
Show HN: Listen Notes Podcast Search API - wenbin
https://www.listennotes.com/developers
======
froindt
This looks very promising! I've thought of doing something similar and started
(very slowly) on the project a month ago.

What are the data sources you're using for the transcripts behind the api?

As an idea for others who are better able to implement, I'd love a system
which would search every podcast I've ever listened to. It's very difficult
for me to remember which podcast I heard a specific story, maxim, or interview
when I want to share it with a friend. Bonus points if a transcript has some
timestamps lined up.

~~~
wenbin
I have meta data of podcasts & episodes in my own database, including title,
description, publisher, ... But I don't have transcripts.

Everyone says they want transcripts, but after some digging, I decide that
transcript is not very useful for now --

For listeners, those who choose to listen hate reading texts.

For podcasters, it's expensive to produce transcripts and the seemingly SEO
boost is not easy to justify -- 1, it takes time for SEO to work; 2,
conversational contents (most podcasts) are not high quality when you see them
in texts.

For Listen Notes (podcast search engine), indexing transcripts introduces more
noise than signals.

I did some experiment around transcripts, e.g.,
[https://www.listennotes.com/e/51222de65c2c484e8a47608eac1329...](https://www.listennotes.com/e/51222de65c2c484e8a47608eac13294a)
But I decided not to continue for now.

The search results from Listen Notes include uuid for episode & podcast. So
the client side (e.g., podcast player) can keep track of listen history for a
user.

~~~
danielmorozoff
If you're interested in transcript search. We do it as part of our video
processing engine and we work with a some podcast creators to provide search
api. Message me if you are interested.

 __We do the first option in what you bring up in your later comment

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orliesaurus
I love this, I just love this. This is what Google should have released a few
years back when podcasts started taking over. I can't donate with PayPal
because that platform hates me, maybe I can venmo you money for a beer!?.
Thanks for sharing it with us!

~~~
swyx
just build on it, he's trying to monetize it not ask for donations

~~~
rahimnathwani
He _is_ asking for donations. There's a PayPal link at the bottom of the home
page: 'Buy me coffee or donate some server time'

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dvddgld
That makes sense, I find it too distracting to listen to unless I'm doing
something entirely monotonous. The illusion of multitasking and all that. I'm
jealous that you can just pause to think!

I'm definitely in that category of people that spend more time listening than
watching, but I can't find 5+ hours per day. Although I might if I replaced
all blogs and HN with podcasts haha.

In any case, I'll definitely try your service out and show some friends :).
Hope you get some donations!

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dvddgld
"I'm an avid podcast listener. I listen to 5+ hours podcasts everyday."

How do you have time for that? Do you listen while doing light work? Looks
like a great service anyway!

~~~
wenbin
I wear AirPods while coding. You know, modern programming work involves a lot
of mechanical work... like moving code block around, copy & paste... For such
mechanical work, I can multitask by listening to podcasts -- so I don't feel
that I waste time :) Whenever I need to think, I just double tap my AirPods to
pause.

I also listen podcasts during commute, workout, doing grocery, ...

I heard serval of my friends said that they spend more time listening to
podcasts / audiobooks than watching TV / reading books. I don't know whether
it's silicon valley bubble or it's actually a trend :)

~~~
purephase
I'm with you up until the part about listening while coding. For all of the
other more mundane tasks like shopping, dishes, showering, video games,
commuting throwing on a podcast makes sense.

I just can't concentrate on code and a podcast at the same time. Both will
suffer if I try to combine them.

Great service! Thanks for sharing.

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TekMol
Big podcast fan here. After looking at the page, I tried:

[https://www.listennotes.com/api/v1/search?q=hello](https://www.listennotes.com/api/v1/search?q=hello)

And got an empty result.

Looks like you need to sign up with some external service to use it? Why that?
For the monetization? Or am I missing something?

~~~
wenbin
The API can't be accessed via www.listennotes.com.

I host my API on Mashape, where it takes care of some mundane but necessary
tasks for building an API, e.g., API key/secret, rate limit, payment,
documentation, ...

For details, please refer to
[https://market.mashape.com/listennotes/listennotes](https://market.mashape.com/listennotes/listennotes)

~~~
TekMol
Yup, got it!

It says "Search (almost) all podcasts & episodes on the Internet."

Where does the data come from?

~~~
wenbin
From iTunes initially. But right now, more and more podcasters submit their
podcasts to Listen Notes. Podcasters want their shows to be discovered.

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kbyatnal
Very cool! How are you doing the typeahead feature? Do you have a big list of
topics or something?

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swyx
how exactly do you rate "best podcasts"? not disagreeing, just interested in
methodology. ever thought of giving per episode rating?

~~~
wenbin
I want to be frank here: it's from iTunes top chart via their API
[https://affiliate.itunes.apple.com/resources/documentation/i...](https://affiliate.itunes.apple.com/resources/documentation/itunes-
store-web-service-search-api/)

In the future I'll use my own data to come up with my own top chart, e.g.,
data for searches, clicks, plays, shares, ratings (TODO)...

~~~
swyx
ah i see. might want to disclose that then. i have no problem with it but it
might confuse people that you are adding your own rating somehow

~~~
wenbin
For now, there's a footnote at the bottom of that page :)

Sure, I need to make it more clear.

