Podcasting Luminary: Dave’s Lounge

The best music podcast Dave's Lounge is hosted with libsyn

If you’ve been a long time fan of podcasting and music, you’ve bound to have found Dave’s Lounge. Dave’s Lounge is perhaps the most versatile and accessible music podcast out there.

By versatile I mean that it can be played almost anywhere. You can listen while you work, when you want to relax, you can play it during a party, it can be played in the office, or while you’re stuck in traffic and it will always serve you in different ways.

If you love down-tempo and trip-hop, it really is a no brainer.

This podcast is a must subscribe. It’s guaranteed that at some point it will be the perfect podcast to play.

Bonus: Dave Warner, the host of Dave’s Lounge, has a deep resonant voice, he is incredibly passionate about what he does, and has awesome insights about life and music in general. He is celebrating his 7th Anniversary episode. Help him celebrate by subscribing!


Fun, Fame or Profit? Why are you doing the show?

When I started Dave’s Lounge, I just did it to share some indie music I had found and really liked. The feedback I got was enough to keep me going, not to mention the free music and the contacts I’ve made over the years. As time went on, I started exploring ways for the show to make a few bucks, mostly through affiliate advertising at first, then finally opening it up to listener donations. Most of my listeners seem to prefer the ad-free, listener-supported model.

It only took a year or so for Dave’s Lounge to become a profitable hobby, but even seven years in, it’s still just a hobby. I’m hoping this will change soon with the launch of the Dave’s Lounge Premium Podcast this month. Still, it’s always been fun to find good new music and share it with people. Sometimes just the fact that I can do that legally keeps me going.

What is your most memorable feedback from a listener?

Most people just thank me for helping them get through their work day or their commute. I had one listener, though, thank me for helping him keep a level head while he was going through chemotherapy. He sent me a very nice photograph he took in Italy as a gift. I’m still surprised by how big an impact this little show can have on some people. I chalk it up to the power of the music more than anything.

I also had one artist that I play semi-regularly on the show tell me a few years ago that I was responsible for about 25% of her sales. That was quite an eye-opener.

Do download numbers matter to you? or is audience engagement key?

I’m finding more and more that engagement is much more crucial than raw numbers, because engaged listeners will help you spread the word about your show.

Download numbers don’t tell me how people listen to Dave’s Lounge, how they found it, or what songs they like the most.

Keeping a good dialog with your audience will do much more for growing your podcast in the long run – especially when you’re like me and you’re doing a show on a budget too small to afford advertising!

How has or has podcasting helped create opportunities for you?

Back when I started the show in 2005, I contacted other podcasters about doing bumpers for my show. One of them was Jamie Mottram, who at the time was doing the Sports Bloggers Live podcast for AOL.

I mentioned to Jamie that I was also doing a football blog at the time, and that led me to being a semi-regular guest on that show and, eventually, a writer for two years at FanHouse, AOL’s sports blog.

That gig paid off my credit card bills and paid for my trip to the New Media Expo in Las Vegas in 2008.

The biggest benefit of the show itself, though, has been all the great music I’ve gotten over the years. People recognize this show has a dedicated listener base that loves trip hop and downtempo music, and they want their music to be part of that – and if it’s good, it will be.

What advise would you give a new podcaster so that they keep going!

First off, whether you’re starting a podcast, a blog, a YouTube channel, or even a Tumblr, keep your focus on a topic that excites you personally. If you’re passionate about something, that will come through in your show, and it will keep you engaged in doing your show regularly.

Second, keep as regular a schedule as possible. Consistency is important with any media, and it’s doubly important in an age where there’s so many media options out there for people to choose from. If they can rely on you to put on a good show every week or every other week, they’ll keep coming back.

Third, always look for ways to keep your listeners engaged with you, because your listeners will ultimately be the ones who sing your show’s praises to their friends. That’s how your audience grows.

Finally, if you’re looking to get rich right away from podcasting,llb you’re doing it wrong. Podcasting is a long game. It took Leo Laporte years to get where he is now, and he was a seasoned professional with a keen understanding of how media works.

I’ve been doing this for seven years, and honestly, I still haven’t figured it out. Still, I do Dave’s Lounge because I want to do it and because artists and listeners alike enjoy it, not because it makes me money.

This doesn’t mean I’ll stop looking for ways to make the show even more profitable, of course, but if you’re doing something just for the money, you’ll get tired of it in a hurry – especially if it’s not successful right away. If you love what you do and do it well, though, the money will come soon enough.


Get your day going by listening to the Dave’s Lounge 7th Anniversary Mix! And of course then promptly SUBSCRIBE.

Dave has just launched a Premium edition of his podcast, higher-quality version of the show that includes chapter markers, album art, embedded links to songs, and no voiceovers in the mix. Good stuff! Check it out


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