Welcome to a special edition of The Download! As long-time readers know, one of the main goals of this newsletter is to condense the day’s news down to something digestible to tell you what’s happening, and why you should click through to read the full story when time permits. Occasionally a day will come along where there simply is too much for me to include, and on those days you get an “oops, all quick hits” edition. Before we get into it, just a quick reminder that we’ve quite a few new positions coming in on the Sounds Profitable Job Board over the past week, and the recording of Tom Webster’s webinar debut of The Advertising Landscape: Attention and Trust is live for viewing alongside downloads of the report itself.
- Podnews covers the new addition of transcripts to Spotify podcasts, including Podcasting 2.0 transcript tagging that allows transcripts on podcasts hosted on Spotify for Creators to be recognized by other platforms like Apple Podcasts and Pocket Casts.
- Realm’s board of directors has announced their newest member is former SiriusXM SVP of Podcast Strategy Sarah Van Mosel. In addition, three new Board Advisors have been appointed: Colin Anderson, Jody Avirgan, and Laura Mignott.
- The Locked On Podcast Network has announced a partnership with the Gulf Coast Sports and Entertainment Network, which will result in four Locked On-produced video podcasts covering local pro and collegiate sports that will also air on the GCSEN.
- Sonic Strategy Director for Studio Resonate at SiriusXM Media Steve Keller has a new LinkedIn article reflecting on audio advertising’s still-untapped potential.
- Radioinfo has interviewed iHeart Australia’s lead of audio Corey Layton about podcast consumption and tips for podcasting success.
- JAR Audio has named Libby Liburd’s audio documentary MUVVAHOOD the winner of their 2025 Emerging Women in Podcasting Pilot Competition.
- This week L.A. Times Studios launched a new weekly video podcast called Rebuilding Los Angeles, following the city’s continued recovery from the Palisades and Eaton fires.
- Podscribe has published their Industry Rankings for June 2025, finding Crime Junkie retakes top spot as #1 in audio reach and BetterHelp maintains $1 as top podcast advertiser in their charts.
- Almost Friday Media launches season 2 of Johnny Manziel’s podcast Glory Daze today, in which Manziel interviews sports veterans to reflect on pivotal points in their careers.
- Nieman Lab has a feature piece on Audio Flux, an experimental audio company headed by podcast industry veterans Julie Shapiro and John DeLore.
