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
May 23, 2025 • 8min
International Audio Listening, Book-Buying on Spotify, & More
This week in the business of podcasting: a slew of international podcast listenership data, Spotify iOS users can now buy audiobooks direct, Amazon joins the Prebid party, and Sounds Profitable has a webinar coming up in a couple weeks. Find links to everything mentioned at the newsletter page, available here on SoundsProfitable.com
May 22, 2025 • 4min
Australian Digital Audio 📈, UK Audio Listening Report, & More
Today in the business of podcasting: Australian digital audio ad revenue is climbing, multiple new reports show UK podcast listenership continues to grow, and Amazon has officially enabled access to Prebid.Find links to every article mentioned right here with today's newsletter post on SoundsProfitable.com
May 21, 2025 • 5min
Channel 4 🔜 Podcasting, New IAB Digital Ad Agreements, & More
Today in the business of podcasting: the IAB has open comments for their new Digital Advertising Agreements, Digiday covers the growing popularity of video podcasting with advertisers, Channel 4 is bringing their content to Spotify video podcasting, and Edison Research drops their quarterly UK top 25 podcast chart.You can find links to every article mentioned right here on SoundsProfitable.com
May 20, 2025 • 7min
Apple Podcast Design Docs, Buying 📚on Spotify iOS, & More
Today in the business of podcasting: Spotify can now sell audiobooks directly in the iOS app, what the business of podcasting can learn from the New York Times' profile of Kara Swisher's podcast deal, and Apple Podcasts has new templates and a Canva partnership to help podcasters present their shows well. Find links to every article mentioned right here on SoundsProfitable.com
May 19, 2025 • 6min
Podcasts in Times Square, Spotify Plays Updated, & More
Today in the business of podcasting: a roundup of Podcast Show London resources, an interview about Amazon Music putting podcasts on a billboard in Times Square, Spotify is changing how they'll display view counts on podcasts, and agency executives expect sports to be a big player in this years' upfronts. For links to every article mentioned, please visit here on SoundsProfitable.com
May 16, 2025 • 9min
Prepping for Podcast Show London, Reconsidering the Download, & More
This week in the business of podcasting: we're prepping for The Podcast Show London, Tom Webster talks how to make your podcast events Events, Bumper talks about podcasting's need for a metric more inclusive than the download, and YouTube has launched a new weekly podcast chart. Find links to every article mentioned here on SoundsProfitable.com
May 15, 2025 • 8min
Leveraging Podcast Events, Content Creators @ Upfronts, & More
Today in the business of podcasting: what Bryan Barletta is doing at Podcast Show London, how to make Podcast Events special, YouTube now has a weekly podcast chart, how creator platforms are building out tech infrastrucutre to appeal to agencies, Toyota's branded podcast play with Latino audiences, and Acast introduces talent-voiced ads. Find links to every article mentioned here on SoundsProfitable.com
May 15, 2025 • 8min
Eventful Podcasting
A look at the power of doing live events for podcasting as an industry, as well as individual podcasts.
Written by Tom Webster
Edited by Gavin Gaddis
Audio edited by Gavin Gaddis
Sounds Profitable: Narrated Articles is a production of Sounds Profitable. For more information, visit soundsprofitable.com.
May 9, 2025 • 10min
Podcasting's $7b 2024, What Podcast Fans are Like, & More
This week in the business of podcasting: Tom Webster looks at what we can learn from podcasting biggest (and smallest) fans, Owl & Co estimates the podcasting industry made $7b last year, Patreon is changing their iOS app to work with new legal ruling, a caution against podcasting with intent to be on TV, and a roundup of Q1 financial reports.For links to every article mentioned, visit here on SoundsProfitable.com
May 8, 2025 • 6min
Examining Podcasting's Fans, The Downsides of Podcasting for 📺, & More
Today in the business of podcasting: Tom Webster talks about the great podcast divide, Jerry Kolber talks about the folly of podcasting with aims to end up on TV, and Paramount has no intentions of going back to old-school Upfront plans. Find links to very article mentioned here on SoundsProfitable.com
