Podcast Movement @ SXSW, Spotify Increases Premium in U.S., & More

Podcast Movement @ SXSW, Spotify Increases Premium in U.S., & More

January 15, 2026

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Podcast Movement Evolutions to become part of SXSW programming

Podcast Movement and Sounds Profitable have officially announced that Podcast Movement Evolutions is formally embedded in SXSW 2026 programming. The three-day event kicks off March 13th with a takeover of the Sky Box venue in downtown Austin. The move puts the business side of podcasting front and center in the broader media ecosystem, and embedding Evolutions at SXSW opens the door for conversations about industry growth and where podcasting moves next. Business-focused events include a YouTube keynote, sponsored panel discussions, curated networking events, and a dedicated podcast recording booth. Then, in the evenings, Evolutions lets its hair down with live podcast tapings (including Table Read) and celebrity musical performances. 

 

How Audio Can Leverage PR in AI Discovery Era by Molly DeMellier

DeMellier kicks off her tenure as Head of Communications for Sounds Profitable with a piece on the new importance of public relations. As generative AI chatbots and search overviews become prominent locations for audiences to find recommendations, content publishers have to recognize the shift in discoverability. LLMs significantly favor earned content versus branded content or directly from content platforms. As such, the role of PR fundamentally changes. One authoritative trade feature or executive interview now has more value as they’re more likely to be scraped by chatbots than an entire paid campaign when it comes to long-term visibility. For the audio industry this creates a blind spot for PR, as GenAI tech does not “listen” to podcast episodes or parse back catalogs. Having good content is great for the actual human audience, but the robots can’t see it. With a modern AI-conscious PR plan, executives are on the front line, as having big names from a company speaking publicly, authoritatively, and with commentary about the industry is a solid path to earned coverage that will catch AI attention. 

 

Upcoming Changes to Spotify Premium Subscriptions

The previously-teased price increase for Spotify Premium in the U.S. has arrived. Starting on users’ billing date in February, Premium will increase one dollar, now running $12.99/month. While Premium has increased in price in other countries in recent months, Ashley Carman notes this is the first price increase for their largest subscriber base (the U.S.) since June of 2024. 


YouTube Updates Ad Placement Rules Related To Dramatic Content by Andrew Hutchinson

Fair warning, this is going to involve some topics that are a downer, to say the least. YouTube has updated their Advertiser Friendly Guidelines to be more accommodating of the idea that there is content that discusses topics advertisers are skittish about, but done so in a respectful/educational manner. Previously, content discussing topics like abortion, self-harm, suicide, domestic abuse, or sexual abuse were siloed in the “limited” monetization bracket. With the revised guidelines, videos discussing those topics or dramatizing them are eligible for full monetization. A move that will certainly benefit podcasts about heavier topics that have already, or are considering, making the jump to YouTube.

 

As for the rest of the news…