An Announcement from Nigel and Earlonne

Earlonne Woods (0:00)

Hey, listeners, Earlonne here.

Nigel Poor (0:02)

And Nigel.

Earlonne Woods (0:03)

We're here to make an announcement.

Nigel Poor (0:06)

But first, a little context. When we launched our subscription feed Ear Hustle Plus back in 2023, the idea was to give people a way to support Ear Hustle directly, and also a place to catch up with people you heard on our show.

Earlonne Woods (0:21)

And a bunch of you joined, which was very inspiring to us because it shows that we got a team. So we were very grateful to you.

Nigel Poor (0:31)

But I know we both feel like there's a lot more that we could be doing with Ear Hustle Plus. I mean, you and I have been making Ear Hustle for almost 10 years now.

Yes. It's a very specific kind of show, which means there are a lot of things we've never been able to do there. And honestly, Earlonne, I think Ear Hustle Plus can almost be like a playground for us, a place for us to experiment and make work that challenges and surprises us, and takes you, the listener, to new and different places.

Earlonne Woods (1:00)

So here's the announcement. Drum roll, please.

We are relaunching Ear Hustle Plus.

Nigel Poor (1:07)

I really like to think of it, Earlonne, as a re-imagining. You know, the possibilities of all the things we can do there, and thinking about those possibilities, I have to say, is absolutely thrilling.

Earlonne Woods (1:18)

Yes, it's dope. So some of the episodes will be directly related to Ear Hustle, like an interview that didn't make it into the episode, or something that happened behind the scenes.

Nigel Poor (1:29)

But other times, and this is what I'm really excited about, it'll be something that doesn't have anything to do with the show, but something that we think you will really like. For example, visiting amazing art exhibits and meeting the artists behind the work.

Earlonne Woods (1:43)

Or taking you on the ferry ride with us to Alcatraz.

Nigel Poor (1:47)

And E, you don't even know about this one, but recently I found a recording of the very first public interview we did after you got out of prison.

Earlonne Woods (1:56)

Okay. But it's more than just cool stories. Subscribing to Ear Hustle Plus also shows that the work we do means something to you.

I know that when I got to prison, there was a long time where I felt like no one knew I was there. You know what I'm saying? I mean, you kind of feel like the world forgets about you. Ear Hustle gave me a voice, and not just me, hundreds of other incarcerated people too.

Nigel Poor (2:19)

And for people on the outside, we hear all the time that Ear Hustle has changed the way listeners think about people in prison. Like, you know, we've heard from people who are self-described throw away the keyers, and now they really want to have a better understanding of prison, and they want to connect with people inside.

Earlonne Woods (2:38)

We hear from judges, prosecutors, governors, you know what I'm saying? And these are people who have the power to change policy.

Nigel Poor (2:46)

It's incredible.

Earlonne Woods (2:47)

It's dope.

Nigel Poor (2:48)

Earlonne, let's be very clear. Ear Hustle will always be free.

Earlonne Woods (2:53)

We are definitely committed to that.

Nigel Poor (2:54)

Yes.

And Ear Hustle Plus subscription costs just $5.99 a month or $49.99 a year. And my dream is that we reach 10,000 Ear Hustle Plus subscribers. I know that sounds like a big number.

Earlonne Woods (3:09)

Hey, you know what we always say, the reality is bigger than the dream.

Nigel Poor (3:12)

I know. And 10,000 people is just a fraction of the number of people who listen to Ear Hustle, right? So you know what? I'm sticking with that number, 10K.

Earlonne Woods (3:21)

Well, you stick with 10K.

Nigel Poor (3:23)

Okay.

Earlonne Woods (3:23)

I want 100K plus. I want 100K plus of people subscribing to Ear Hustle Plus because we do dope shit.

Nigel Poor (3:32)

All right. I love how you think, my friend.

Earlonne Woods (3:33)

Okay. And if we can get a bunch of subscribers, well, that helps us go into more prisons and jails across the country to give more incarcerated people the opportunity to tell their stories.

Nigel Poor (3:45)

Exactly. And it is easy to subscribe. You can do it directly from Ear Hustle's feed and Apple podcasts, or you can go to earhustlesq.com/plus.

And those listeners who have already subscribed and listened to Ear Hustle Plus, thank you.

Earlonne Woods (4:02)