What is being added

One short URL, specific to one show. It goes in front of the audio file URLs the feed already publishes, so a download request reaches White Bastion first and is redirected to the host immediately.

The prefix applies to the whole feed, back catalogue included, from the moment it is saved. Episodes published before setup are measured from that point onward — downloads that already happened are not measured retroactively.

Where the setting lives

Most hosting platforms have a single field for this, usually in the show's settings rather than per episode. The name varies:

• Prefix
• Tracking prefix
• Analytics prefix
• Third-party prefix

Platforms that support prefixes include Megaphone, Simplecast, Art19, Spreaker, Transistor, Buzzsprout, Libsyn, Acast, Captivate, Podbean and RedCircle. Exact placement varies by platform and plan, and help centres are generally easier to search than menus — "prefix" is the word to search for.

Checking it worked

Open the show's RSS feed and look at any <enclosure url="..."> element. After the change the URL should begin with the prefix and end with the original audio URL, unchanged. If the original URL has been replaced rather than wrapped, the value has gone into the wrong field.

The first measured download is the next one after the feed updates. Platforms refresh feeds on their own schedule, usually within minutes.

Removing it

Delete the prefix from the same field. Measurement stops that day. Audio files, episode URLs and the feed return to exactly what they were.