Spotify has transformed the music-listening scene. Gone are the days of downloading songs off dodgy websites and finding the album artwork ourselves. Now, Spotify recommends artistes to us and curates playlists for us. But some of the best parts of Spotify still lay undiscovered for some of us, one of which is podcasts.
Traditionally associated with music streaming, Spotify’s podcast output has grown significantly in the last few years. And you are missing out if you haven’t dipped your toes in yet. Some of the greatest podcasts around are only on Spotify and nowhere else. But with over 3 million pods on the platform, it can be very, very tricky to know where to begin.
Well, fear not, because we have got you covered. We bring you some of the best podcasts only available on Spotify, so you can get your teeth into them and start streaming.
What Is a Podcast?
A podcast is the streaming age’s answer to radio. The dictionary definition of a podcast is a digital audio file you can download or listen to over the Internet. Its interesting history explains why it is called a podcast, to begin with.
Podcasts are a form of media content developed in 2004 when former MTV video jockey Adam Curry and software developer Dave Winer coded the “iPodder.” The iPodder was a program that let a user download internet radio broadcasts to their Apple iPod. This is where the term and meaning podcast was born, taking its name from a blend of ‘iPod’ and ‘broadcasts’.
Today, podcasts are an extremely popular form of audio entertainment and have progressed beyond being downloadable radio shows. Each podcast is a series created by a host and then published episode-by-episode online, where subscribers can then download and listen to each episode when it’s released.
Unlike traditional methods of content production like TV and radio shows, podcasts are an accessible way for content creators to connect with an audience. They’re not even currently regulated, meaning you don’t need a broadcasting license to publish podcast content. Anyone with basic podcast equipment like a microphone, recording software, and a membership to a hosting platform can create their own show.
Monetizing a podcast has also become a reliable way to make either a side or a full-time income, thanks to brand sponsorships, affiliate marketing, subscriptions, and paid content.
Purpose of a Podcast
A podcast can have many purposes, but the main one is to entertain its audience. Podcast listeners might have one of several reasons to subscribe to a podcast, such as:
- Hear updates and breakdowns of current events.
- Learn about a new topic or industry.
- Laugh at cohosts’ riffing and jokes.
- Listen in on interviews with popular or famous guests.
- Experience an audio drama or narrative storytelling.
But behind each of these reasons is the desire to be entertained. Whether listeners want to learn something new or simply have something to take their minds off of a mundane task, they want to enjoy the experience of listening to a podcast.
If they don’t enjoy it, they probably won’t keep coming back.
10 Best Podcasts On Spotify
Heavyweight
Do you ever lay awake at night, wincing about that thing you did five years ago? Podcast host Jonathon Goldstein wants to hear it. Heavyweight caused a storm for a reason. It is a podcast that many of us have been searching for for years, even if we didn’t know it yet.
Heavyweight works through listeners’ most painful memories, dissecting and working through them. In 2023, it is currently in its seventh season, and the stories range from the harrowing to the absurd, from family feuds to niggling unsolved mysteries.
It will hook you.
Science Vs
Prepare to be captivated for 35 minutes weekly as Wendy Zukerman explores the truth hidden behind controversial topics like skincare myths, magic mushrooms, veganism, and so much more.
Zukerman’s meticulous research and interviews with top experts create an electrifying experience that separates fact from fiction. With over a hundred citations supporting each episode, you can be assured that every claim is backed by solid science.
Since its beginning in 2015, Science Vs has been a model of scientific integrity and is one of the best Podcasts on Spotify. Trustworthy, entertaining, and enlightening, this podcast is your go-to source for reliable information on the hottest and most controversial issues.
Reply All
‘Reply All’ is a tech podcast, but it’s not just for the tech vultures. Anyone with an interest in the internet (which is pretty much all of us at this point), will find this podcast fascinating, as it explores how our digital life blends into our offline everyday.
Some of its episodes have really rocked the digital world, like ‘The Snapchat Thief’, which dove into a world of hacking and investigations. Also, in ‘At World’s End’, a listener tracked down an old expired video game.
Intelligence Squared
Considering the depth and variety offered by Intelligence Squared, it’s best just to dip in and out to find the episodes that interest you rather than dedicating half your life to digesting every single informative installment. This podcast is much like Lex Fridman’s pod but released more frequently and with a more substantial back catalogue.
Intelligence Squared is designed as a forum for grown-up conversations, deep dives and investigations into pretty much any subject you can think of.
60 Songs That Explain the ‘90s
Musically speaking, the ‘90s were an odd time. It started with grunge and gangsta rap and ended with boy bands, nu-metal, and pop-rap, with brief detours into ska and swing revivals.
In this podcast, critic Rob Harvilla tries to make sense of it all, taking informative, analytical, and sometimes very personal deep dives into the tunes that, for better or worse, defined a generation. And as it turns out, figuring out just what the hell was up with this decade requires a lot more than 60 songs, as 30 more episodes are coming soon.
Disappearances
Explore history’s most enigmatic missing persons cases every Thursday as Sarah Turney, the brilliant host of Voices for Justice, brings new attention to these unsolved puzzles.
Join Sarah in her relentless quest for truth as she sheds light on an issue that touches her personally. Her sister Alissa Turney disappeared over two decades ago, and this has urged Sarah’s crusade to crack other cases.
From chilling prison breaks and haunting abductions to astonishing second chances and sinister murders, each half an hour+ episode grips you with its emotional intensity. Disappearances is one of the best Podcasts on Spotify, and the answers are out there, waiting to be found.
Armchair Expert
Actor Dax Shephard was formerly known as ‘that guy who’s married to Veronica Mars’; he is now a bonafide superstar in the podcast arena. His interview show is one of Spotify’s most popular, and he’s pulling guests as massive as Barack Obama and Prince Harry.
In the tradition of Marc Maron’s WTF, Shepard pushes aside the conventionality and self-promotion of the late-night circuit and simply follows his own curiosity. As such, he usually arrives at a place that makes the monumentally famous seem almost relatable.
Serial Killers
Serial Killers explores the twisted world of history’s most infamous murderers from across the globe, exposing their horrendous crimes and cracking the enigmatic psychology behind their actions.
In each gripping 40-minute weekly episode, Greg Polcyn and Vanessa Richardson take you on a bone-chilling journey through the lives of sadistic monsters like Jeffrey Dahmer or John Wayne Gacy and lesser-known but equally terrifying figures. However, what sets Serial Killers apart and making it one of the best Podcasts on Spotify is its commitment to exploring high-profile cases and the obscure and horrifying tales often left untold.
How can a person become a ruthless predator? From the ominous Zodiac killer to the elusive Chameleon Killer, Serial Killers unravels humanity’s darkest corners and its mysteries.
The Lex Fridman Podcast
Lex Fridman looks nothing like a high-profile interviewer, which is interesting because he’s so much more than that. He is also a computer scientist, an AI expert and even a ju-jitsu enthusiast.
Lex’s pod, titled The Lex Fridman Podcast in a suitably practical fashion, takes the same sort of interviewer/interviewee format that has become such a mainstay of YouTube and the podcast realm. It brings the Russian-American’s direct yet insightful style to thousands of listeners.
And his guests are no less interesting. The big circuit names such as Sam Harris and Andrew Huberman make appearances, and yet the likes of MMA legend Georges St. Pierre, former cybercriminal Brett Johnson, historian Niall Ferguson, and Sapiens author Yuval Noah Harari also feature for in-depth chats. The list of fascinating intellectuals, over-achievers, and engrossing eccentrics is endless.
Seemingly without bias, agenda, or any motivation besides open discourse, Lex’s podcast is one of the few places in which a Palestinian activist can follow an episode with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Distractible
Mark Fischbach, Wade Barnes, and Bob Muyskens guarantee a fabulous mix of camaraderie and thought-provoking banter, ensuring you will feel part of their inner circle of friends. As they share their fun tales and tackle very diverse topics like reading, ‘self-actualization’, silly choices, and friendship, you’ll find yourself laughing, nodding, and reflecting on life’s twists.
With one-hour episodes every Monday and Friday, Distractible is your ticket to a world of laughter and irresistible discussions about everyday life’s most humorous, bizarre, and intriguing tales.
Gone Medieval
There are literally hundreds of great history podcasts floating around on Spotify. If anything, we encourage you (if you have the inclination) to dig as deep into the sub-genre as you can to find the history pod or pods that are right for you.
Gone Medieval, however, has the best of all worlds. It is obviously concerned with a particular time period (the classic definition of the Medieval period usually spans around 476AD-1450-ish), yet the breadth of topics it covers, mainly in the form of a lively interview with a preeminent historian, makes for a relentlessly engaging listen.
No Such Thing As A Fish
Comprising four of the writer-cum-researchers (often referred to as ‘Elves’) from the hugely popular fact-based BBC panel show QI, No Such Thing As A Fish is an answered prayer for people who just can’t get enough facts and trivia to stuff into the spongey matter in their craniums.
Easily one of the most informative and entertaining pods out there, NSTAAF takes the inquisitive spirit of QI and runs with it. Now often including QI stalwarts such as Cariad Lloyd and Sara Pascoe as regular guests, each episode dives deep into practically any subject or intellectual side alley you can think of, be it Moss or Doctor Who, WB Yeats or Guinness World Records.
Best Podcasts On Spotify: In conclusion
Spotify is a popular podcast directory, hosting plenty of content and offering easy-to-use playback features. With Spotify, you can access a range of episodes and follow the podcasts you love to stay up to date with the latest content.
Regardless of whether you’re new to podcasts or an avid listener, there’s always something new to discover. On Spotify, you can access an incredible podcast library, finding fresh content from all your favorite audio creators across a variety of genres.
From true crime to tech, sports, entertainment, education, news, comedy, and more, you’re bound to find a Spotify podcast to suit you. Tune in for regular episodes, or mix and match to find more podcast variety. The choice is up to you.
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