Sounds Profitable
Episodes
Introducing The Download
02 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Bryan announces the newest evolution of The Download: a daily newsletter covering the essential news for the business of podcasting.Credits:Written by...
The Download for August 1st, 2023
01 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This is The Download from Sounds Profitable, your daily source for the essential news of the business of podcasting, brought to you by Spreaker from i...
Podcast Listeners Likely Skip Radio Ads & 2 Other Stories
28 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Stories covered: The Fully-Produced Podcast Ad: Are we leaving attention on the table?Spotify's Q2 Earnings CallYour favorite TV rewatch podcast is he...
Only Be Kind
26 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Tom Webster reflects on the life of someone important to both him and audio in general, as well as a valuable lesson we can learn from how he thought ...
Podcasts are Growing Globally & 2 Other Stories
14 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Stories covered: U.S. podcasters are attracting more international listenersWhy a ‘podcast election’ is unlikelyAd overexposure on CTV hurts strea...
Will Podcast Ad Revenues Double By 2025? Not Without These Five Things
12 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Tom Webster looks at our most recent study, The Podcast Opportunity, and provides five key findings that point the way towards making podcasts a more ...
FTC Cracking Down on Endorsements & 2 Other Stories
07 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Articles covered: Breakdown of FTC Endorsement GuidelinesYouTube Tests Crackdown On Ad BlockersThis LinkedIn article could have been a video podcast.Q...
New Study Examines Buyer Perceptions of Podcast Advertising & 2 Other Stories
30 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Articles covered: The Podcast OpportunitySXM Shuts down StitcherFilm and TV have collapsed over the last decade.Quick HitsLong Read- Podcasts, a hot a...
Neither Fish Nor Fowl
28 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
With the upcoming release of Sounds Profitable’s study The Podcast Opportunity, Tom reflects on the idea of podcasting being considered ‘neither f...
Spotify Shifts Podcast Strategy, & 2 Other Stories
23 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Articles covered: Quick Hits:Registration is open for next week’s Sounds Profitable webinar for the upcoming study The Podcast Opportunity: Buyer Pe...
Celebrity Podcasts: Successes or Sussexes?
21 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Tom looks at some recent data on popular podcast genres from Pew in light of Spotify parting ways with Meghan and Harry and their podcast A...
Podcast Listeners Receptive to Political Ads & 2 Other Stories
16 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week's stories: Podcast listeners well disposed to political ads (Veritonic)Let’s Think about Podcast Consumers, Not Just ListenersCan A Millio...
Unifying Programmatic Buying
13 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Programmatic ad placement has been stuck on the waterfall for long enough. It’s time to lay the foundation for Header Bidding in podcasting.Written ...
Spotify Downsizes 2% of Podcast Workforce & 2 Other Stories
08 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Articles covered: Spotify to Slash Podcast Workforce, Combine Parcast and Gimlet Studios in New Round of Cuts“How Do We Pivot?”: Podcasting Turns ...
Podcasting's Biggest Opportunity
06 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Podcasting is becoming more competitive and less collegial every year. Is that a good thing, a bad thing, or just inevitable? Tom Webster suggests the...
Australian Podcast Ad Spend Up 13% & 3 Other Stories
01 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week on the Download: Why podcasters are selling subscriptions through third-party vendorsFuture of TV Briefing: CTV continues to be a black box ...
The Complicated Role of AI in Podcasting
31 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
There has been much concern over how podcasting will implement AI. Tom breaks down the current landscape, as well as future symbiotic relationships.Cr...
A Rebuttal to Podcasting's "demise" & 2 Other Stories
25 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week on The Download: Advertisers and audiences refute the idea that podcasts are on the wane. NewsGuard: Programmatically-placed ads for major ...
A VAST Feature Request
23 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Like a kid taking a bite of his dessert before his meal is finished, I think it’s time we enter the next phase of podcast adtech even before we fini...
Reflecting on IAB Podcast Upfront, & 2 Other Stories
18 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week: Lessons from the Podcast Upfront, the Spring 2023 MIDAS report is here, and SXM Media leaders see podcast advertising maturing.|Podcasters ...
How Podcast and Audio Studies are Conducted
17 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Arielle Nissenblatt and Bryan Barletta interview Tom Webster about his recent reporting: an article he wrote for Sounds Profitable ca...
Growing Up in Podcasting - Literally
16 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we have a special guest post from Newton Schottelkotte! Newt recently graduated from college this year, but do not let their age fool you -...
DISQO Study Highlights the Power of Podcast Ads & 2 Other Stories
11 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week's stories: DISQO: Proving the Power of Podcast AdsElite podcasts struggle while the podcast masses thrive.Pluto TV has an ad frequency probl...
Podcasting's Golden Ratio
09 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Edison Research Share of Ear shows podcasting’s share of daily audio listening for Americans 13+ has doubled over the last nine years. This week...
Using CTV as a Roadmap for Programmatic Audio & 3 Other Stories
04 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week's top stories: How to use CTV as a Roadmap for Programmatic AudioWhat downturn? In real terms, ad spending is doing just fine.Washington Sta...
Swinging for the Podcast / Audio Industry Fences
03 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we discuss baseball! The new pitch clock, our favorites teams…just kidding. We talk about what it means to swing for the fences in ...
A Key to Global Podcast Growth
02 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A recent research report from Japan highlights how podcasting can grow when it germinates from a very different seed. Tom Webster breaks down the data...
How Brands Can Lift Minority-Owned Media & 2 Other Stories
27 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week on The Download: How Brands Can Lift the Tide of Minority-Owned MediaMore brands choose Boomer/GenX influencers as 'older audiences can be j...
Revisit: How To Approach A Podcast Industry-Wide Education Initiative
26 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this special re-upload, Bryan speaks with U of Digital Managing Partner Shiv Gupta about what it means to create a comprehensive educational approa...
Bringing More to the Table
25 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Continuing Sounds Profitable’s mission to provide more for the business of audio, Bryan Barletta announces the Partner Perks Series. Get in touch t...
Blocklists Continue to Hurt News, & 3 Other Stories
20 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week's stories: ‘They are blatantly blocking news’: Confessions of a programmatic sales lead on brand safety filters’ impact on publishers’...
April is Adopt-a-Listener Month: A Conversation with Lauren Passell
19 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Did you know that April is Adopt-a-Podcast Listener Month? Now you do! Bryan Barletta speaks with Lauren Passell and Arielle Nissenblatt about Tink Me...
S&P Revises Ad Spend Prediction & 2 Other Stories
13 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Discussed this week:Ad Spend in the US will grow more than initially expected this year, per S&P. How brands can tailor their audio ads to target...
Radiodays Europe Recap: Trends, Highlights, and Research
12 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Tom, Arielle, and Bryan recap their experiences at Radiodays Europe, which took place last month in Prague. They discuss the expo hal...
How to Murder a Podcast
11 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Tom Webster spots a misapplication of podcast research that he felt strongly enough about to hopefully nip in the bud, wherever the bud may...
AMERICA Act Aims to Regulate Big Ad Tech & 2 Other Stories
06 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week on The Download:AMERICA bill aims to regulate big ad techPublishers find Q1 numbers not as bad as forecastedA deep dive into podcasting in S...
RIP Baked-In Ads
05 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Podcast advertising is in a weird phase. We’re caught between our ideals and our reality; the technical capabilities of the space and the business d...
Google Announces Ad Library & 2 Other Stories
30 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week on The Download: Google Announces Ad Library, the maturing podcast ad industry attracts more mainstream brands, and Audiobooks could become ...
5 Questions To Ask Your Podcast Audience
29 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Tom Webster recently wrote an article entitled, “What We Talk About When We Talk About Podcasts.” He posits that, while publishers may think they ...
The Audio Customer Journey: Don’t Stop Believin’
28 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
From an undisclosed location in Prague, Tom Webster reflects on highlights from recent Sounds Profitable research and why it means radio should embrac...
Ad Fraud Yet to Significantly Impact Podcasts & 3 Other Stories
23 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week on The Download:Ad Fraud Yet to Significantly Impact PodcastsMarketers and creators react to potential TikTok banYouTubeTV increases price d...
How Google Can Earn the Trust of the Podcast Industry
22 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Google has a potentially huge opportunity to grow the podcast industry — both for publishers and for listeners (and even for advertisers) — by way...
The Measurement Excuse
21 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week Bryan addresses the myth that podcasting has a unique measurement problem, and how the industry as a whole can move forward to address it. W...
Podcasters weigh in on ChatGPT, and 2 Other Stories
16 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Download is brought to you by Magellan AI. Track the trends in spend, ad load, podcasts on YouTube, and more with Magellan AI's advertising benchm...
Does the Medium Move the Message?
14 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Does the medium move the message? Spoiler alert - yes. This week Tom Webster previews the next research project from Sounds Profitable.Written by Tom ...
Spotify On Stream Announces New Features & 3 Other Stories
09 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Gavin: This is The Download from Sounds Profitable, the most important news from this week and why it matters to people in the business of podcasting....
Feed Drop: Danone's Conscious Marketer, Linda Bethea
08 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week we bring you a feed drop from Insider Interviews, in which E.B. Moss interviews Linda Bethea. The original show notes follow: Linda Bethea, ...
Data Decoded
07 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In preparation for Podcast Movement Evolutions and South by Southwest, Bryan Barletta sits down with Tom Webster to discuss research, presentations, a...
Podcasts Are Coming to YouTube Music & 3 Other Stories
02 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Manuela: This is The Download from Sounds Profitable, the most important news from this week and why it matters to people in the business of podcastin...
How Can Spotify Make Streaming Ad Insertion Stick?
01 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Writing for Sounds Profitable recently, Bryan Barletta posited the idea that Spotify has a big opportunity to use their streaming ad insertion technol...
What We Talk About When We Talk About Podcasts
28 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Every podcaster thinks they know what their audience likes. This week Tom Webster shares strategies to actually get that audience talking and directly...
Podcasting's Frequency Problems Are Not Unique & 3 other stories
23 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Manuela: This is The Download from Sounds Profitable, the most important news from this week and why it matters to people in the business of podcastin...
What Will Pre-Bid Look Like in Podcasting?
22 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of the Sounds Profitable Podcast, Bryan Barletta sits down with Audiohook's Jordan Bentley to discuss pre-bid. What is it, what does i...
How Google Can Earn Our Trust
21 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
There has been a cooling of Google and YouTube's enthusiasm for podcasting as of late. Bryan Barletta details what they can do to to heat things back ...
An FTC-Friendly Future for Podcast Ads & 2 Other Stories
16 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Manuela: This is The Download from Sounds Profitable, the most important news from this week and why it matters to people in the business of podcastin...
The Podcast Experience at On Air Fest is Coming
15 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On Air Fest is a yearly event that celebrates sound by way of the podcast and audio industries. It’s in its 7th year, and this year, there’s an ad...
Podcasting's Curse of Knowledge
14 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week, on a very special Law and Order-flavored article, Tom Webster recounts his experience serving on a jury and what the defense’s tactics ta...
SXM + Mindshare Publish Black Podcast Listener Report & 3 other stories
09 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Manuela: This is The Download from Sounds Profitable, the most important news from this week and why it matters to people in the business of podcastin...
Sounds Profitable’s 2023 Roadmap
08 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It’s 2023! Sounds Profitable has a whole new look, some new team members, and we’re looking ahead towards a year packed with value for the audio a...
Can Spotify Make Streaming Ad Insertion Stick?
07 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week Bryan Barletta discusses Spotify's streaming ad insertion, what it means for their future, and how it could better the podcast industry over...
Podcast Ad Buyers Yet to See Slowdown & 3 other stories
02 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week: Podcast Ad Spend Isn’t Slowing Down, IAB CEO Airs Beef with Apple, Several podcast companies are hiring, Brands Seek Alternatives Amidst ...
Marketecture Feed Drop: Podcast Ad Tech for Dummies
01 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week Bryan brings you a feed drop from Marketecture.tv, featuring his interview with Ari Paparo. This episode marks the beginning of a partnershi...
It's Right There In Front Of You
31 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week Tom Webster demonstrates how even seemingly small pieces of data can have big implications if given the right context and a story. Credits:...
Spotify Lays Off Six Percent Of Workforce And 6 Other Stories
26 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week: Spotify layoffs, TikTok Podcasts feature spotted in the wild, exclusivity deals seem to be losing luster, and Buzzsprout launches premium...
My Three Favorite Data Points of 2022
24 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Tom took a look back on all of the great research that was done at Sounds Profitable in 2022 and came up with a handful of the most impactful data poi...
Podcasting’s Recession Era And How Podcasters Are Approaching It And 4 Other Stories
19 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week: Opportunity in Kids podcasting as recession looms, Podcasting’s ‘recession era’, some audio publisher’s teams still growing in 2023...
The New Sounds Profitable
17 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We’re off to the races in 2023, and we’re taking you with us. Credits: Written by Bryan BarlettaEdited by Bryan BarlettaProduced with Spooler.fm...
Megaphone has Weekend of Outages & 8 Other Stories
12 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week: Megaphone’s weekend of outages, AdvertiseCast Publishes average CPM of 2022, Apple debuts Delegated Delivery, a software engineer teases ...
Acquisitions & Funding - 2022 Podcast Industry Overview
10 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Join Bryan in kicking off this year with a review of the notable acquisitions and fundraising that happened in 2022. Credits: Written by Bryan Barlet...
Three Reasons Podcast Creatives Should Embrace, Not Fear, The Role of AI
20 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
ChatGPT and other new forms of chatbot are already able to credibly write like humans, and it’s getting harder to tell who - or what - writes any gi...
Amazon Pushing Podcasts Offline & 5 Other Stories
15 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week: Amazon advertises podcasts offline, Twitter dissolves its Trust and Safety Council, Automakers phasing out AM radio, and a roundup of new r...
Brand Safety, Suitability, and Podcasting’s Superpower
15 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Brand Safety and Suitability are among the hottest topics in podcasting. But how do the listeners feel? That’s Tom’s topic in this week’s Sounds...
Centering Outside the Safety of RSS
14 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Building an app for podcast listeners is a tough sell in this world where Spotify and Apple are so dominant. But Realm has been in the game for a whil...
Sounds Profitable Publishes Brand Safety and Suitability Study Safe and Sound & 7 Other Stories
08 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week: Sounds Profitable publishes brand safety and suitability study, Edison publishes top podcast networks by reach, Libsyn unveils November 202...
A DeepDive Retrospective
08 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Just what is a Sounds Profitable DeepDive, and what have they covered this year? What drove Bryan Barletta to create them in the first place? Read o...
Samsung Free App Issue Causes Spike In Downloads & 7 Other Stories
01 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week: Samsung Free app issue causes spike in downloads, Transistor joins email spam prevention movement, How streaming TV is bracing for the rece...
Why CPA Ads are a Win-Win, Running a Podcast Like a Business, and More with Amanda McLoughlin
30 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Multitude Productions has an impressive array of podcasts, resources, events, and more going for them. In this episode, Bryan Barletta speaks with Mul...
Creating Podcast Subscription Awareness
29 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Bryan comes at things from a different perspective, specifically that of the ways that the podcaster and audience interact. From how we con...
The Current State of Subscription Podcasting
22 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week on the Sounds Profitable Deep Dive, Bryan Barletta is joined by SoundStack CEO Jon Stephenson to embark on a three-part journey through what...
Apple Podcasts is using machine learning to tag episodes and 7 other stories
17 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This Week: Apple Podcasts is using machine learning to tag episodes, IAB to require annual recertification, Edison Research shares Share of Ear Q3 sta...
Podcasting, Audiobooks, And The Third Thing
15 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Podcasts and Audiobooks are crossing the streams of spoken word content - what else is possible? This week, Tom Webster looks at ideas for hybrid non-...
Why Sports Podcasts Could Be a Slam Dunk for Advertisers... & 6 Other Stories
10 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week: Why sports podcasts are a slam dunk for podcast advertisers, our quarterly earnings roundup, how the buy-side of advertising defines ‘pre...
Is It Time To Rethink Promo Codes?
09 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What’s the episode about: If you’re a long time podcast listener, you’re probably familiar with promo codes. In this episode, we discuss how imp...
Radio's Seven Warnings For The Podcast Industry: Part 2
08 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Tom continues his thoughts from last week about what Podcasting can learn from Radio’s worst mistakes. Credits: Written by Tom WebsterEd...
Amazon Music Adds Entire Music Catalog, Ad-Free Podcasts & 6 Other Stories
03 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week: Amazon Prime users get ad-free podcasts and music, Buzzsprout combats email spam, new ad placements at Apple cause brand safety issue, and ...
Radio's Seven Warnings For The Podcast Industry: Part 1
01 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week we kick off a two part series on the lessons that podcasting can take from radio's struggles. Credits: Written by Tom WebsterEdited by To...
How Podcast Networks are Making Their Own Rules for Political Advertising & 5 Other Stories
27 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week: A birds-eye view of how podcasting is doing political ads this year, Spotify stock drops after announcing price increase, podcast companies...
Two Years Later
26 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What’s the episode about: Arielle Nissenblatt chats with Sounds Profitable partners Bryan Barletta and Tom Webster about the two year anniversary of...
Where Your Podcast Plays Matters More Than You Think
25 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What does it mean that several podcasts paid to have their podcasts downloaded in a mobile app? Let’s break down the issue at hand, where things wen...
TikTok spotted scraping podcast feeds & 8 Other Stories
20 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week: TikTok spotted scraping podcast feeds, YouTube launches audio ads and host-read ad service, Internet radio platform Live365 to distribute ...
What Does the Competitive Landscape for Podcasting Really Look Like?
18 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
There are around four million podcasts in the world today - but how many are you actually competing with? The answer is much smaller than you might th...
ESPN Nears Large New Partnership With DraftKings & 6 Other Stories
13 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week: ESPN to potentially partner with DraftKings, Podcasting unions make headlines, Netflix confirms two independent measurement companies, adve...
Does Podcasting Have an Ad Frequency Problem?
11 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As interest in podcasting continues to surge, so does the expectation that podcasting adheres to norms established in other advertising channels. Toda...
Podcasting overtakes talk radio, CPMs increase & 7 Other Stories
06 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week: Podcasting overtakes talk radio, CPMs increase, video game ads counting as podcast downloads, and Publishers test personalizing newsletters...
Is It Time To Rethink Promo Codes?
05 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
With the release of We’ll Be Right Back, part two of After These Messages, Tom Webster has a few questions about promo codes. Is it time to change h...
Sounds Profitable - Two Years Later
30 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sounds Profitable is two years old this month! Founder Bryan Barletta talks about just how far we’ve come in 24 short months, and where we are heade...
Podcasters Are Buying Millions of Listeners Through Mobile-Game Ads & 7 Other Stories
29 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week: Podcasts found using mobile game ads for downloads, a trio of new pixels announced, and the Independent is reframing programmatic for adver...
Serial and the Importance of Content Curation & 8 other stories for September 22nd 2022
22 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week: Serial and the importance of content curation, Spotify launches audiobooks, Spanish-language TV is surging, why Wonder Media Network won’...
Inaugural Business Leaders Summit Recap
21 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Sounds Profitable: Arielle Nissenblatt and Tom Webster sit down to discuss Podcast Movement, the Sounds Profitable Business Leaders...
One Key To Growing Podcasting We Take For Granted
20 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We talk a lot about the unique content advantages in podcasting, but one key to growing the medium with an older audience might be even simpler. Cred...