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    a16z’s big bet on podcasting

    Over the past few months, we’ve written a lot about making podcasts, from a guide to new podcasting tools to Spotify’s podcast strategy to why no one should ever start a podcast.

    Podcasts are undoubtedly in, meaning the day where you decide to produce a podcast will inevitably come. Descript just launched (with its recent Lyrebird acquisition) to be there when that happens. 👀

    In the PH comments, Descript CEO Andrew Mason (who previously founded Groupon) described the product as “an end-to-end podcast production studio wrapped in a user experience that was as approachable and flexible as a document.”

    Descript essentially answers the question of “How do I make a podcast?” in a product. You connect a mic to your computer, hit record and then edit to your heart’s content The editing aspect is particularly intriguing — Descript is designed to be super intuitive (like a document) and has cool features like “Overdub,” a tool that lets you correct voice recordings with text. 🎙

    “It's the first of many AI-powered features we plan to ship together to reduce the friction of creative expression.” - Andrew

    Earlier this week, the company announced it raised a $15 million Series A from Andreessen Horowitz and Redpoint, which is plans to use to hire more and expand the business.

    Some initial reactions from podcasters and future podcasters:

    “I've been looking for a tool that would allow me to "type" podcast ad reads and output with my voice to save me time and avoid long approval delays. I'll have to give the new Descript a try." - Ryan

    “Descript is an incredible tool. Within minutes of finishing a podcast recording I've got the episode transcribed and ready for editing.” - Nico

    “This looks amazing—congrats on getting it here, folks! I've been looking at Descript since the early days and seeing it turn into such a mature and futuristic take on audio editing is awesome.” - Marius

    Highlight

    Want social media tips from a social media tipster? Check out this AMA with Matt Navarra. 🙌🙌🙌🙌

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