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Podcasts offer a wealth of information, insights, and entertainment related to most any topic. Unlike videos or reading material, podcasts can be listened to on the go — in your car, at the gym, or while you’re painting, gardening, or walking the dog. That may be why podcasts are an increasingly popular form of content. That includes art podcasts for people involved with arts organizations, arts education, or creatives of any kind. 

The number of podcast listeners in the U.S. rose steeply last year, according to Spotify’s Podcast Trends Report. About half of all American adults listened to a podcast in the past year, according to Pew Research Center. Of those, 10% are avid listeners who consume podcasts nearly every day, while another 25% listen a few times a month. 

Surveys say 49% of Americans have listened to a podcast in the last year; 10% listened almost daily, and 25% listened a few times a month.

While Millennials and Gen Z currently represent the biggest segment of podcast listeners, this trend may not last much longer. With so many new shows being launched, listener demographics are changing, according to the Spotify report. “Podcasters proved that the medium truly offers something for everyone, helping to attract new audiences, both younger and older.” 

What Are the Most Popular Podcasts? 

From true crime to vegan cooking, podcasts cover a wide range of topics. The most popular podcasts are related to comedy and entertainment, reports Pew. According to Spotify, listeners streamed Society & Culture and News podcasts the most in the past year, across all platforms. And podcasts not only inform and entertain listeners, they also influence behavior: Pew found that 6 in 10 podcast listeners have watched a movie, read a book, or listened to music because of a podcast.

Podcasts not only inform and entertain, they also influence behavior: 6 in 10 listeners have watched a movie, read a book, or listened to music because of a podcast.

Below, we’re doing a deeper dive into podcasts related to arts and culture. Not just art history and the performing arts, but also arts education, marketing and leadership. Check out our list of the best art podcasts — plus a few podcasts that will interest anyone, no matter your niche.

The Best Art Podcasts

Teaching Artist Podcast

This podcast has 100 episodes dedicated to discussion of teaching art to kids, making art, and how those two practices overlap and feed each other. Hosted by Rebecca Potts Aguirre, a teaching artist living in Los Angeles who teaches visual art in elementary schools, most episodes are about an hour long and feature an interview with a teaching artist. Recent episodes include a collage artist talking about how the pandemic affected her work and an artist who works with students with disabilities. 

Art Works for Teachers

Geared primarily toward K-12 educators, this art podcast will appeal to anyone interested in creativity and education. Host Susan Riley is a former music teacher turned education entrepreneur. In each approximately 30-minute episode, she shares powerful stories and strategies from authors, artists, and educators exploring the creative journey. Each episode is provided in audio, video, and written format and includes a downloadable resource.

Who ARTed? 

The best podcasts don’t have to be lengthy to be worthwhile. If you’re looking for a quick hit of art history for yourself or your students, this podcast delivers. Covering the visual arts, each entertaining and informative episode is only about 10 minutes long, on average, and is aimed at all ages. Recent topics include how art affects the brain, who was Italian sculptor Donatello, and how Cirque de Soleil started. 

Music Podcasts and Theater Podcasts

Song Exploder

In this podcast, host and creator Hrishikesh Hirway asks musicians to delve into the specific decisions that went into creating their work. The result is an intimate, compelling story focused on how the artists brought their hit songs to life, inspiring music enthusiasts and other artists alike. Each episode is about 20 minutes long. Guests include Fleetwood Mac, Billie Eilish, U2, Metallica, Lorde, Yo-Yo Ma, The Roots, Bon Iver, and more. Song Exploder has been adapted into a Netflix series.

In The Greenroom: Theatre Marketing Podcast

Longtime theater marketing expert Julie Nemitz guides regional and community theatres to grow their revenue and delight their audiences. In recent episodes, she discusses attracting audiences with great marketing content, Broadway advertising, digital theatre, and the changing consumer behavior of theatergoers. Each episode ranges from about 30-45 minutes long. CourseStorm is pleased to sponsor In The Greenroom!

The Offstage Mic: The Business Side of Arts & Culture

Passionate about helping arts organizations reach their highest potential, host Aubrey Bergauer has been hailed as “the Steve Jobs of classical music” and “the Sheryl Sandberg of the symphony.” In < 60 minutes, recent episodes educate listeners on such topics as how to self-release recordings without a label, developing alternate revenue streams, and a new framework for arts marketing. CourseStorm is proud to sponsor The Offstage Mic!

Business Podcasts and Related Topics

Design Matters

Billing itself as “the world’s first podcast about design,” Design Matters with Debbie Millman has been broadcast for over 15 years. The hour-long show examines how creativity combines with business, education, and other topics through in-depth conversations with designers, writers, artists, curators, musicians, and other creatives. Recent episodes have featured Alan Dye, vice president of human interface design at Apple, and self-taught footwear designer turned college president D’Wayne Edwards.

Subscription Stories: True Tales From the Trenches 

“This is the podcast I have been devouring lately,” Bergauer told us. Host Robbie Kellman Baxter is the expert on the subscription/membership economy, and she interviews brands and marketers using a subscription model across all kinds of industries. The approximately 30-minute episodes feature brands like Netflix, Coursera, and digital language learning pioneer Babbel. Topics include mastering the subscription marketing mindset and customer retention analytics. “I love hearing what’s working in other sectors and drawing parallels to our industry,” said Bergauer. 

ReThinking 

In weekly ~ 30-minute episodes, host Adam Grant interviews leaders in their field on how to run organizations more effectively, develop high-performing teams, and address issues that affect most all of us. He has discussed building a strong team culture with Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, finding and becoming a great mentor with Wall Street veteran Carla Harris, and how to sustain creative energy with cellist Yo-Yo Ma. 

“A lot of the challenges we face in the office (how to handle remote work, toxic bosses, improving company culture) affect just about every industry out there, so I love how Adam is addressing these big issues head-on with outstanding leaders every week,” said Bergauer.

TED Talks Daily

Every weekday, host and journalist Elise Hu shares thought-provoking ideas on nearly every subject imaginable, from artificial intelligence to zoology. In bite-sized episodes ranging from 5 to 20 minutes, the world’s leading thinkers and creators invite you to change your perspective, pique your curiosity, and learn something new. Recent episodes discuss solving the climate crisis and educating girls in places that lack easy access to schooling. 

More Art Education Resources

Whatever you’re interested in, whether arts and culture, business, education, or something else, there’s probably a podcast out there for you. Ask your students and colleagues what they’re listening to, browse the top podcasts charts, and keep an eye on the social media platforms of your favorite celebrities and brands. You may discover new podcasts you never knew existed. And if print is more your thing, check out our list of 12 Arts and Culture Magazines Worth Recommending to Students. 

At CourseStorm, we know all about making learning accessible and appealing. Our easy-to-use class registration tools make it simple for students to sign up for your classes. Start your free trial to see our software in action, or contact us today for more details.

At CourseStorm, we’re always thinking about how to make our class registration software impossibly simple to use for education program managers and students. Our admin area lets staff and administrators log in to manage classes and registrations. Our student log in area allows students to change their contact information themselves, among other things.

Here are some answers to frequently asked questions about CourseStorm logins and other common actions. 

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Creativity is the secret to success in any industry, says Maria Brito. She explores this idea in How Creativity Rules the World: The Art and Business of Turning Your Ideas Into Gold. As we read Brito’s insights, we couldn’t help but notice how many of them could apply to arts and community education programs. 

You may think of creativity as an innate trait, or as something that happens in a flash of inspiration. Brito argues the opposite. She says, “creativity is a series of actions that bring about desired results. The operative word is action — creativity eludes those who sit down and wait for it to come.” 

So take your first step toward creativity by reading this article. Inspired by Brito’s new book on creativity, we’ll show you six actions education programs can take to be more creative. Plus, we uncover three core skills you can pass on to your students.

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You may not think of LinkedIn as a place to find students. It’s probably more familiar as a platform to search for jobs or hire a new employee. But, it’s also filled with professionals and job seekers.  

Both groups are often eager to learn so they can advance their careers. In short, they’re ideal candidates for adult education programs. But how can LinkedIn be used for your adult education program? Making LinkedIn part of your online presence can connect you with these motivated learners. 

Colleges and universities already use LinkedIn to find students. Many with great success. There’s no reason your adult ed program can’t follow their lead. Even if you’re not a LinkedIn pro, this post will show you how to find students on LinkedIn.

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The internet connects us to people and businesses all over the world. But we also use it to find things in our own community. You might type in “burgers near me” to find a new burger restaurant or use voice commands to find a gas station when you’re in an unfamiliar part of town. Whatever you’re looking for, near me searches have become a common way to find it.

So why haven’t you already optimized your course catalog to help your classes show up in near me searches? 

If you’ve never considered location based search, or if you have, but weren’t sure where to start, this post is for you. We’ll walk you through why and how to optimize for near me searches so more local students find your classes.

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Update: SVOG applications open April 8, 2021. The SBA has provided a sign up form for access to the electronic application. 

The SBA is hosting a webinar 2:30 to 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, March 30, 2021 to review the application process. To participate, register here by March 24th.

If your organization is a live venue, performing arts organization, cultural institution, theatre, or make your living as a live venue promoter or talent representative, you may be eligible for an upcoming federal Shuttered Venue Operator Grant. The SBA has provided a preliminary application checklist.

The Small Business Administration will allocate and distribute $15 billion through the Shuttered Venue Operator Grant (SVOG) program to eligible persons and entities who experienced at least a 25% drop in revenue. Up to $10 million may be granted to an entity. You do not need to repay these federal grants. Interested parties may also wish to consult the SBA SVOG FAQ.

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UPDATE: SBA is currently offering PPP loans until May 31, 2021.

The SBA also has announced extended deferment periods for all disaster loans, including the COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, until 2022.

Most organizations offering in-person educational classes and workshops have been affected by the pandemic. While many organizations have increased their online opportunities and have worked hard to provide in-person experiences as local rules allow, it’s still been a hard year.

Fortunately, some organizations may find financial relief available as part of recent COVID relief legislation.

Many educational providers are considered small businesses, and we encourage such organizations to look into these programs. Additionally, eligibility for the PPP has been expanded to include 501(c)(6) organizations, so you may be eligible now even if you were not during the first round. At least $25 billion is being set aside for Second Draw PPP Loans to eligible borrowers with a maximum of 10 employees or for loans of $250,000 or less to eligible borrowers in low- or moderate-income neighborhoods.

While funds are not as scarce as in early rollouts of these programs, if you are eligible it is recommended that you apply as soon as possible. 

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As of April 21, 2020, the Senate passed a bill providing an additional $310 billion in funding to restart and expand an emergency small-business loan program. This bill still needs to be passed by the House of Representatives and signed by the President. However, it is anticipated that funding could be available by the end of this week.

These additional funds will expand the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Emergency Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL). Many educational providers are considered small businesses, and we urge you to look into applying.

If you are eligible, it is recommended that you apply as soon as possible. Funds are expected to be fully dispersed quickly and are being given on a first-come-first-served basis.

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When we’re thinking of teachers, the image that first comes to mind isn’t usually the person standing before some of the millions of adult lifelong-learners, but it should be. Two times as many people take classes outside public schools, universities, and colleges combined. It takes a lot of teachers to deliver education to such a massive number of people! Yet the teachers of these classes are often the overlooked majority of educators, even during teacher appreciation week. But not by us!

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If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it: It’s a motto many of us live our lives by. Unfortunately, sometimes we get so used to doing things the same way we’ve always done them that we don’t notice the cracks and tears in the system. Think of that old swelling front door that you have to kick to close or the upstairs toilet that you have to remember to wiggle the lever on to keep the water from running. While this solution works for a while, over time the problem gets worse. At first, you tell yourself that you’ll hire a repairman or look up how to fix it yourself, but you get busy, and then you grow so accustomed to the inconvenience that it can be easy to overlook the fact that it’s costing you time and money.

The same may be said your current strategy for managing enrollment. It’s working okay–it’s been working for years–but is it still the most efficient, cost-effective solution for your needs? It’s easy to add registrants to a Google spreadsheet at first, but as your program grows, that spreadsheet grows as well. You start to lose track of who has paid and who hasn’t, and what started out as a simple solution has become complicated.Read more