Due to the relatively low threshold, audio-based podcasting has lured the participation of many content creators, and given the stiff competitiveness of this sector, it is essential for every podcaster to identify his or her unique style and positioning in order to stay relevant in the increasingly crowded market.

Rapper MC Bee aka BeeMan from local Cantonese hip hop group Manhand, set up Fudo Records last year, with a 100% Cantonese podcast channel Fudo Podcast.

'There's something unique and attractive about Cantonese'

He recalled that the local Chinese radio scene in the 1990s was dominated by Cantonese programs, and he himself was growing up in a predominantly Cantonese-speaking environment in Pudu.

"To me, Cantonese is my mother tongue, and we KL-ites all grew up speaking Cantonese! I think there's something unique and attractive about this dialect."

Many people told him there was very little market value for pure Cantonese podcast programs, but that also made him want to position his "Fudo Podcast" as something unique in the market.

"I feel that every dialect culture deserves to be preserved and promoted.

"Before I listened to podcasts, I used to listen to talk shows especially the 'Late Shows', including those by some of Hong Kong's best talk show hosts and also David Letterman.

"I picked up some of their styles in my podcast programs."

MC Bee started to listen to podcasters from Taiwan and the US several years ago, including Mike Tyson, rapper Joe Budden, etc.

"I had thought of doing my own podcast but I just didn't have any idea or time to plan.

"But later due to the MCO, I had plenty of time to do some research online and browse through the recording equipment I needed to purchase."

He said jokingly that the MCO had indeed helped him unlock some of the new technologies.

"While there is already a flood of video programs in the market, creating podcast content is relatively simple. It is easily absorbed if we listen attentively."

Niche segment

MC Bee finds that podcasting has become very popular in places like Taiwan and has become an effective platform for knowledge-based social media influencers and content creators.

"You can have easy access to the latest innovation, technologies, medical knowhow, commercial and social happenings through podcast platforms."

Thinking that Cantonese channels were lacking in the local podcast scene, MC Bee decided to venture into this particular segment.

"Some people have devoted themselves to the promotion of subculture while some have successfully turned their hobbies into lifetime occupations and have managed to shoot to fame overseas although few know about them here.

"I feel that their achievements need to be appreciated and known by more people here."

While producing his programs, MC Bee has accidentally discovered that this platform could be turned into a bridge to bring together guests who did not previously know one another, but would ask when the program would be recorded so that they could come over to "chill out".

"This is something really precious. I was like creating a small 'community'. Some of the guests used to be very focused in their individual fields but through this podcast they have found an opportunity to learn more about other areas.

A platform to uncover and visualize

To MC Bee, Fudo Podcast is a major subculture channel to make more people learn about such invaluable verbally transmitted information.

"This is a platform for you to uncover and visualize.

"I initially thought of doing a channel to record the hip hop culture. When 'The Rap of China' variety show became a phenomenal success, many thought this subculture was something new without realizing that actually we had produced quite a number of local rappers back from 1992 through 1994.

"As for the enormously popular invitation-only social media app Clubhouse, MC Bee admitted that he had spent time giving it a try.

"It is a very excellent platform for podcast content creators. I was thinking how to put the two together, for example bring my guests to Clubhouse and slowly form a Fudo community there."

Compared to TV programs, MC Bee likes podcast more because of the absence of time constraint. Meanwhile, some of the guests have also told him they could talk more freely on podcasts, including also vulgarisms.

"It won't be so real if we throw in the restrictions. It's like a sugar coating: you won't get to see the 'real' side of the guests."

MC Bee admitted that he was not a professional anchor and needed a lot of time to overcome his initial psychological barriers.

"For the first ten episode, for instance, my words were very dispersed and I took a lot of time editing, even to redo an entire episode!"

Of course some of his guests were curious whether there would be anyone listening to them, including a former radio station DJ whose program on Fudo later proved to be a hit with over 36,000 views on YouTube.

"Many guests think they have nothing worthy of sharing with the audience, but I feel that there is value in every story they share, even their failures because people can pick up some valuable lessons from their not-so-good experiences."

Want to go full-time but not now

While admiring that American podcast channels can stretch up to a thousand episodes, MC Bee admits that content creators in Malaysia cannot count on podcasts as their only source of income as they still need to have a regular full-time job to stay afloat.

"I hope to become a full-time podcaster but at this juncture, this is simply impossible.

"If you ask me about the traffic, I would say I'm quite happy with what i have now. Bear in mind that this is a Cantonese channel, and the traffic is better than what I have anticipated.

"I didn't have much expectation for it, firstly because of the language factor, and then not many people knew about me."

It took MC Bee quite some time to gain in popularity, from single digit of listeners for his first few episodes to over a thousand on Spotify.

Has the age of sound finally arrived? No one can tell for sure, but at least Malaysian content creators can now look forward to a new platform to exert their potentials to win over the ears of a stable of loyal followers.