Podcasts are so SLOW though! I would rather read something for 5-15 minutes then to have it talked at me for an hour, at a pace almost entirely not of my choosing (though if I must listen I will usually increase it to ~2x rate), with no ability to search through it again later to jog my memory.

There is a reason that people consider podcasts as something for bored people to do while driving or being driven somewhere (e.g. riding in a train). Podcasts are done by people who enjoy hearing the sound of their own voices - they have a timeslot to fill (e.g. an hour) and they will fill that space to take exactly that time regardless of whether the content would have been better served by being presented in other means.

i.e. they are for entertainment, not primarily information delivery.

Music is also for entertainment, but unlike podcasts if the music would be better to last let's say 3 minutes than 5, then it will be adjusted in that manner. By repetitive practice and continual edits, the music will get better and better, whereas a one-off podcast that is pooped out on the spot for the purpose of either capitalistic gain or at least fame for the podcaster can be enjoyable to some, but does not improve. Of course some podcasts are better than some music productions.

Podcasts have their niche, ofc. But a good podcast might succeed almost in spite of the podcast format, rather than because of it?