Sounds Profitable
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...
Gemini Now Sees Instagram, IAB Tech Lab AI Scraping Initiative, & More

Today in the business of podcasting: Google is now indexing Instagram, Ausha's Jennfer Han talks about a recent BBC Studios case study, Digiday looks at the creator industrial complex, and IAB Tech Lab is working on an intiative to monetize LLMs scraping content and give control back to publishers.
Find links to every article discussed by heading to the Download's section of SoundsProfitable.com, or clicking here to head straight to the post for today's episode.
Audioboom's Q2, Video Podcasts Drive Hollywood Jobs, & More

Today in the business of podcasting: Audioboom posts profit in Q2, CMOs seek stability and cutting out the middleman with content creator marketing, and the LA Times covers the burgeoning video production job market caused by the rise of YouTubers and video podcasting.
Find links to every article discussed by heading to the Download's section of SoundsProfitable.com, or clicking here to head straight to the post for today's episode.
YouTube Restricting Reuploads, Retaining Podcasting's Spark, & More

This week in the business of podcasting:
There's preservationists who want to save the soul of podcasting, there's growth advocates that welcome the YouTubeifiaction of podcasts. Tom Webster argues both are right, and that binary might be hurting podcasting's ability to preserve its "soul." The Podcast Host and Alitu CEO Colin Gray talks about the sort-of surprise that was seeing Alitu on stream during Apple's WWDC presentation, as well as his experiences over 15 years of working in podcasting. YouTube is preparing a crackdown on mass-produced and repetitive video content with some wording updates to the guidelines that run their mon...
Preserving Podcasting's Spark, Stopping Slop Content, & More

Today in the business of podcasting: how podcasting can preserve its spark whiel growing into video, how Alityu ended up on screen at WWDC, YouTube's preparing to crack down on reuploaded/generated content, Jasmine Crockett addresses the need for media-savvy politicians for podcast appearances, and two major AI players working on their own browsers to challenge Google's search engine dominance.
Find links to every article mentioned in the newsletter version of today's episode, which you can find right here in The Download's section of SoundsProfitable.com
Managing Many Metrics, The Podcast Exchange Restructuring, & More

Today in the business of podcasting: The Streaming Wars looks at how "watch hours" can be turned into a valuable metric, The Podcast Exchange announces it is filing a Notion of Intention in Canadian bankruptcy court, Signal Hill Insights looks at three common reasons host-read ads fall short, and WPP issues profit warning as Q2 perfomance falls below expectations.
Links to every article covered can be found in today's issue of the newsletter, available here on SoundsProfitable.com
The Podcast Preservation Paradox

Preservationists fear video stealing podcasting’s soul, growth advocates celebrate YouTube driving more to the medium. Thing is, they’re both right.
Written and narrated by Tom WebsterEdited by Bryan Barletta and Gavin GaddisAudio editing by Gavin Gaddis
Find the full article here on Sounds Profitable.
India's Podcasting Boom, Spotify Returns Pod.Link, & More

Today in the business of podcasting: podcasting is booming in India, Moonbug has a study into how parents consume ad-supported media, Spotify is giving pod.link back to its original developer, an explanation of the Spotify-approved generative AI "band" Velvet Sundown, and Triton Digital has a new annual study on Canadian podcast listner behavior.
Find links to every article mentioned in today's episode post on SoundsProfitable.com
Amazon x Roku, Spotify Upgrades Car Listening, & More

Today in the business of podcasting: Amazon's DSP is selling Roku inventory, a case study of a podcast that lowered downloads but upped audience engagement, Spotify Jam has been updated in Android Auto, and YouTube calls for UK government to embrace content creators.
Find links to every article mentioned in today's episode in this post on SoundsProfitable.com
Lessons from Cannes, Covering Demos w. Podcasting, & More

This week in the business of podcasting: the power of Health & Wellness and Self-Improvement podcast consumers, how podcasting can cover demographic blind spots, lessons from Cannes Lions, and YouTube content coming to Spotify video.
Links to every article mentioned can be found here on SoundsProfitable.com.
Purpose-Driven Podcasting, Spotify Eyes YouTubers, & More

Today in the business of podcasting: unlocking the power of purpose-driven podcasting, how podcasting can cover demographic blind spots, non-podcast video on Spotify, and how indie agencies are competing with holding companies for creatoe measurement and ad tech.
Find links to every article mentioned right here on SoundsProfitable.com
Germany's Podcast Demographics, How YouTube's Algorithm Works (Kinda), & More

Today in the business of podcasting: YouTube is a great place for podcasters to get visibility but not necessarily the perfect fit for every podcast, companies weigh in on the Spotify Partner Program after six months of operation, how under-represented sports are using advancements in tech to build their own streaming stack, what demographics are thriving in Germany's podcasting scene, and YouTube gives a peek behind the recommendation algorithm curtain.
Find links to every article mentioned, including signup for tomorrow's webinar, right here on SoundsProfitable.com
Podcasts on Smart TVs, Attention-Getting Audio, & More

Today in the business of podcasting: what podcasting gets right about attention, smart TVs rise the second-most-used device to consume podcasts, Crunchyroll has a new companion podcast produced with Sony, why there's a CPM slump growing in the CTV market, and AudioUK calls for UK government to enshrine podcasts.
Find links to every article mentioned - and our webinar signup, here on SoundsProfitable.com
How Podcasts Covered Hard News, Canadian Podcasters Lobby Gov't, & More

This week in the business of podcasting: Influencers grab some spotlight at Cannes Lions, how news podcasts covered the breaking news of the U.S. bombing Iran over the weekend, two senators allege Spotify is using a loophole to pay lower music royalty rates, a coalition of Canadian podcasting companies band together to ask the government to consider podcasts CanCon, and Tubi is adding hundreds of episodes from YouTube creators under their Tubi for Creators project.
Find links to every article mentioned, including the webinar signup, right here on SoundsProftiable.com
Taking Podcasts on the Road, Lessons from Cannes, & More

This week in the business of podcasting: Tom Webster looks at the power of live events hold for podcasting, we look at news coming out of Cannes Lions, and things are looking up for digital audio going forward in 2025.
Register for the next Sounds Profitable webinar here.
For links to every article I mentioned, visit the episodes' page on SoundsProfitable.com
Creators @ Cannes, Amazon's Prime Ad Load, & More

Today in the business of podcasting: the under-utilized benefits of podcast live events, creators are in the conversation at Cannes, reducing risk as download popularity drops, Amazon has doubled their Prime Video ad over 18 months, and researched-back strategies for high-impact marketing as a nonprofit.
Registration for the upcoming webinar can be found here.
All of the links mentioned in today's episode can be found here on this episodes' page at SoundsProfitable.com.
Ads on WhatsApp, SiriusXM on MMM, & More

Today in the business of podcasting: Audion and xpln.ai's report shows blending digital audio with in-video audio increrease brand recall and message recall, Reuters and the University of Oxford have new study about news content, SiriusXM is partnering with Innovid for better MMM, CNN is rebranding CNN Audio to CNN Podcasts, and WhatsApp is adding ads for the first time.
Catch every link mentioned right here on SoundsProfitable.com
YouTube's Place in Podcasting, Telling Stories with Pixels, & More

This week in the business of podcasting: Tom Webster talks tracking pixels, Paul Riismandel talks YouTube's place in podcasting, Amazon adds private auctions to Prime Video, and Apple adds some new features to Apple Podcasts during WWDC.
Find links to every article mentioned right here on SoundsProfitable.com
Mattresses and Metrics

Tracking pixels are awesome at what they do, but like any tool there's also a way to misuse them and podcasting should remain conscious of that.
Written and narrated by Tom WebsterEdited by Bryan Barletta and Gavin GaddisAudio editing by Gavin Gaddis
Find the full article here on Sounds Profitable.
Spotify’s Rolling Out Transcripts, Podscribe Industry Rankings, & More

Today in a special episode of The Download we're covering nine stories rapid-fire in an "Oops, all Quick Hits" spectactular. As a result, you can find links to every piece mentioned here on SoundsProfitable.com
2025 Audio Ad Forecast, YouTube's Place in Podcasting, & More

Today in the business of podcasting: a more nuanced look at YouTube's place in podcasting, Australia's ad market, the global ad forecast, and how Google AI is impacting search traffic.
Find links to every article mentioned here on SoundsProfitable.com
New Podcast Features @ WWDC, How a Podcast Promoted EuroMillions, & More

Today in the business of podcasting: Apple's announcements from WWDC, YouTube has backed off of removing videos via moderation, Acast boosted interestin EuroMillions with a podcast, and what the Creator's Caucus intends to do.
Find links to everything mentioned here on SoundsProfitable.com
Podcasting's Programmatic Future, How Podcasts Use Patreon, @ More

Today in the business of podcasting: Sounds Profitable will be at Cannes Lions, Wondercraft co-founder Oskar Serrander explains Convo Mode using Convo Mode, Amazon adds private auctions to Prime Video, a look at how podcasting is doing on Patreon, coverage of Sounds Profitable's latest study, and Spotify lays off 15 podcasting positions at The Ringer and Spotify Studios.
Find links to everything mentioned right here on SoundsProfitable.com
Audiences Trust Podcasts, HLS Could Upgrade RSS, & More

This week in the business of podcasting: Sound Profitable's latest study shows podcasting trust is at an all-time high, HLS could be the future of RSS, and NPR's CEO writes an open letter to Congress about funding for public media.
Find links to every article mentioned right here on SoundsProfitable.com
The Advertising Landscape, Australian Audio Engagement, & More

Today in the business of podcasting: Why podcasting's advertising advantage is bigger than we thought, The Trade Desk looks at audio's effectiveness in Australia, and Gartner has a new annual CMO survey.
Find links to every article mentioned right here on SoundsProfitable.com
Why Podcasting’s Advertising Advantage Is Bigger Than We Thought

The latest edition of The Advertising Landscape shows podcasting's biggest fans are also paying a lot of attention.
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.
Podcasting's High Trust and Recall, NPR's Open Letter to Congress, & More

Today in the business of podcasting: Digiday covers Sounds Profitable's latest study, Spotify is prepping to add podcast inventory to their ad exchange, and NPR's CEO writes an open letter to Congress about public media funding.
Find links to every article mentioned right here on SoundsProfitable.com
Upgrading RSS with HLS, Kast Media's New CEO, & More

LAST CALL: Tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. EST the second chapter of The Advertising Landscape, the largest study of podcast advertising effectiveness in the U.S., will debut in a live webinar hosted by Tom Webster. Register now to grab your virtual seat and get the report sent directly to your inbox after the presentation.
Today in the business of podcasting: The Podcast Standards Project pitches HLS streaming as the future of RSS, MarketingBrew looks at advertisers' hesitance to book True Crime, and Kast Media emergeces from bankruptcy proceedings at an operating profit.
Find links to every ar...
Podcast Ads Fill Gender Gap, Australia's Internet Ad Spend, & More

Today in the business of podcasting: American Public Media puts successful Brains On! Universe podcasts up for sale, RadioInk covers Sounds Profitable reserch, IAB Australia finds podcast advertising continued growing in Q1, and JAR Audio explains how they sell podcast productions to decision-makers.
Find links to every article mentioned here on SoundsProfitable.com
Podcasting's Ad Anomaly, UK Audio Listenership, & More

This week in the business of podcasting: insights from Podcast Show London, Tom Webster looks at podcast advertising's (lack of) gender gap when it comes to recall, a roundup of upcoming webinars, and Ofcom has a new podcast survey for UK listenership.
Find links to every article mentioned right here on SoundsProfitable.com
Podcast Ads Addressing Demographics, Spotify Ups Discovery, & More

Today in the business of podcasting: Tom Webster talks about the lack of a gender gap in podcast advertising recall, Spotify adds new discovery features for podcasts, Nielsen has their new annual marketing report, Horizon Media is opening up a public RFP, and Netflix has teamed up with BBC Studios for a new comedy podcast hosted by Jimmy Carr.
Find links to every article mentioned right here on SoundsProfitable.com
Speaking Up for Spoken Word, Calm and Cautious Q2, & More

Today in the business of podcasting: I've got a rundown of a ton of upcoming webinars, making the case for making the case for spoken word audio, and CMOs' outlook for the year after Q2.
Find links to every article (and webinar) mentioned by heading here on SoundsProfitable.com
Podcast Show London Debrief, Brief Spotify Outage, & More

Today in the business of podcasting: reflections from Podcast Show London, Spotify experienced a short outage, Adam Bowie looks at the new Ofcom podcast listener report, and Shopify tops the Q1 2025 top podcast ad spender chart for Australia.
Find links to every article mentioned right here on SoundsProfitable.com
Monetizing Your Podcast Globally

From an undisclosed hotel room in Islington, Bryan Barletta debuts the Ad-Sales Partner Ecosystem and shares how you can get your company involved.
Find the full article, infographic, and submission link here on SoundsProfitable.com
Written by Bryan BarlettaEdited and Narrated by Gavin Gaddis
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
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
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
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
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
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
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