“How does all of this work?”

That was the question we set out to solve five years ago (this month!) when we started Sounds Profitable. Our industry moves at lightning speed, with every 2 years since 2014 feeling almost unrecognizable from the one before it. We set out with the goal of educating, growing, and supporting individuals looking to enter the podcast industry professionally, those already working in the space, and even those leading the podcasting industry.

Two years later, Tom Webster left after 18 years at Edison Research, specifically to focus on the podcast industry. Since then, we’ve published over 20 reports, creating the largest publicly available dataset on podcast creators and their audiences. And just like all of our newsletters, our entire output of research has always been freely available.

It’s easy to read all of this and think that what we’ve built is only for those in the business of podcasting. The ones selling ad inventory, or building technology and solutions to sell to podcasters, or the advertisers and agencies themselves, the talent managers, and everyone in between. However, the reason all of this stands out is that Sounds Profitable is and has been the only organization providing insight and resources on these topics for the podcast industry.

When the bug found to be inflating downloads in Apple Podcasts in iOS 15 was fixed in iOS 17, our focus was to be a resource for people to understand what actually happened, that downloads had been inflated and were now re-adjusted, because the bigger media message didn’t fully match the truth. We worked hard to bring everyone together, answer questions from every person who replied to our newsletters or reached out, and point them toward options for what to do next.

When Spotify fully launched its video solution earlier this year, degrading features and benefits that the podcast industry had fought hard for, we broke it all down to make it easier for every step of the podcast industry to understand the impact of that decision fully. We did this because the resources and news from Spotify and Megaphone, including directly from their support teams, didn’t aggregate it all together for those living and breathing in this space. Changes like this can make it incredibly easy to overlook the finer details, even if they may not directly impact you today.

And that’s just the big things we can point to. Understanding what a pre-fix or attribution URL does that you’re being asked to add to your show from an advertiser. Fully grasping the controls you have available to you when it comes to where ads go in your show, who is approving the advertisements that make it on to your show, and what options for control are available to you. We set out to help everyone in this industry, and, aside from not doing ourselves any favors by not clarifying Sounds Profitable’s branding and messaging, I believe Tom, Gavin, Lauren, and I have proven that mission over the last five years.

I share all this because this week, we announced that we’ve merged with Podcast Movement, supercharging both sides of the business, retaining all employees from both companies, and substantially expanding our capabilities.

Despite the movements of larger companies in and around podcasting, identifying where podcasting fits in their overall structure, podcasting continues to grow in consumption, audience, and monetization options, which have created immense opportunities for companies of all sizes that have been able to change with the tides. This combined effort between Podcast Movement and Sounds Profitable is positioned to help all of you continue learning, growing, and supporting one another.

Because what both companies built shares one central point of overlap: all of you are the most essential part of the podcast industry.

Podcast Movement Enhancements

I’m incredibly proud to be named the President of Podcast Movement, which has fully acquired Sounds Profitable. Both brands will still exist. Both brands will not only continue their current activities but also expand to meet the industry’s needs.

On the Podcast Movement side, there are four major announcements we want to focus your attention on:

1. Our Evolutions event will be combined with Sounds Profitable’s successful execution of the Podcast Industry track at SXSW. This will reduce event fatigue and amplify the presence of podcasting at a global showcase of creativity, art, and marketing that has solidly captured the attention of fans, creators, marketers, and advertisers. We believe that all of you benefit from attending events like this, so it is our goal to provide both official and unofficial opportunities for you to participate.
2. The premiere Podcast Movement event will be run in New York City, starting in September 2026. NYC is a global stage, just like SXSW, and an astounding number of podcast companies of all sizes operate there. NYC opens up more opportunities for creators and fans through increased support from advertisers and podcast talent, and most importantly, allows for easier attendance from a global presence.
3. James Cridland of Podnews will be Podcast Movements’ first Editorial Director, bringing his immense event experience and highlighting his dedication to supporting creators and the independent nature of podcasting. He will oversee the Creator track at events, with an emphasis on growth, education, and diversity of voices. Creators of all sizes are how this industry grows and thrives, from those in front of the mic to those behind, and let’s not forget those building the independent technology and solutions to advocate for this space.
4. Starting Podcast Movement 2025 (this event!), we’ve ended the sale of the Virtual Ticket and have upgraded every single stage to record audio and video for each session. Education and insights should be accessible and free in a growing market, not just for those who can afford to attend the event or purchase a virtual ticket.

There’s so much more coming on the Podcast Movement side that I would like to share with you, such as a substantially more transparent and public voting aspect of the panel process and earlier announcement of panel selections. To do all of that right, we need just a bit more time to get everything operationally secure.

Sounds Profitable Enhancements

I’m happy to say that everything you know and love about Sounds Profitable will not only continue, but improve.

1. Tom Webster has hit his stride with the latest research, enabling us to expand our global research to reflect not only our partners around the world but also the markets where we’re seeing some truly creative and inspiring activity.
2. We’re doubling down on our commitment to support and sponsor events and resources that benefit the podcasting community. This year alone, we’ve created new space for our partners at POSSIBLE and Cannes Lions, and we don’t intend to slow down. By coming together under Sounds Profitable to support these events, we’re able to put more amazing voices on stages that were otherwise inaccessible due to cost or availability.
3. Our sallon-style single-topic event series has been an enormous success, and now with the support of Event Movement, Dan Frank’s event company that will be supporting our growth in the event space, we’re able to explore more of these opportunities consistently, providing access for those who can’t make the other events we’re shining a spotlight on.
4. And my personal favorite, we’re officially launching committees and working groups. Not only will our partners be at the forefront of highlighting topics and ideas that we’ll be prioritizing at our events, but we have proven that the 200+ companies we work with are eager to roll up their sleeves and improve this industry. Topics like building an industry-wide unified insertion order are already underway, led by partners like Dave Hamilton of Back Beat Media. Increased transparency in ad load and ad placement, led by the teams at Hearts & Science, PRX, and Podscribe. More details to be released on this in the near future.

There’s no denying the strength of connecting in person for an industry like ours, but budgets can fluctuate for everything, from attending to sponsorship. 200+ partners have afforded us an immense opportunity to buy bundles of sponsorships under one contract and provide access to all our partners at substantially reduced rates, rates I believe more reflect the realities of the podcast industry’s budgets, while still making sure we’re able to be on stage right next to every other industry clamouring for attention.

In the next 60 days alone, we’re making a splash with:

• October 6-9 – Advertising Week NYC
  • Bringing Podcasting to the heart of the event on the Media stage, and a nearly finalized additional stage
  • The second annual podcast industry takeover of New York Comedy Club with YMH Studios (October 7th)
• October 13-19 – SXSW Sydney
  • The first step in a long-term partnership to bring global voices in podcasting to a country that has done quite a lot for our industry.
• October 20th – In Defense of Podcast Journalism – LA
  • Hosted by LA Times and led by Larj Media, this event intends to provide space for those in and around journalism to connect and talk about its cross sections with podcasting and what we all collectively can do to support this critical aspect of our industry.

From there, you’ll see major announcements around our collaboration with:

• February – On Air Fest
• March – Podcast Movement @ SXSW
• May
  • Podcast Show London
  • POSSIBLE
• June
  • SXSW London
  • Cannes Lions

And that’s just what we’ve put together before this announcement.

What’s Next?

Mergers and acquisitions can often signal the end of something. Still, I hope it speaks volumes to what we’ve all created with Sounds Profitable, because it’s truly grown far beyond Tom and me. Our company was acquired so that we could be put in charge of the new combined company, allowing us to expand the work we’ve done even further.

Well wishes mean nothing without action, but I want to highlight that the last five years for Sounds Profitable have been all about action, and the next five years will be even more so. We intend to do right by this industry, to grow it in every way possible, and if we find areas where we can’t, we’re not shy about supporting those who raise their hand to say they can.

I conclude today’s announcement – of not only a supercharging merger but also a celebration of five years of Sounds Profitable – with one small ask: if you’ve ever been curious about why over 200 companies are partners of Sounds Profitable, of all sizes and many for multiple years now, please reach out. We are where we are today because of our partners, and we do what we have been and are now enhanced to do in the service of all of them equally.

I’m overflowing with ideas and excitement, as are the teams that make up Podcast Movement, Podnews, and Sounds Profitable. We have the opportunity to do so much more for you.

We’re just getting started.