Premium Member But Still Listens to Free

• I listen to the free versions of the Bombcast and Beastcast more often than the premium versions.
• Most of the ads, I have no problem with. Some are even kind of fun.
• If the ads weren't done by the hosts, or if they were a lot longer/more frequent, I'd use the subscriber feeds more often.
• I manage most of my podcasts through iTunes, and I am subscribed to the feed for other premium podcasts (Alt+F1, Danswers), but I don't think I have the premium feeds for Bombcast and Beastcast yet. Sometimes I'll listen to them through the website, or download the file, open in iTunes, and set the media type to Podcast (so it doesn't get treated as Music in the software).

I used to exclusively listen to the ad/free version when Jeff and Vinny were doing the Small Business Man bits but since those stopped happening I just listen to the Premium feed now.

Premium member, hate the adds (been a long time since any good ones, basically since Dave Lang guested), listen to free because I don't know how to get the premium feed, don't hate the adds enough to figure it out.

So for those of you having trouble subscribing on iOS, it does seem like the RSS feed button is broken. When tapped on, it tries to open the news app instead of the podcast app.

1. So what you do is you hold-tap the RSS button and Copy Link.
2. Go to "My Podcasts," in your podcasts app and click the add button on the top left.
3. Paste your URL and there you go!

Pretty simple and quick. I've already notified Rorie about the problem with the RSS button.

I think that's just how browsers are supposed to handle RSS links. They aren't built to determine that this RSS feed is a podcast, so it should open in your podcast app.

It would be too much of a pain dling the premium casts compared to the itunes feed but even if it weren't I wouldn't. The adds are usually entertaining and occasionally have been goddamned hilarious. If you missed the recent Crunchyroll add Jeff and Brad did you need to immediately look that up. Jeff screaming UNLIMITED ANIME is worth it.

EDIT: Here it is.

Find it almost re-assuring to know these guys are on the take in some way, shape or firm. Especially Jeff selling Crunchy Role subscriptions, I wonder if it was his or their idea.

I listen to the free feed. I don't mind the ads. They're at most a few minutes and at least moderately enjoyable to listen to.

I usually pull the premium casts, but sometimes I get lazy and just get the free version

in iTunes, File -> Subscribe to Podcast, and enter

http://USERNAME:PASSWORD@www.giantbomb.com/podcast-xml/premiumbombcast/

in the space where the RSS feed goes. Change username & password to yours.

Change premiumbombcast to just premium for the main premium feed (Alt+F1, Danswers, Powerbombcast, etc) and beastcast-premium (with the hyphen) for GB East.

How do people know what to buy if they never listen to ads?

Same here

My podcast app automatically downloads the free version for me, and honestly I've taken advantage of an offer or two that have appeared on the Bombcast.

I appreciate the way Jeff and Brad (and Vinny before him) position the ads, and they try to make it fun. I respect the Bombcrew, so I take the time to listen to the effort they have put forward.

I do the same. It goes to show that ad's themselves aren't an issue, it's that 99.98% of ad's are boring AF. If it's a good one I'll watch/listen to it all the way through.

The ads started off great and seemed an integral part of the podcast. I still listen to the free podcast, but I think the quality of humour in the ads has declined as the number of ads has increased. I'm also a bit perturbed over the gambling ads. I think I will switch to the premium podcast when (if?) I get the inclination to set it up in my Podcast Addict Android app.

Yep, me too! I find the ads on both the Bombcast and Beastcast more enjoyable than any internet, TV, or billboard ad companies spend untold millions on.

I've had a premium subscription for a while but I still listen to the free podcast. I'll admit I enjoyed the small business man bits. I don't remember but since Vinny left has it only been Jeff and Brad doing the ads since? Maybe they should try some of the other guys and bounce around to see if the different duos are better. Actually, I just want to hear Dan try to sell me a crunchyroll subscription.

@rotnac said:

I finally made the switch to the premium feed just this last week. I used to enjoy the ads but that hasn't been the case as much recently so I finally made the switch. Still, listened to the podcasts with ads for what like two years? How long ago did they split them I don't even remember.

I used to really like the ads, but nowadays I mostly listen to the free version because I don't want to deal with authenticating on podcast apps. It's not that they are terrible, but they have kind of gotten boring. And I'm starting to get skeezed by the not gambling (but TOTALLY GAMBLING!) fantasy league ads. I still appreciate that they read the ads themselves, and I have considered signing up for that monthly razor stuff.

I need as much Jeff yelling in my life as possible, so listening too the premium bombcast is not even an option.

I do. Oh that reminds me, I need to cancel my Crunchy Roll subscription..

I also listen to the normal podcast. mainly cause im to lazy to download and sync my phone with itunes. (i just update my podcast app on my phone)

i also like the ads, they are funny sometimes

@thisisacooltag: Thank you very much, I would never have known how to do any of that on my own.

I'm disappointed when the free bombcast doesn't have ads...

I've never listened to the premium versions. Half the time the ads are entertaining, the other half they're short enough not to irritate anyway. I sit through ads on YouTube and Twitch, having one that's at least read by the Bomb Crew is preferable to that even if they don't make it into a bit.

I usually listen to each podcast at least twice, but even then I stick with the regular (I'd have to download a second version anyway, so that'd be silly).

I listen to the ad versions as well.

I used to listen to the ads, but man, every fucking ad on every podcast is for draft kings and I can't stand them. I still grab the free version of the podcast because I'm too lazy to setup another feed, but I skip through them.

I'm a fellow premium member who subscribes to the standard feed, although it would appear for different reasons to the other folks in this thread. I stick with the original feed because it's got every episode on it, plain and simple. Sometimes I like to go back and listen to really old Bombcasts from the site's earliest days, and the premium feed only goes back as far as 2013, so it doesn't satisfy that need for me. Access to those old 'casts is way more important to me than ad-free listening.

The ads are humorous and delivered with a hint acerbic derision, that I have no problem listening to them. That and the 'free version' is all that is available on iTunes.

Copy the RSS url from the premium Bombcast page. Then on iTunes go to "File > Subscribe to Podcast..." then paste the url and click OK. You may get a prompt to put in your username and password. Now you have the premium feed (or any premium podcast) on iTunes.

Wow, I had no idea you could get the premium podcast using your account credentials on iTunes. Thanks! I almost always listened to the regular non-premium version because that's the only one I originally thought you could get in an iTunes subscription feed.

That's strange that @jeff and the guys never have really explained how to do that during one of the regular podcasts...

That being said, when the GB podcast first started doing ads, Jeff and Vinny's impromptu skits were really creative and always funny. But lately that's not the case, so I started skipping them when listening during my commute or at the office... but I also know when Vinny comes to town during a Bombcast recording, Jeff seems to almost always do another clever ad skit that includes him, so I'll probably still listen to the regular version of the Bombcast for those specific instances.

I download all my podcast through iTunes, so sadly I have to listen to the ads, but I just fast forward through them. I know, I'm such a rebel.

I don't watch tv or listen to radio, and I don't go to many sites that use adds. The podcast adds are kind of my reminder that I'm part of humanity and that there is another world out there.

Adds make me feel more alive.

I skip through the draft king ads, don't like the gambling side of things. Every other ad as far as i can remember are actual products - not great products, but still. In fairness the ad reads on the bombcast/beastcast or so much better than any other podcast i listen to.

Same deal. Premium is cheap enough that I feel like listening to ads is the least I can do for the amount of enjoyment I get from this site.

The amount of people in this thread that don't know that you can download premium feeds in itunes or other apps is kinda bumming me out.

@nime: you and me both. I blame Dan Ryckert and his contagious ignorance-is-bliss approach of life. I tells ya, he's a menace to society and needs to be stopped! No one is safe!

I still listen to the free version of the bombcast because the ads are short and fun. I like the ones with Brad and Jeff because there are some that make Brad sound like he is running some shady business that some how SquareSpace or whatever might help him on!

As long as the ads dont become super long and stupid, like how SMODcast's first 30 some odd min became Kevin Smith rambling about the 80 some podcast he has on his site drove me to stop listening to it.

Ah ok, cheers for that!

@avantegardener: No problem, duder!

I'd pay extra for a version of the podcast that just cut out the draft kings ads

I don't understand the hate of the ads. You listen to a 3 hour podcast but can't stand 2 minutes of ads.

I still listen to the free version of the Bombcast. I used to like the ads and found them hilarious up until they started becoming more frequent and mostly for Draft Kings. Brad always delivers the best lines like "I happen to be pro-biotic." or asking if he can choose what the mystery layer of a mattress is. I can't stand the Draft King ads and have been skipping them lately.

As for the Beastcast, I switched over to the premium feed fairly quickly. I just find that their jokes and funny bits that they attempt in the ads usually fall flat and I usually just end up annoyed by them.