LNCast leverages the Bitcoin Lightning Network to enable creators to monetize their podcasts with micropayments.
LNCast is a web application built on the MEAN Stack. It uses node-feedparser to get podcast info from RSS feeds. LNCast supports micropayments and payouts on the Bitcoin Testnet using LND's GRPC service.
I am a huge fan of the podcast medium. Podcasts are a great way to learn or to be entertained when your brain would otherwise be idle.
As much as I like podcasts, I hate ads, and most podcasts are full of them. Those that aren't full of ads must either eat the cost of storage and bandwidth or rely on user donations through centralized services such as Patreon and PayPal, whose fees limit the amount of money that actually gets to the creators and price out small donations.
With instant, trustless micropayments, listeners can pay directly to creators for an ad-free experience, by the episode, or even (theoretically) by the second, supporting the podcast and improving their listening experience in the process.
My hope for this project is that it will highlight the value that the lighting network could bring to the podcast medium.
Please report any issues or desired features on this repository.
Additionally, you are encouraged to contribute to the codebase by submitting a pull request.