TL;DR:
- Matter, a read-it-later app, introduces “Readable Podcasts,” allowing users to transcribe and interact with their favorite podcasts as text.
- The feature syncs audio and text, facilitating seamless navigation and content interaction.
- Users can skim transcripts for quick access to key content or revisit specific sections effortlessly.
- Readable Podcasts is language-inclusive, supporting numerous languages.
- Matter’s subscription-based model offers premium features, including AI transcriptions for both podcasts and YouTube content.
- Private podcast feed support is in development, but Spotify exclusives remain inaccessible.
Main AI News:
In the ever-evolving world of digital content consumption, Matter, a read-it-later app backed by GV, is making waves with its latest offering. While it competes broadly with apps like Pocket and Instapaper, Matter’s unique focus on reading recommendations sets it apart. Today, the company is introducing “Readable Podcasts,” a groundbreaking feature that empowers users to save their favorite podcasts and transform their audio content into text. This transformative capability enables you to engage with podcast content just like you would with a saved article, allowing for actions such as highlighting, note-taking, and sharing quotes.
What sets Readable Podcasts apart is its seamless integration of audio and text. As you listen to the podcast, the audio transcript remains synchronized with the text, offering the flexibility to switch between listening and reading effortlessly. This synchronization proves invaluable when you wish to revisit a specific section or research a topic discussed by the podcast hosts.
Moreover, if you’re looking to breeze through a dense podcast, the feature enables you to skim the transcript, providing quick access to key areas of interest without the need to fast-forward or increase playback speed. Matter’s co-founder, Ben Springwater, reveals that this innovation combines a third-party transcription service with Matter’s proprietary system, ensuring precise speaker labeling and top-notch transcript quality.
One of the standout features of Readable Podcasts is that it doesn’t require you to abandon your favorite podcast app. Instead, you can easily share the podcast you want to transcribe from your existing podcast app using Matter’s Save extension from the iOS Share Sheet. Initially, Matter supports popular podcast platforms like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Castro, and Pocket Casts. Once shared to Matter, the podcast undergoes transcription and becomes a fully interactive text, offering benefits not only to those with limited time for listening but also to those who prefer annotating audio content or have hearing impairments.
Matter’s commitment to inclusivity is evident in its support for a wide range of languages, including English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Hindi, Japanese, Chinese, Finnish, Korean, Polish, Russian, Turkish, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese. As Ben Springwater, co-founder of Matter, aptly puts it, “Podcasts are a gateway to expert knowledge, but audio is ephemeral, and much of that knowledge slips away. Readable Podcasts unlock the knowledge in podcasts for the first time.”
Since securing its $7 million Series A funding in 2021, Matter has experienced impressive growth, boasting “tens of thousands” of active users and thousands of premium subscribers. For a monthly fee of $7.99 or an annual subscription of $59.99, Matter subscribers enjoy benefits such as listening to articles at 2x speed in lifelike voices, seamless integration with note-taking apps, Kindle, Gmail, and other services, and now, access to advanced AI transcriptions for both podcasts and YouTube content.
While Matter is continually enhancing its offerings, it is worth noting that private podcast feeds are on the horizon. However, it is currently unable to transcribe content from Spotify exclusives due to their restricted accessibility.
Matter’s innovative app is available on iOS and can be accessed via web browsers, including Chrome, Safari, and Firefox.
Conclusion:
Matter’s Readable Podcasts marks a significant step in podcast engagement, bridging the gap between audio and text content. This innovation addresses the needs of diverse users, from those with time constraints to individuals who prefer textual content, making podcasts more accessible and impactful. As podcast consumption continues to grow, this development positions Matter as a key player in the evolving digital content market, catering to a wider audience seeking enhanced content engagement.
