Resources for Podcasters
The resources on this page have been compiled with the purpose of assisting Columbia affiliates who are considering launching - or further professionalizing - a podcast.
1. Write your script.
a. Why is your topic important? What is unique about your perspective? What is the arc of your podcast episode? What do you want listeners to learn/take away from your podcast episode? How do you want to engage the listener (e.g., sound effects, music, etc.)?
2. Record.
a. What kind of environment do you want to create? How will your voice "inhabit" that environment? Does your voice have the right pacing/breaths?
3. Edit.
a. How will you incorporate sound bites (interview audio, on-location audio, etc.)? How do you want the music/sound effects to enter and leave the soundscape (e.g., fade in, fade out, hard cut in and out, etc.)?
4. Publish.
a. Spotify for Creators is a free podcast hosting platform which also has various resources on podcasting
i. How to Grow Your Podcast Audience (Spotify)
ii. Monetizing on the platform (Spotify)
iii. Podcast art (Spotify)
- For instructors, Center for Teaching & Learning provides a recording studio to create course content
- The Slote Media Center at Barnard provides equipment rental and production space use
- Recording space is available through the Journalism School for a fee
- The CU Records Student Group offers a recording studio for music
Music & Sound Sources
There are many websites where users can access openly-licensed music and sound to use for podcasts. Please note the specific licences and their restrictions under which music is provided to users. You can learn more about Creative Commons (CC) licenses on the CC website.
As of 2025, music and sounds generated by artificial intelligence are not subject to copyright. Read more about this at copyright.gov for more information about the nuances of this determination.
Copyright Basics
- Columbia Libraries: Copyright Basics
- Columbia Libraries: Fair Use Basics
- Columbia Libraries: Fair Use Checklist (PDF)
Pixabay
- Use for: music and sound effects
- URL: https://pixabay.com
- FAQ page: https://pixabay.com/service/faq/
Dig CC Mixter
- Use for: instrumental music
- URL: http://dig.ccmixter.org
Free Music Archive
- Use for: music
- URL: https://freemusicarchive.org/home
- FAQ page: https://freemusicarchive.org/faq/#free
Current Columbia affiliates can log in to LinkedIn Learning using their UNI.
- Learning Audacity: This is a full course on Audacity basics. Common Tasks (section 4) is particularly useful and includes instructions for removing background noise and applying compression.
- Cleaning and Repairing Audio on Audacity
- Adobe Audition Essential Training: Cleaning and Repairing Audio (section 5) and Combining Clips with the Multitrack Editor (section 6) include essential tasks to understand if using Waveform editor and Multitrack editor.
- Premiere Pro 2022 Essential Training: The first three sections are especially important for new editors.
- Audio on Premiere Pro: Mixing Your Sound (section 2) and Commonly Used Effects (section 3) are the most useful for new editors.
For those who do not have access to LinkedIn Learning, these tutorials hosted on YouTube may be of interest. These tutorials are also much shorter than the full courses listed above.
Podcast hosting platforms including Spotify and Apple Podcasts for Creators automatically generate computer-readable caption files for video and audio podcasts. If the auto-generated captions are reused for any purpose, they should be reviewed and edited by a human to ensure accuracy.
The initial version of this page was created by former Digital Scholarship Intern Emily Ko. Former Digital Intern Zahra Crim researched and created the initial version of the accessibility content.