS — an open, decentralized format nobody controls, unlike Spotify or Apple. Podcasting 2.0 adds a set of new optional tags to that RSS feed: things like chapters, transcripts, live notifications, funding links, and — the big one — the ability to send tiny real-time payments (called “boosts” or “streaming sats”) directly to a podcast while you listen, using Bitcoin’s Lightning Network. This is the technical backbone of what No Agenda calls “Value for Value” — no ads, no subscriptions, just listeners directly supporting the show with money, time, or talent.
Popular Podcasting 2.0 apps worth trying:
- Fountain — probably the most popular Value4Value app; built around Lightning payments and clip-sharing, with a strong music discovery angle too
- TrueFans — created by Sam Sethi (also behind the Pod News Weekly Review), focused specifically on creator monetization
- Podverse — open source, no account required, available on iOS, Android, F-Droid, and web; solid all-around choice for chapters and transcripts
- AntennaPod — free, open source, Android-only, a longtime favorite for people who want a no-frills, no-account player
- Podcast Guru — lightweight, pulls straight from the open Podcast Index directory, supports transcripts and chapter art without requiring a login
Why bother switching from Apple Podcasts or Spotify? A few concrete benefits:
- Live notifications — get an actual push alert the moment a show like No Agenda goes live, instead of waiting for the app to eventually refresh
- Real chapters and clickable timestamps — jump straight to segments instead of scrubbing blindly
- Transcripts built in — no more hunting down a separate website
- Direct creator support — Value4Value means money goes straight to the show, not skimmed by a platform’s ad network first
- No lock-in — since it’s all open RSS, you can switch apps anytime without losing your subscriptions or history
Bottom line: if you’re only ever hearing about this stuff secondhand through a podcast, it’s worth actually experiencing what it’s for. Grab one of the apps above, and next time the show says “we’re live,” your phone will actually tell you.
[No Agenda — ongoing / referenced across many episodes, including #1893]
