Maple Media buys the indie Castro app

Sponsored by SoundStack. Your new revenue opportunity lives in existing podcast content. Rediscover, repurpose, and monetize more of the audio and video you already have with SoundStack AI. Learn more Exclusive: The Castro podcast app has been bought by Maple Media, according to its Apple App Store listing. Maple Media is a company that buys apps, and acquired Player FM in April 2020; acquired Podkicker in July 2020; and acquired Breaker in Feb 2022. Castro was acquired by Dustin Bluck in Jan 2024 from its previous owners, a VC company called Tiny. We've reached out to him for comment, but on a company blog, Bluck recently posted a reflective piece about independent podcast apps, which are - in his words - "dying". Indie podcast apps are part of what makes podcasting great; but they do appear to be in decline. For a keynote at The Podcast Show London, Podnews analysed downloads in the UK for the last three years. In 2024, 38% of downloads were to independent podcast apps; by 2025 that had fallen to 36%; and in 2026, just 31% were to indie podcast apps. A cut of podcast ad revenue in return for better analytics might help - otherwise, the only differentiator for an indie app might just be ad-skipping. It's emerged that Apple acqui-hired some of the team behind Huxe, an AI "podcast" app, in June. Huxe has closed, but its website is still visible - the service made "podcasts" from your email, calendar and anything else you wanted, and you could ask it to generate you a personal "podcast" about anything. If you think it sounds similar to Google's NotebookLM, you'd be right: Huxe was founded by former Google developers who worked on that project. Apple's deal lets them make job offers to specific employees, and allows them a licence to use the technology. Former Guardian journalist Marina Hyde has partnered with Goalhanger's Goalhanger X division to launch a new platform called Always On. She will host a YouTube show, and will write on Substack. While she will continue to host The Rest is Entertainment, the release doesn't mention podcasting, other than suggesting that there may be "further audio formats" in the future. It's the first launch from Goalhanger X, which describes itself as "building creator-led media businesses around distinctive personalities - spanning publishing, video, social, audio, membership, live and IP, rather than being tied to a single platform." > > > Read more of today’s podcast industry news stories on the Podnews website: and get our free daily newsletter. Classifieds - your job or ad here 📈 FREE Skool community for podcast growth. — Podcasting Business School is now on Skool! This FREE community is for podcasters who have goals like hitting 1,000+ downloads per episode & earning meaningful income. Live training, tools, & support! 🚨 Final Chance to Book October Podcast Campaigns — Only 4 days left to lock in self-serve campaigns running 10/16-10/31 on Player FM! Boost downloads, grow your audience, and get your show discovered. Don’t wait! Podcasting for Business Conference — Ready to transform your podcast into a powerful business asset? Join top voices in podcasting, branding, and media innovation for two power-packed days, November 11–12, 2025. Gold supporters: Buzzsprout, Mowpod, Beehiiv, Podbean, The $100 MBA, Cloud10, The Podglomerate, Podscribe, Simplecast, Magid, PAVE Studios, Cohost, The Content Creator's Accountant, Libsyn, audioBoom, Scicomm Media, Audiohook, Sounds Profitable, RedCircle, Jar Podcast Solutions, Awesound, Podpage websites, Acast, We Edit Podcasts Silver supporters: Audacia Audio, Gamut Podcast Network, Bumper, Sounds Debatable, True Native Media, Magellan AI, Nomono, PodAnalyst, Podium, Red Seat Ventures, Tink Media, Jonekiri, Podium , Ausha, Frequency, Truefans, Podcast Movement, POW PR, Voxtopica, iono.fm, The Podcast Haven, Hypecast, Castbox, Compliance Podcast Network, Locked On Podcast Network, Companion Arts, SoundStack, Blubrry, ARN's iHeartPodcast Network Aust, Health Podcast Network, CreatorX, Headliner, Jam Street Media, Double Elvis Productions, Transistor, Lemonada Media, Diversion Podcasts, Sonic Influencer Marketing, Rephonic, Rhapsody Voices, Podcast Partnership, Content10x, Cleanfeed, Adopter Media, Podigy, School of Podcasting, Revolver Podcasts, Lower Street, Signal Hill Insights Our supporters pay for Podnews, so everyone can read it. Join them today.