I'm listening to Deidre Rodman talk about a lost cell phone and, for some reason, I’m riveted. Rodman, the piano player in the jazzy, self-described "cocktail pop" quartet known as The Lascivious Biddies, gives every detail as I eagerly await the story's conclusion. The weird part is that, at this point, I haven’t met Deidre Rodman. I'm simply listening to one of the Biddies' recent podcasts, which was recorded on the road from the inside a rented mini-van. The audio is muffled at times. But each of the four women in the New York City-based group take gleeful turns telling stories and laughing at each other's jokes. This goes on for a good 20 minutes. I haven't even heard their music yet, and yet I'm intrigued. So I go to the Web site and download one of their songs. Wow. Pretty friggin’ cool. Maybe I’ll buy the album…

In last month's piece about the emerging art of podcasting, which lets people easily upload constantly updated audio to their MP3 players automatically, I noted that relatively few individual artists or bands are actually using the technology to their advantage. That's still true—a fact that became especially clear when my search for podcasters among Atlas Plugged readers elicited many variations of this response: "Mike, what the hell is podcasting?" (If you don't know, read last month's issue.)

So I went hunting on my own and found that podcasting—while still in its infancy—won’t be for long. It’s actually about where blogging was two or three years ago (and now blogging is everywhere). So be forewarned: pretty soon it will be almost mandatory, so make your own noise now before you get drowned out by the cacophony.

Podcasting is really no more than automatically downloading audio over the Internet. Its true value is providing an alternate and effective way of reaching and increasing your fan base. Many artists aren't simply creating music MP3 files and calling it a podcast (not that there’s anything wrong with that). They are connecting with their fans more intimately by transmitting loose chat sessions, stream of consciousness diatribes and anything else that crosses their minds.

The beauty of podcasting is that you can do anything you want. If you don't have any new music to feed the beast at the moment, why not tell a story about a lost cell phone? Speaking of that, when I finally got Deidre of the Biddies on the phone, I felt like I already knew her (I mean, who hasn't lost a cell phone at some point?). "It’s very exciting," she tells me. "It’s like a podcasting revolution."

Since the Biddies started podcasting about three months ago, they have received emails from new fans all over the world. "One guy told us that he only listens to heavy metal and The Lascivious Biddies," she says (Just so you know: The Biddies are about as far from heavy metal as you can get). Now, podcasting is expanding their reach in ways they couldn’t have predicted. "It’s growing exponentially, and our CD sales have gone up a lot," she says. How much exactly? "A lot," she repeats forcefully. "If you share your music with the world, people will support it."

Biddycasts, as they call them, have ranged from random discussions from moving mini-vans to live music sessions to the Feb. 28 podcast involving sickly soliloquies from flu- and cold-stricken biddies. In the future, the band wants to expand their podcasts to include rehearsals, interviews with friends of the band and even live shows from various New York City clubs and house concerts with local New York City musicians recorded at Studio 161B (also known as Deidre’s apartment) via www.livepodder.com. "It’s bringing people together," she says. "Here’s a way to reach people on a global scale." Deidre’s actually getting married in a couple of months, so I asked whether she’ll be podcasting the wedding. She pauses before answering. "I think that would be getting a bit too close to reality TV for me," she says.

The point is that she could if she wanted to. With podcasting, you (not a record company or other mysterious corporate force) can choose how much of yourself you want to put "out there" for the world. You can stick to just the music or reveal personal details. You’re the director, the editor and the producer all wrapped into one.

If you want to get a sampling of what’s out there, go to a site like www.podcastalley.com and hunt around for the latest podcasting fare. Site owner (and self-appointed "podcast librarian") Chris McIntyre spends hours every day weeding through the dozens of new podcast submissions he receives. They range from music to news to talk-radio-esque offerings—and everything in between. "I set out to create a much better directory to sort out the good from the bad," he says. "Bands are realizing that this is a great way to get to their users." (a.k.a, fans). McIntyre says the podcasting trends are clear. "We’re going to see an onslaught of podcasters," he says. "It’s the next step."

You can also find new podcasts by checking out former MTV vee-jay and "Podfather" Adam Curry’s www.ipodder.org site. One recent listing was by rock band Friendly Fire (www.friendlyfirenetwork.com), whose podcast consists of music interspersed with a band-delivered, politically charged newscast. Why would fans download such quirkiness? Why not? Your fans probably find your little quirks more intriguing than you even know. They want to find out more about you. A podcast is a great way to let them into your world.

As I mentioned in last month’s piece, however, podcasting still requires some technical know-how (Although the ipodder site has a great how-to section. Artists who don’t want to cope with all the hassle can still submit their music to the myriad of podcasting "shows" proliferating out there. Many of them focus on indie music, and they are eager to listen to your submissions.

One option is www.indiepodcasting.com, which specializes in finding emerging and indie bands. "We plan to establish ourselves as a reliable source of good independent music," Tony Alexander, who runs the site, writes in an email. "Myself and those who screen potential clients have many years of experience in popular music production, performance and online promotion. We do not promote all who submit material. Talent is a pre-requisite." Be forewarned that there's also a $5 application fee. And although all submitted music gets into the podcasting rotation on affiliated Alexa Digital Radio, not everything is chosen for direct promotion through the IndiePodcasting.com site.

There’s also Brian Ibbott, who runs the www.coverville.com podcast. One mission of his show is finding unique covers by unknown or emerging bands (He prefers polished studio recordings that diverge somewhat from the original song. Email him at coverville@gmail.com). With a Macintosh laptop and a $50 microphone, Ibbott puts together a weekly program that usually includes some real gems. In fact, some of the covers kick the living hell out of the original songs. Case in point: I found myself rocking out to Texas-based rock group Dynamite Boy’s rendition of the Backstreet Boy’s "I Want It That Way." Just so you know, I wouldn’t be caught dead listening to the Backstreet Boys. But Dynamite Boy’s version just completely rocks! For those who want to check it out, it’s Coverville podcast number 56.

Right now, Ibbott says he has about 8,000 to 11,000 downloaders per podcast—a number he expects to keep growing. "It has certainly proven that there’s a big audience for independent music," he says. "I don’t see it displacing radio, but it might make radio take notice of what people are listening to. Maybe the same 30 songs they’re playing all the time on the radio isn’t cutting it anymore."

Hear, hear. Of course, some artists are even using podcasting to augment their radio presence. Buck Howdy, who writes children’s songs, already has a show called "Cow Pie Radio" on XM Satellite Radio and some 30 terrestrial radio stations across the country. But he also runs a podcast designed to keep his fans coming back for more. "Anything we can do to bring the listener closer to the process and have a more connected feeling—that’s great," he says. "You’d be amazed by how many kids at schools across the country have iPods. People used to ask me, why can’t I get Cow Pie Radio where I am? Now they can."

Despite Howdy’s success in the traditional radio world, he can’t help but marvel at the power of podcasting for emerging artists everywhere. "With podcasting—by golly—especially in this day and age of mainstream radio and playlists that are impossible to get on, here’s a way to use your own imagination," he says. "For less than $50, you can be broadcasting worldwide. That’s unprecedented in the history of this industry."

Also unprecedented, now that I think of it, would be finding your cell phone after you lost it in a New York City taxicab. I bring this up as I’m chatting with Deidre Rodman of The Lascivious Biddies, and she admits to me that her efforts to search the taxicab station house proved unsuccessful after the company owner kept blowing her off. She eventually broke down and bought a new cell phone. But you’ll probably hear all the gory details about that in an upcoming podcast.

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(Mike Grebb is a writer, journalist and singer/songwriter based in Washington, D.C. He has written for numerous publications, including Wired and Billboard. He just completed his debut solo record, Resolution, which is available at www.mikegrebb.com).