# A review of metadata fields associated with podcast RSS feeds

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2009.12298 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2009.12298/

## Key facts

- Cited by 2 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 25 Sep 2020.

## Built on by (most cited first, 2 of 2)

- [Topic Modeling on Podcast Short-Text Metadata](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2201.04419/) (2022)
- [Modeling Language Usage and Listener Engagement in Podcasts](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2106.06605/) (2021)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Podcasts are traditionally shared through RSS feeds. As well as pointing to the audio files, RSS gives a creator a way of providing metadata about the podcast shows and episodes. We investigate how certain metadata fields associated with podcasts are currently being used and comment on their applicability to recommendations. Specifically, we find that many creators are not using the itunes:type field in the expected fashion, and that using this field for recommendations might not lead to an optimal user experience. We perform similar explorations for the season number and the category associated with a podcast, and also find that the fields aren't being used in the expected fashion. Finally, we examine the notion that a single podcast show is the same as a single RSS feed. This also turns out to not be strictly true in all cases. In short, the metadata associated with many podcasts isn't always reflective of the show and should be used with caution.