MANILA – After seeing an increase in demand for podcasts in the Philippines, Spotify recently announced the 15 new additions to its lineup of exclusive podcast contents from Filipino creators.

Among them are “Punchline with Alex Calleja,” “Lecheng Pag-ibig To” with radio jock Sam YG, and “Payaman Insider” with Tryke Gutierrez of Team Payaman.

In a virtual interview with ABS-CBN News and other media representatives, Calleja, Sam YG and Tryke talked about how they transitioned to podcasting since they were known for doing content on other platforms.

“I’ve been talking for the past 15-16 years doing Boys Night Out on radio. What I love about Spotify and podcasting is that now your show can be on demand. You don’t have to be listening live,” Sam YG said.

“If you want to listen to the first 10 minutes of the podcast and you have to buy pandesal for your mom, come back, listen to the next five minutes and then go do some other things, it’s perfectly fine. You control the time you listen to your podcast,” he added.

For him, he likes the idea of creating a more intimate experience for the listeners, noting that “there’s always a charm hearing a voice than seeing the actual person.”

On the other hand, Calleja had to make a bigger adjustment.

“My transition is different because the reaction, I cannot hear. I am just basing it on what’s my spot in the top podcast chart. That’s my only feedback if I’m doing well. I’m surprised because even if it’s not a joke, people will quote what you said on your podcast. So people are really listening. You don’t have to prepare something na ‘Oh this one will work. The one listening will get it.’ All the things that you’re going to say, they pick it up,” he said.

Nonetheless, he believes this medium helped him deliver his punch lines better.

“I do stand-up comedy so I want to have instant reaction so it’s a big transition for me to do podcasts. What I noticed about podcasts is it also helped me create a lot of jokes. Now, without the help of facial expression, it tends to help my delivery better,” he said.

Calleja also noted how podcast listeners “know if you’re authentic or not.”

“Authenticity is important because you cannot pretend that you’re something else, or someone else in your podcast,” he said.

Gutierrez, meanwhile, shared what he considers are the challenges as well as the beauty of doing a podcast.

“I think the beauty about the platform that we have here in Spotify is that it’s specifically tailored for audio. If you have that type of a platform, you know that every person who will be there for your content is used to that kind of audio-based content. So for me, that’s a really great advantage,” he explained.

“On the second point, I think being in YouTube myself, I know the process of creating vlogs. I think the biggest difference is that with videos, you can get away without you talking each and every minute because your movements can cover for the entertainment side of things. In podcast, it’s really substance. You need to be able to fill every minute with substance, either a joke, an advice or something entertaining,” Gutierrez added.

According to Spotify, consumption of podcasts in the Philippines has more than doubled from March 2020 to March 2021.

In line with its commitment to further serve the audiences looking for their favorite contents, Spotify tapped Calleja, Sam YG and Tryke to be part of the streaming platform.

While all three are relatively new in the audio streaming service, Calleja, Sam YG and Tryke said they are all grateful that Spotify reached out to them to reach a different market.