Eddy Cue had a closed door meeting with podcasters frustrated with Apple

Podcasters are frustrated with the way Apple treats the producers of the popular audio format, and the situation has gotten to the point where Apple and the top podcasters held a special summit to try to resolve some of the issues, according to a report in the New York Times by John Herrman.

Apple invited a group of seven top podcasters to its headquarters, said the report, citing anonymous sources. The podcasters reportedly discussed in "frank terms" their biggest issues to a roomful of Apple employees. Eddy Cue, Apple SVP of Internet Software and Services, also met with the podcasters in a subsequent closed-door meeting, according to the report.

According to the New York Times, the main grievances of podcasters are:

• Lack of ability for podcasters to make money through subscription downloads
• Insufficient analytic data about podcasts, such as listener counts and listener duration
• Apple has only a single point-person that all podcasters must contact to deal with any issues

The podcast format was created by Apple in 2005. But podcasts have exploded in popularity in recent years, thanks to shows like "Serial."

It's unclear whether the meeting will result in any immediate changes in Apple's approach to podcasts, and the report notes that no promises were made by Apple. But with rivals from Google to streaming music services all also eyeing podcasts as a big opportunity, Apple may feel pressure to appease the unrest among podcasters.

Apple was not immediately available for comment.

You can read the full New York Times report here.