Spotify Names Co-CEOs as Daniel Ek Transitions to Chairman by Molly Scheutz
Daniel Ek has transitioned from CEO to executive chairman of Spotify. Former chief business officer Gustav Söderström and former chief product and technology officer Alex Norström have been announced as co-CEOs who will step into their roles effective January 1st. The two have been co-presidents of the company since 2023, largely leading strategic and operational development at Spotify.
The rise of the creator conglomerate by Alexander Lee
Content creation has grown to the point there are several large players in the industry that have built up their own media companies around the content itself. MrBeast, Dhar Mann, Mythical Entertainment, they’re all production companies that have evolved into creator conglomerates in their own right. Digiday interviewed nine creator-company execs for this article and quickly discovered every single one knew the other eight through a whisper network of group chats. The top brass are sharing notes and discussing brand deals, ad fees, and bubbling drama in creator communities. Much like podcasting, the executives of the YouTube world are prioritizing collaboration and industry-maintenance over cutthroat competition.
IAB Podcast Upfront Showcases Audio’s Next Marketing Evolution by Mark Mwachiro
The IAB Podcast Upfront descends on New York today. Thanks to the unfortunate realities of linear time and publishing, if someone launches the first podcast recorded on the moon I won’t be able to talk about it until tomorrow. Until then, Adweek has an interview with IAB director, digital audio and video Matt Shapo about today’s event.
What Podcasts and Milkshakes Have in Common by Dan Kendall
In anticipation of Health Podcast Summit (kicking off tomorrow), Mission Based Media founder Dan Kendall has a new thought leadership piece up on Sounds Profitable focusing on addressing the job users are hiring content to do. The Innovator’s Solution from 2003 tells the story of a fast food chain trying to increase milkshake sales, only to find tweaks to the recipe didn’t increase sales. Then they asked what ‘job’ commuters were hiring milkshakes to do. It was filling, easy to consume while driving, lasted the length of a commute, satisfied hunger, and fit in a cup holder. Similarly, commuters “hire” podcasting to serve as an engaging activity that fills their otherwise boring commutes and chores. And the candidates podcasting is competing with is largely music, or stone-cold silence. The trick, then, is to make one’s podcast hire-able.
New Podcast Category at Tribeca Festival
2026 will mark five years of Tribeca Festival bringing podcasts into the fold, premiering new shows as part of the Official Selections program. This year a new category is being introduced: the Tribeca Showcase List for Podcasts. Said list will feature “exceptional independent projects premiered within the last 12 months that deserve more recognition and discoverability.” Creators will be invited to speak and showcase their work during the 2026 festival. Submissions are now open.
As for the rest of the news…
- The Cheerful Earful international comedy podcast festival kicks off next week in London, Melbourne , and now (for the first time) New York City. The live shows across three countries kick off Tuesday, October 7th.
- John Wordock commemorates International Podcast Day, which also happens to be his birthday, with a piece about the importance of free speech.
- Right Side Up and Podscribe have launched a new tool called Enhanced Radio Attribution, which aims to bring real-time digital-style analytics to terrestrial and satellite radio.
- Podroll has announced a new video promo feature that leverages Dynamic Feed Drop tech to allow podcasters to post short-form video to their Apple Podcasts feeds as standalone episodes marked with the promo tag.
- Fresh Air’s Neil Cowling shares podcast execs discussing the gulf between high-attention media and ad spend on high-reach low-attention platforms.
- UK podcast network Noiser has launched a new serialized adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, narrated by Julie Andrews and produced in partnership with BBC Sounds.
- Acast and EYEPOD Studios are set to debut a new celebrity advice show in the form of ill-advised by Bill Nighy, in which the actor fields questions from socially-awkward/clumsy listeners seeking tips. The show launches October 9th.
