If you had to guess, which show would you place at the top of podcast listens in France at the end of March? The unstoppable Big Heads, hosted by Laurent Ruquier, on RTL? The debates of the Grandes Gueules on RMC? Or the thrillers told by journalist Christophe Hondelatte, on Europe 1? The correct answer is: none of them. In recent days, the traditional radio shows that are all the rage on listening platforms have been somewhat supplanted by another genre. With the approach of Ramadan – which begins this year this Saturday April 2 and will end on May 2 – podcasts on Islam prance at the top of listening.
The number 1 of Apple Podcast, the most listened to platform in France, is thus “The Stories of the Prophets”, a podcast registered in the “Islam category”, by MusVoice. He is not alone: in fourth place, we find “Miracle Fajr”, the “podcast for Muslim mothers”; in sixth “Minute islam”; in eighth, “Coran of your heart”. On Spotify, Minute Islam ranks 7th in the ranking, while “Lecture du Quran” is 11th. The formats are varied: over time, first, ranging from a few minutes to almost an hour; on the technique too, very polished productions involving several voices to others visibly recorded via the microphone of a telephone. Apart from the most popular podcasts, other shows, often at the confluence of Islam and personal development, occupy top positions in the rankings of audio streaming platforms.
A landmark
Very salient these days, this sudden popularity of podcasts on Islam reflects a basic trend, concerning a growing practice. According to the specialized site Podcast Industry Insight, Apple Podcast would have more than 2.4 million productions, all genres combined. Spotify, more than 3.6 million. The application devoted to the subject, Podcast Addict, hosts 1.4 million, according to Numerama. The headings “religion” and “spirituality” are gradually making their way into this increasingly plethoric offer. “In recent years, the podcast has become a benchmark format for believers looking for accessible religious content,” explains Jean-Patrick Labouyrie, creator of the Podmust site, a platform for discovering and recommending podcasts.
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Shortly before Ramadan, when believers refocus on their faith, practicing Muslims are looking for programs on the subject. Podcasts are therefore timely. “We see all the more here that it is above all a calendar success, because the podcasts put forward are neither new and in some cases even no longer in progress”, continues Jean-Patrick Labouyrie. While most of the top 10 shows are currently airing, the latest episode of Stories of the Prophets is on December 12, 2021; that of Minute Islam, of January 22 and for Coran de ton coeur, it even dates back to… March 1, 2020. “Nothing has changed in terms of supply: this popularity clearly reflects a phenomenon in terms of demand”, he continues.
From video to audio
This type of podcast is not new: although absent from the tops of the most popular shows, Catholic “spiritual breaks” have been well within earshot and have been around for a long time. “They were the first religious podcasts that were sent to Podmust, at the time when we still had to submit a form, in 2018, says Jean-Patrick Labouyrie. There were also programs of Buddhist philosophy”. Since then, the environment has opened up to other religions, in particular the Muslim faith, thanks to another phenomenon: the transcription of YouTube videos into audio content.
“A lot of YouTube content does not require their viewers to remain static, their eyes glued to their screens, continues the journalist. The audio passage allows you to benefit from the nomadic side of the podcast”. This is the case for generalist videographers, such as the Thinkerview interview channel, public service programs – C dans l’air, C politique – but also accounts with religious content, such as that of Minute Islam (257,000 subscribers ). Enough to imagine a multiplication of podcasts on the subject in the future when, on YouTube, videos related to the Koranic religion are numerous and accumulate views: 12 million for the “recitation of the Koran which soothes the heart”, 1, 1 million for “Koran to soothe the sad heart” or even more than 916,000 views for a sermon entitled “Move, Islam is not just prayer”.
Revival of old recipes
Impressive figures, but which, lost in the mass of videos published daily on YouTube, would go almost unnoticed. “Usually, Muslim influencers are often the first in religious categories, but do not necessarily emerge in the general rankings, often occupied by star Youtubers with a large audience”, confirms Benjamin Hodayé, associate researcher at the Institut Montaigne . The smaller production of French-speaking podcasts, on the other hand, partly explains why it is easier to note their sudden popularity. “They take advantage of an easier place to take than on other platforms, while confirming a trend that we are already seeing on other formats and media”, continues the specialist.
Audio is thus an opportunity to take up models that already work elsewhere. “The most popular podcasts today use many of the recipes used by promoters of Islam online,” he continues. Among them, the story of the prophets, a theme that comes up frequently among Muslim influencers. The Coran de ton coeur podcast, which tells the story of a prophet of the Muslim religion, Youssouf Aleyhi Salam, is a good example. “The glory of the past is used a lot, with a certain attraction for history. The idea here is less to tell a scientific fact than to be in a dynamic of admiration, even of imitation of models”, explains Benjamin Hodaye.
Always the same reference
The arrival of podcasts mixing personal development and Islam, such as “Miracle Fajr” – derived from the name of a prayer practiced by Muslims – is also not surprising. “On YouTube, a certain number of preachers with essentially religious discourse at their beginnings have reoriented themselves in part towards personal development. For a simple reason: this type of discourse is carrying audiences today, he continues. The idea here is not to proselytize, but to address a specific slice of listeners.”
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Clearly, podcasts specifically intended for a community. This concentration sometimes leads podcasters to make choices of subjects that are a priori unexpected: in a recent episode, the host of Miracle Fajr, Oumeyma, decided to evoke the premenstrual syndrome. A sacred adaptation, which does not however move away from the fundamentals. In the following program, Oumeyma thus developed for more than 30 minutes the best way to… keep a link with Allah during her period. “Religion is diluted in something else, but we remain in a Muslim frame of reference”, explains the researcher. And so far, the recipe is working.
