Update: Odeo is long gone (they kind of pivoted into Twitter).  This is an archival post only.

Recently I have been using Odeo, the podcasting/content management system, for my double bass MP3 audio content. It is a very slick service. They give you very easy-to-use content management tools. Odeo will host your audio content for free (unlimited), and they provide you with many methods of accessing, publicizing, and distributing this content. The company is not necessarily doing anything that is not already offered by other companies, but it is much easier to use than, say, the Internet Archive for dumping and accessing your files.

After dumping your files on Odeo you can embed a Flash player on your site and stream the audio from Odeo. Check out my audio page for an example on this. Many other companies offer this sort of service (some free, some not), but Odeo gives you a choice of Flash player without redirecting the listener back to Odeo. Its implementation is slicker than many other services. People can also download your MP3 files directly from Odeo. All of your audio is available either through a unique URL for the particular file or as a channel of related audio.

Odeo also has a built-in recorder function in Odeo Studio . You can record within your web browser and then download, edit, and re-upload the file. There are programs like Audacity that also offerthis functionality (for free) but this recording feature is still useful.

More useful, however, are Odeo’s rich podcasting features. Take any set of your audio files and roll them into a podcast. You can then submit the feed to iTunes and other podcasting directories. Odeo will take care of the artwork, description, etc. The catch? They insert a three second promo for the Odeo service at the beginning of your podcast. Whether or not this is an acceptable trade-off for using their really excellent free service is a matter of personal choice. Currently, I am using Odeo to host my computer generated practicepodcasts (with the commercial), and I am hosting my bass performances podcast (with no ad) myself.

For only a few dollars a month companies like the excellent Libsyn will host your podcasts ad-free. If my bass performances podcast takes off I will probably start using Libsyn. Odeo, however, is a great way to get your feet wet in the podcasting world.

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