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
Nov 17, 2025 • 8min
Podcast Audiences Still Listen, Evolving Live Events, & More
Today in the business of podcasting: audio remains the primary mode of podcast consumption, how loyal is your podcast audience?, PAVE teams up with Katheryn Nicolai for special live event, the State of Podcast Business, and CRA announces CRA Audio ID. Find links to every article covered by heading to the Download section of SoundsProfitable.com, or by clicking here to go directly to today's installment.
Nov 14, 2025 • 12min
Indie Podcaster Report, Podcast Movement Evolutions @ SXSW, & More
Today in the business of podcasting: Podcast Movement Evolutions is going to SXSW next year, Netflix is looking to have a big library of video podcasts, the Independent Podcaster Report, how YouTube podcasts can help with AI search, and USC report finds podcasting's diversity problem at the top of the pack. Find links to every article covered by heading to the Download section of SoundsProfitable.com, or by clicking here to go directly to today's installment.
Nov 13, 2025 • 4min
Podcast Movement 🔜 SXSW, In-Store Audio Ad Conversions, & More
Today in the business of podcasting: seven headlines from across the industry as we have another special "oops all quick hits" episode. The links to all of which can be found here on Sounds Profitable.
Nov 12, 2025 • 6min
Audio vs. Video Podcast ROI, Threads Improves Podcast Links, & More
Today in the business of podcasting: USC study finds top podcasts skew male and white, Spotify and NMPA open a portal to license audiovisual rights, Lower Street and Podcast Marketing Academy publish a report on the cost of audio podcasting vs video, Netflix wants at least 50 video podcasts when they launch, and Threads beefs up how podcast links look on the platform. Find links to every article covered by heading to the Download section of SoundsProfitable.com, or by clicking here to go directly to today's installment.
Nov 10, 2025 • 6min
Indie Podcasting's Challenges, Netflix to Produce Video Pods, & More
Today in the business of podcasting: Netflix is looking to make their own video podcasts, The Podcast Host has a survey of indie podcast creators, and Eric Nuzum pitches maybe podcasts don't need vocal credits at the end of episodes.Find links to every article covered by heading to the Download section of SoundsProfitable.com, or by clicking here to go directly to today's installment.
Nov 7, 2025 • 9min
Netflix Goes Shopping, Local Radio's Podcasting Power, & More
Today in the business of podcasting: the Podscape is taking new submissions, Netflix is shopping around for video podcast licensing, Livewire Labs has a new list of top podcast hosts by episode share, SiriusXM's Q3 report is here, and local radio is getting into podcasts.Find links to every article covered by heading to the Download section of SoundsProfitable.com, or by clicking here to go directly to today's installment.
Nov 6, 2025 • 5min
Netflix is Podcast Shopping, Amazon DSP x iHeartMedia, & More
Today in the business of podcasting: Netflix reportedly is looking to license SirusXM Media video podcasts, Podscribe has new industry rankings, Amazon grows their relationship with iHeartMedia, and brands are expected to decrease open web display ads by 30% in response to AI search overviews increasing zero-click searches. Find links to every article covered by heading to the Download section of SoundsProfitable.com, or by clicking here to go directly to today's installment.
Nov 5, 2025 • 5min
Apple Podcasts Adds Chapters & Links, Fox Buys Audio Fiction, & More
Today in the business of podcasting: Apple has automated chapters and links for podcasts coming, Spotify reports their Q3 earnings (Video podcasts are expensive), and Fox Entertainment acquires a romantic comedy audio fiction production house. Find links to every article covered by heading to the Download section of SoundsProfitable.com, or by clicking here to go directly to today's installment.
Nov 4, 2025 • 6min
Netflix Eyes iHeart Podcasts, New Industry Research Published, & More
Today in the business of podcasting: the Podscape is now taking submissions for the Winter edition, Netflix eyes licensing iHeartMedia podcasts, Acast publishes their Podcast Pulse study, Magellan AI has their quarterly benchmark report, and Robert Tuchman discusses AudienceLift's Publisher Data Transparency feature.Find links to every article covered by heading to the Download section of SoundsProfitable.com, or by clicking here to go directly to today's installment.
Nov 3, 2025 • 7min
Advertisers Jumpstart Holiday Spend, TYT x Noble Mobile, & More
Today in the business of podcasting: the top podcast hosting companies by episode volume, advertisers push holiday spend earlier this year, City Cast recalibrates, how local radio can leverage podcasting, and SiriusXM's Q3 earnings report.Find links to every article covered by heading to the Download section of SoundsProfitable.com, or by clicking here to go directly to today's installment.
