BBC Radio has launched some of its first podcasts around commercial recorded music, though its licensing agreements with the industry severely curtail the duration of songs. Some 19 new podcasts have been unveiled (see the directory), one based on the Sunday-night Radio 1 Chart Show, but music is limited to clips of 30 seconds, seeming to mirror terms of the license commercial broadcasters have from PPL, the broadcast royalties collection agency. The limit is in place because podcasting is considered an on-demand medium.

The BBC began a podcast trial in October 2004, extended it a year later and the scheme was approved by the BBC Trust in April 2007, though some radio shows recently have begun referring to the features as “downloads” to avoid confusion.

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