Kaltura MediaSpace and multimedia student guide

A podcast is an audio recording you share with others, generally grouped together to form a series or collection.

You can release podcasts on a regular basis (such as weekly, fortnightly or monthly) and can focus on specific academic topics, interviews, or something else entirely.

Students can use Podcast Room (E218) by completing the SU Facilities booking form and choosing the Reserve a Facility option.  You can find more information on the Students' Union podcast room and other bookable spaces at the Students' Union Spaces microsite.

The University offers all students unlimited access to LinkedIn Learning. LinkedIn Learning provides free courses which can help you enhance your recording sessions.

Sign in using your @city.ac.uk email and password in order to browse or start the options below: 

• Record Your Podcast Using Anchor for Creators (beginners, 19 minutes)
• Producing Podcasts (beginner/intermediate, 59 minutes)
• Vocal Production for Voice-Overs and Podcasts (beginner/intermediate, 45 minutes)
• Producing Professional Audio and Video Podcasts (intermediate, 4hrs 37 minutes)

Special consideration should be given when using music in your podcasts, and if any copyrighted written material is read out.

In both cases we would recommend limiting the content to a short extract, ensuring that the usage is indeed educational, and obviously acknowledging the creator(s) during or at the end of the podcast (as well as in the written description for the episode).

For music, an alternative is sources of copyright-free music such as the Free Music Archive, and some listed on this Creative Commons webpage. More information on free-to-use music can be found here.

If any copyrighted visual material is used (as the podcast's "cover image", for example), the same principles apply.

Another important issue to consider is where the podcast will be hosted.

1. If it is for an assignment (and isn't widely shared beyond a few people as part of that) then this is low risk, especially given that it is being used in an educational context and non-commercially. As said above, acknowledgement(s) should be given.
2. If it is a resource to be shared with other students on Moodle or a similar platform, risk is also fairly low but it would still be wise to consider how copyrighted material is used, given that for some courses a fairly substantial number of students may access it.
3. If it is to be publicly hosted on an online platform, it is important that usage of copyrighted material is considered carefully and is fair (see the Fair Dealing part of the copyright guide, particularly how to judge how much of a work to use). Requesting permission from the rightsholder is a possibility but receiving a reply may take a long time, if it happens at all.
4. The same is true if the podcast is to be used beyond university work contexts either at the time or in the future. If the usage becomes commercial (i.e. the creator of the podcast hopes to make money out of it), then permission, a licence, and payment of a fee will be necessary for using copyrighted material.