Fans Get In on the Fun With Live Podcast Recordings During The Ringer Residency
Laughter, energy, camaraderie—these are just a few of the elements that come to life when a podcast is recorded in front of an audience, rather than in a sound-proof studio. To create more opportunities for hosts and fans to commune during these live recordings, Spotify’s The Ringer recently hosted their Summer Ringer Residency.
Taking place at the famed El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles, the residency featured live podcast events for six Ringer shows: The Ringer NBA Show, Talk the Thrones, The Big Picture, The Ringer-Verse, Wrighty’s House, and The Ringer Fantasy Football Show.
For the Record caught up with Geoff Chow, Head of Podcast Studios & Managing Director for The Ringer, to learn more about the residency and the appeal of live podcast recordings.
What have you learned from this first-ever Ringer Residency?
It was a great display of the power of Ringer fandom and a showcase of the broad range of Ringer content from sports—basketball and both kinds of football—to cultural tentpoles like movies, prestige television, and nerd culture. Operationally, the events team led by Elizabeth Fierman did an amazing job putting together an experience that both the hosts and their audiences loved. We observed ways we can continue to grow our events with different markets, sponsorship partners, and content that we’re excited to continue exploring.
How do live podcasts offer a unique experience for both podcast hosts and listeners?
Podcast listening tends to be a fairly solitary experience—in your headphones, while you’re commuting, at the gym—but people build such a strong connection with their favorite hosts. To bring hundreds of people together to experience their favorite shows at a live event, laughing at the same inside jokes and feeling a common bond with others in the crowd, it feels like an instant community, tied together by their shared interest. Being part of that is a special experience. For hosts, who are used to recording in-studio or even at home, getting to hear laughter and real-time reactions is a rush and fosters an even deeper connection to their audience.
Why is it important for The Ringer and Spotify to put on IRL events like this?
At The Ringer, we have always focused on creating content for consumers in the way they want to engage with it. We’re thrilled that audiences choose to spend so many hours per week reading, listening, and watching our content. To be able to bring that to a live experience only strengthens the creator-audience relationship. Building community and creating meaningful experiences for fans develops a deeper affinity for our brand and content. As an audience engagement tool it takes fandom to a different level.
If you didn’t get a chance to attend one of the live recordings, you can still listen to each of the episodes on demand. Below we’ve rounded up the podcasts and the episodes recorded over the summer.
The Ringer NBA Show
Justin, Rob, and Wos start by discussing the Celtics’ NBA Finals victory and Joe Mazzulla’s status as a coach, and debate who’s going to be the Jrue Holiday of this offseason. Next, Chris Ryan joins for an offseason preview. With the upcoming NBA draft, the guys bring on J. Kyle Mann to discuss the perception of this year’s class, all the noise around Bronny James, and more.
Talk the Thrones
Chris Ryan, Mallory Rubin, and Joanna Robinson convene to discuss the latest episodes of House of the Dragon as they entertain fan questions, have in-depth chats, and play fun games in this live show.
The Big Picture
Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins discuss movies you need to see, alongside special guest and Ringer colleague Chris Ryan. The topic for this special live recording is 2000s summer blockbusters.
The Ringer-Verse
The Ringer’s expert superfans converse about favorite shows and movies happening this summer. Check out the episode for all of the fun from The Midnight Boys, House of R, the Bad Babies, and the Midnight Mafia.
The Ringer Fantasy Football Show
The guys start with some of the biggest training camp storylines. Next, they play a game of “20s or 40s?” to determine which veteran fantasy stars are still attractive draft picks this season. Along the way, they determine how the D.I.C.A.P.R.I.O. system applies to their favorite aging RBs. They wrap with an Oreos taste test and a special (in person) edition of emails.
Wrighty’s House
Former Arsenal and England National Team striker Ian Wright discusses the latest football headlines, as well as his cultural passions.
Want more live shows from The Ringer? Check out this hub on Spotify.
