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
Apr 14, 2025 • 7min
Podcast Music Strikes, Young American Listening Habits, & More
Today in the business of podcasting: Podcasts caught in the crossfire of a legal spat with Spotify, publishers are relying less on total ad revenue as a measuring stick, tweens are hosting podcasts, young Americans follow partisan lines when it comes to podcast listening, and your audience doesn't need you anymore. Reminder: The next flagship study from Sounds Profitable debuts THIS Wednesday, April 16th, at 2 p.m. EST in a live webinar hosted by Tom Webster. The Advertising Landscape is the largest survey ever fielded on podcast advertising effectiveness in the U.S. Be among the first to see information from the first part, and receive the slides directly once the presentation is over, by registering now! Find links to every article mentioned here on Sounds Profitable.
Apr 11, 2025 • 9min
The Impact of Spotify Video, Nickelodeon x Starglow, & More
From this week in the business of podcasting: The Impact Spotify's Video Has on Publishers, Podscape Biannual Update is Coming and Submissions are Open, Why Podcasts Should Think Like a Network, and Nickelodeon x Starglow.Links to every article mentioned can be found here on Sounds Profitable.
Apr 10, 2025 • 5min
Spotify Video Converting RSS, Podcasting's Fandom Boost, & More
Today in the business of podcasting: A look at the downsides to how Spotify handles video, Wondery looks at podcasting fandom power, and Libsyn looks back at themes throughout Evolutions by Podcast Movement.Find links to every article mentioned right here on Sounds Profitable.
Apr 9, 2025 • 5min
Branded Podcast Clips 📈, Updating the Podscape, & More
Today in the business of podcasting: The Podscape is accepting submissions for the summer update, Audioboom posted their Q1 earnings, a clip from The Ramsey Show podcast made the top three branded Shorts of last week, and nominations are now open for the Quill podcast awards. Find links to everything mentioned here on Sounds Profitable.
Apr 7, 2025 • 7min
Effective 🎮 Audio Ads, Thinking Like a Network, & More
Today in the business of podcasting: Sounds Profitable launcehes Coworking segment, new Veritonic and Audiomob study looks at the efficacy of audio ads in mobile games, podcasting is asking the wrong questions about vidoe, and Gen Alpha's propensity for luxury items. Find links to every article mentioned here on Sounds Profitable.
Apr 4, 2025 • 10min
Defining "Podcast" for the Industry, Spotify's Ad Exchange, & More
This week in the business of podcasting: Tom Webster talks about a popular data point being mis-represented, Dan granger debuts a new defintiion for "a podcast," Podnews publishes the results of their annual report card, and SPotify has an ad exchange. Find links to every article mentioned right here on Sounds Profitable.
Apr 3, 2025 • 6min
Podcasting's Report Card, Affiliate On the Rise, & More
Today's essential news in the business of podcasting: Podnews published their annual report card for podcast hosts, IAB Australia notes the growth of affliate and partnership marketing, subscriptions and live events are now in the top five revenue generators for publishers, why podcasts are playing a bigger role in brands' creator strategies, and Spotify debuts their own ad exchange and AI ad generator. Find links to every article mentioned here on Sounds Profitable.
Apr 2, 2025 • 5min
Defining the Podcast, Traffic vs. Audience, & More
Today in the business of podcasting: Oxford Road publishes a new defintion for podcasting, Jeff Ulster looks at why Canadian podcast consumers gave podcasts a try in the first place, industry leaders discuss growing a podcast audience, and Sound Insights rounds up March's podcacst research. Find links to every article mentioned here on Sounds Profitable.
Apr 1, 2025 • 7min
Podcasting and Spoken Word Discovery, 2025 Ambies Winners, & More
Today in the business of podcasting: Tom Webster debuts findings from the biggest study in podcast advertising efficacy in the U.S., Digiday looks at the potential of advertising downturn caused by hype, Radiocentre gives a look at podcast growth in the UK, YouTube is on track to outpace Disney in revenue estimates, and the winners of the 2025 Ambies. Links to every article mentioned, as well as signup links to the Sounds Profitable event in May and Tom Webster's upcoming webinar, can be found here on Sounds Profitable.
Mar 31, 2025 • 6min
Pro Athletes Score With Podcasting, BBC UK Backs Off Ads, & More
Here's what you need to know for today in the business of podcasting: video podcasting on Spotify, brands go Switzerland, and big moves in sports podcasting.Find links to every article mentioned and the full write-up here on Sounds Profitable.
