FAQ
- Who will comprise the ADM?
- What does it cost to join ADM?
- Why does it cost money to join ADM?
- What benefits do joining ADM get me?
- Are you supporting individual podcasters or just big corporations?
- Do we really need this kind of an organization?
- Isn’t this an area that the IAB, MMA or another association would cover?
- Who is involved in the ADM?
- Who is on the elected ADM board?
- What committees can I participate in?
Who will comprise the ADM?
The ADM will include thought leaders, companies, publishers, and producers with a vested interest in the commercial success of downloadable media.
What does it cost to join ADM?
For the inaugural year, the fees are as follows:
The fee for individual membership is $150 per year.
The fee for corporate membership is $1,000 per year.
The fee for non-profit membership is $150 per year.
Why does it cost money to join ADM?
One of the great things about the Internet these days is that it costs next to nothing to participate in a community. The low cost to entry encourages more discussion, the sharing of knowledge, and new ways to collaborate and get things done. This is incredibly helpful. However, when it comes to moving beyond discussion, and into action at an industry level, many things do cost money.
ADM will require funds to operate. Seeking the appropriate legal counsel on organizational issues, paying for the development and hosting of a full-featured Web site, establishing a presence at key brick-and-mortar events, launching educational initiatives and market research, and paying a staff to manage the day-to-day activities of the organization are some examples of the many critical path expenditures.
Membership fees are designed to cover these and many more necessary costs. ADM is a voluntary, member-funded, not-for-profit organization. The money collected by membership fees will be used in a manner consistent with the charter and not-for-profit tax status. The elected executive committee and advisory board are chartered with funding initiatives important to the organization’s members.
What benefits do joining ADM get me?
You get to participate in an environment that is dedicated to your business interests, namely the monetization of downloadable media, focusing primarily on an advertister-supported model (or set of models). You will have access to knowledge on the issues accumulated by other members. You can choose the areas that interest you most and focus on those at the committee level. You can be nominated for a committee, board or executive level leadership position in the organization. You can also represent the interests of your own constituency with those of ADM members. Or you could take a less-engaged role and simply absorb the collaborative knowledge of the membership, staying abreast of current industry-related topics.
Longer term benefits will depend on what you, as members, decide. Many associations offer health insurance benefits, discounts on services provided by various vendors, consultations, job postings, and more. The primary goal of the ADM is to create a scaleable advertising model for downloadable media, and your membership in ADM communicates your agreement with standards which will be attractive to advertisers.
Are you supporting individual podcasters or just big corporations?
ADM represents a relatively wide variety of interests focused on commercial applications of downloadable media. As such, we do not limit our support to one constituency type over another. This is the whole idea of ADM — to coalesce the diversity of interests in such a way to effect rapid results.
The inaugural membership fee structure is reflective of this in that it is far less costly for both individual podcasters and corporate membership than advertising organizations in other media. There are a lot of interests that need to be introduced and integrated if we are going to make useful progress in this space. We are committed to the notion that there is more to agree on and mutually achieve than there are insurmountable differences. Our goal is to propel the industry forward — together — and only with the input of both groups will we achieve success for everyone.
Do we really need this kind of an organization?
While there is nothing new with the idea of vested parties banding together for a common cause, what is new is that a lot of indviduals and companies are interested in monetizing downloadable media, yet lack a relatively formalized way to work together. Unlike other media, there are literally tens of thousands of content producers involved, and ADM will be the best way to ensure that the interests of those producers who are serious about the commercialization of their product are heard.
ADM is designed to fulfill this opportunity and to channel mutual outcomes in a way to acheive the biggest impacts and benefits for its members. We believe that a trade organization like ADM provides the best chance for incremental success for the greatest number of entities.
Isn’t this an area that the IAB, MMA or another association would cover?
The IAB does a tremendous job of covering interactive media, and the MMA does an excellent job addressing the complexities of mobile media and marketing. Downloadable media has become an explosive marketplace with its own unique set of intricacies which are not addressed within other organizations at the level our constituency feels is needed.
We hope to focus solely on downloadable media and work with the IAB, OPA, MMA, DMA, AAAA, ANA and any other organization that has interest in interactive media to share resources and findings and to further the marketplace for all. These organizations do a tremendous job in the areas in which they focus. ADM focuses on downloadable media.
Who is involved in the ADM?
ADM is comprised of a unique affiliation of individual publishers, RSS media service companies, broadcasters, media measurement organizations and working experts from public relations and advertising companies. Since the July 16, 2007 announcement of the formation of ADM we have received interest from many businesses and individuals in these segments, plus other people and organizations who share the desire to fast-track the effective monetization of downloadable media. If you are interested in joining our group and making a difference, we welcome you!
Who is on the elected ADM board?
Executive Committee
- Chairman: Chris MacDonald, EVP Business Development and Operations Libsyn PRO Enterprise Platform and Founder, IndieFeed
- Vice Chairman: Susan Bratton, CEO, Personal Life Media
- Secretary: Matthew Snodgrass, VP Digital Marketing, Porter Novelli
- Treasurer: Duncan Perry, COO, Podcast.com, Treedia Labs
Board of Advisors
- CC Chapman, Podcaster and Partner, The Advance Guard
- Jonathan Cobb, Founder and CTO, Kiptronic
- John Furrier, Founder, Podtech
- Rob Greenlee, Podcast Programming Lead, Microsoft Zune
- John Havens, VP, Business Development, BlogTalkRadio
- Risto Koski, Business Manager, Multimedia/Nokia Music, Nokia
- Jim Louderback, CEO, Revision3
- Mark McCrery, Founder and CEO, Podtrac
- Elisabeth McLaury Lewin, Publisher, PodcastingNews.com
- Kent Nichols, Principle, AskANinja.com
- Tim Street, Principle, French Maid TV
Committee Chairs
- Advertising Standards: Brian McMahon, CEO, National Podcasting System
- Education & Outreach: Rob Walch, VP, Podcaster Relations, Wizzard Media
- Committee Chair: Measurement: Angelo Mandato, CIO, RawVoice, Inc.
- Membership Committee: Bryan Moffett, Sponsorship Operations Manager, NPR Digital Media
- Terminology Standardization: David Rowley, VP Engineering, Kiptronic, Inc.
What committees can I participate in?
ADM members may choose to work on any of the existing committees. We expect many areas of thought to take hold and manifest at the committee level. Your choice for participation may very well influence the presence or absence of a particular committee. The five inaugural committees include:
- Advertising Standards: Formats/Units/Sponsorship
- Measurement: Audience, Market Data (Psychographic, Demographic, Usage, Consumer Insights) and Advertising Efficacy
- Outreach and Education (Consumer & B2B)
- Terminology Standardization (Taxonomy)
- Membership Committee
To contact committee chairs to express your interest, ADM members click here
