Launching the Darkling Psalter Podcast

Friends of the Darkling Psalter,

When I posted the first audio reading of a psalm, the response was bigger than I expected. That tells me something: you’d like to hear these psalms out loud, not just read them on the page.

And truth be told, I’d like to record them.

Here’s the catch: recording these readings takes time—more time than I can reasonably justify as “extra” on top of writing. If I’m going to devote that energy, I need it to also be a way this project supports itself.

So here’s my experiment:

I’m going to launch The Darkling Psalter Podcast as a benefit for paid subscribers.

Every text version will still go out to everyone, just like always. Nothing changes there. This is simply a way of saying: if you want the psalms in your ears as well as on your screen, here’s your chance to help make that sustainable for everyone.

And let me be really clear: this is an experiment. If people shrug and say “meh,” I’ll chalk it up to learning, take the podcast down, and go back to sharing the written psalms as usual. No harm done. But if people jump in with two feet, I’ll know this is something worth building—and I’ll start working through my backlog so we end up with a complete audio Psalter by the time we reach 150 psalms.

And if the podcast really takes off, maybe down the road we could add commentary tracks, or Q&A episodes, or bonus recordings, etc.

Think of this as an opportunity to “vote with your feet.” If audio matters to you, now is your chance to let me know.

If you want to join now, just click the button:

Either way, thank you for walking this journey with me.

—Andy

FAQ Section

Will we still get the text versions for free?

Yep. All the text posts will still continue as normal.

If I become a paid subscriber, can I listen to the audio podcast in other apps?

Yes. Substack will give you a private RSS feed via email and in the Substack app (a great way to listen). You’ll be able to listen to it on most podcast platforms.

Can we persuade you to leave some of the audio episodes un-paywalled?

I’m currently thinking about whether the best model is to paywall all the episodes or only most of them.

I can’t afford to jump to a paid subscription. Can I still have the audio for free anyway?

Yeah…go on, then.

If you really want to listen to the audio but just can’t afford to chip in $5/month, drop me a line at andymatthewpatton@gmail.com and I’ll comp you a subscription, no questions asked.

I like this idea, but I’d prefer to support you on Patreon.

I don’t have a Patreon for the Darkling Psalter yet. If any of you are in this boat, would you fill out this poll so that I know you exist?

What if you paywall this podcast and no one becomes a paid subscriber in order to listen?

Good question. If no one takes me up on this offer, I’m going to keep writing these psalm renditions until we have 150 of them done and dusted, I just won’t make audio versions right now.

If that happens, I’ll take off the paywall and we’ll go back to business as usual.

I have thoughts and questions your FAQ didn’t cover, can I email you?

Absolutely. The whole reason I’m doing this project on Substack is to interact with people, get feedback, and keep the wind in the sails of the dream of making renditions for all 150 psalms. Email me at andymatthewpatton@gmail.com.