Podcast Guide

It's easy to get hold of free programmes from Absolute Radio (they're called 'podcasts'), and listen to them whenever you want, in your own time, at home or on the move!

How to download a podcast

Just follow these five really simple steps...

1. You can listen to podcasts through the Absolute Radio website any time, by browsing our podcast directory and clicking the 'listen to this episode' button, but the easiest and best way to listen is by subscribing to your favourite Absolute Radio podcasts.
2. Subscribing is very easy, and most people do it through iTunes (though you can do it through other podcast or media managers too). iTunes will make your whole listening experience a lot easier, and it includes features like remembering which podcasts you've already listened to. If you don’t have it on your computer already, you can download iTunes for free.
3. In iTunes, find the podcast you want by clicking on 'iTunes Store' in the left hand column, and then search for 'Absolute Radio' using the search box in the top right of the screen (see the video). This will provide you with a list of all the programmes we have on offer. Alternatively, you can find the podcast you are looking for by using the Absolute Radio podcast directory. From there, simply click the 'Add to iTunes' button which will take you straight to the relevant page on iTunes.
4. Once you’ve found the one you're looking for, click on the button marked 'subscribe'. Now, every time a new edition of the podcast is released, you'll get it for free automatically – you don't have to do a thing! So you know you'll never miss an episode, and you can put your mind at rest - and you can stop receiving the files at any time.
5. That's it! If you want to, you can now put your podcasts onto your iPod or portable media player, and enjoy free on-demand shows from Absolute Radio whenever and wherever you want!

If you have any more questions about our podcasts, see if our FAQs have an answer for you, or email us with your question.

Frequently asked questions

• Where's the music?

  For copyright reasons, we're unable to include full music tracks in our podcasts. We're working with the record companies to allow us to do more in this area.
• What file format are your podcasts?

  Most of our podcasts are high-quality mono MP3s. Some of the more carefully-crafted are in stereo.
• What's with the editing?

  To get them available as soon as we can, many of our podcasts are generated automatically. We edit out things that might date, like the news, the ads, and the travel - which can result in some odd-sounding editing.
• Are these podcasts full of ads?

  No: you'll normally find just one commercial message in each podcast, which pays for the service.
• Can I host these podcasts myself?

  Absolute Radio podcasts are subject to our copyright notice. Please do not redistribute these podcasts on your own servers or BitTorrent: we rely on accurate download figures for our advertisers. So, no.
• Can I host simple edits of these podcasts?

  No. If you just want a section of our podcast - a guest interview from an old podcast, for example - then we'd be happy to produce and host these for you if you ask nicely.
• Can I remix and mash them up?

  If you want to use short samples of the speech within our podcasts, then go for it: as long as you're not selling it, and as long as you don't claim that we're endorsing your work (unless we are). But let us know what you're doing, and we'll probably link to you if you're doing something cool. However, we can't give you any permission to use the short snippets of commercial music you'll find in our podcasts, though: speak to the friendly record companies and see if they let you. We think we know what the answer will be, but there's no harm in asking.