
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 dollars annually will need to be drastically overhauled to bring in the tens or hundreds of billions of dollars podcast advertising deserves.
Latest episodes

Jun 3, 2025 • 7min
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 article mentioned here on SoundsProfitable.com

Jun 2, 2025 • 7min
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

May 30, 2025 • 10min
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

May 29, 2025 • 8min
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

May 28, 2025 • 7min
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

May 27, 2025 • 6min
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

May 23, 2025 • 3min
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.comWritten by Bryan BarlettaEdited and Narrated by Gavin Gaddis

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