Sounds Profitable
Bryan Barletta
The pace of change the podcast industry is undergoing is staggering. The implications for podcasters, hosting providers, podcast listening app developers, and advertisers and agencies are enormous. And so is the growth potential. Presented as a companion to the weekly newsletter of the same name, our podcast provides you with direct access to our narrated articles, interviews with industry experts, bleeding-edge research, and can't miss industry news recaps. That Sounds Profitable, right? Assumptions and conventional wisdom will be challenged. Easy answers with no proof of efficacy will be exposed. Because the thinking that got podcast advertising close to a billion dollars annually will need to be drastically overhauled to bring in the tens or hundreds of billions of dollars podcast advertising deserves.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Aug 6, 2025 • 6min
Audiobooks+ Arrives in US, Von Interviews Cartoon, & More
Today in the business of podcasting: a reminder of the Sounds Profitable job board, Spotify launches Audiobooks Plus in the US, Theo Von interviews Hank Hill, and podcast advertising's ability to drive fans to action. Find links to every article covered by heading to the Download section of SoundsProfitable.com, or by clicking here to go directly to today's installment.
Aug 6, 2025 • 9min
From Social Proof to Parasocial Proof: How Podcasts Provide the Scaffolding for Social Campaigns
New data from Sounds Profitable about how podcasts influence action could also suggest a symbiotic relationship with social media.
Written and narrated by Tom Webster
Edited by Bryan Barletta and Gavin Gaddis
Audio editing by Gavin Gaddis
Find the full article here on Sounds Profitable.
Aug 5, 2025 • 6min
Ofcom Podcast Listenership, Spotify's Price Increase, & More
Today in the business of podcasting: Ofcom has new UK listenership numbers, Spotify is raising its price in overseas markets, reactions to Bloomberg's Wondery closure article, and Xiaomi unveils new open source AI voice model for cars and appliances. Find links to every article covered by heading to the Download section of SoundsProfitable.com, or by clicking here to go directly to today's installment.
Aug 4, 2025 • 7min
Wondery to Fold into Audible, SiriusXM Podcasting Growth, & More
Today in the business of podcasting: Wondery podcast studio is shutting down, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting is shutting down, SiriusXM reports healthy podcast growth in Q2, and why most Americans were never particularly interested in Meghan Markle's podcasting efforts.Find links to every article covered by heading to the Download section of SoundsProfitable.com, or by clicking here to go directly to today's installment.
Aug 1, 2025 • 10min
Spotify Hypes Audiobooks, Podcast Ads Drive Action, & More
This week in the business of podcasting: Sounds Profitable has a new study focusing on how podcast audiences drive action, Magellan AI has a chart of their top movers and shakers in the podcast ad world, Spotify wants fans to "Read like they Listen", audio fiction is becoming a strategic IP play for Hollywood talent, and Astronomer hired Maximum Effort to address the Coldplay situation.Find links to every article covered by heading to the Download section of SoundsProfitable.com, or by clicking here to go directly to today's installment.
Jul 31, 2025 • 6min
Toyota's Podcast $pend, Audio Fiction Incubating New IP, & More
Today in the business of podcasting: Magellan AI has their June top spenders report, how influencer marketing has evolved over H1, TikTok to track audiences after they click out of the app, and podcasts are becoming more of a strategic IP play for actors.Find links to every article mentioned by heading to The Download's section of SoundsProfitable.com, or clicking here to go straight to today's installment.
Jul 30, 2025 • 7min
Podcast Ads Drive Action, Local Radio Reporting Returning, & More
Today in the business of podcasting: Sounds Profitable has published a new report called Driving to Action, Andreessen Horowitz is looking to pay $400k to build out a podcast network, how broadcasters are adapting to young sports fans' desire for instant clips and highlights, and a Fox affiliate in Grand Rapids is the latest Scripps TV station to assign designated neighborhood reporters. Find links to every article mentioned by heading to The Download's section of SoundsProfitable.com, or clicking here to go straight to today's installment.
Jul 29, 2025 • 6min
Spotify Hypes Audiobooks, Overwhelming Ad Load, & More
Today in the business of podcasting: Spotify promotes audiobook listening with music language, a Reddit thread on /r/podcasts strikes up conversations about egregious pre-rolls, why settle for likes when brands can foster love, and Google rebuffs Pew report claiming AI summary search results are causing a decrease in clicks to webpages. Find links to every article mentioned by heading to The Download's section of SoundsProfitable.com, or clicking here to go straight to today's installment.
Jul 28, 2025 • 6min
Comedy as a PR Tool, U.S. Tops Acast Q2 Markets, & More
Today in the business of podcasting: Acast crosses milestone with the U.S. becoming their highest-contributing single podcast market, Maximum Effort produces a satirical comedy ad for Astronomer, and Adweek looks at the growth and hiring spree happening with smaller, indie ad agencies.Register now for our upcoming webinar!Find links to every article mentioned by going to the Download section of SoundsProfitable.com, or click here to go direct to today's issue.
Jul 25, 2025 • 11min
Remembering Audio in Video Boom, Podcasting's Late-Night Appeal, & More
This week in the business of podcasting: Why Sharon Taylor argues podcasting is losing sight of its audio roots, what Tom Webster learned from the longest-running one-person show in Vegas, an interview with OpusClip's Louis Roberts, and what the death of TheLate Show means for podcasting. Find links to every article mentioned by heading to the Download section of SoundsProfitable.com, or clicking here to go straight to today's entry.
