Sounds Profitable

Consuming my daily dose of The Download by Sounds Profitable and came across this article "The podcast middle class will continue to shrink" by Alex Sujong Laughlin and I must disagree. Depending on what network you are working with "The Middle Class", defined here as "$100,000 to $500,000 budget range" is thriving and will continue to thrive. But, this means you need a monetization method that treats all shows as equal and not as impressions on a network. Here at QCode and other publishers in the space that do rely on a mix of baked-in ads (for 60 days) and DAI, you are seeing many shows hit this revenue mark, with smaller per episode numbers than you would think. We have shows that are doing 45k-58k per episode that are hitting $230k-$280k a year. For, DR brands and brand advertisers, can see these smaller audiences as being more passionate at times to support the hosts and the brands they endorse. The examples above, are hosts who have quit their day jobs and do this for a living. Plenty of room still for individual shows to go to a network, in the 35k-100k per ep, to be treated like it's own small business entity.

Don’t miss out! Join us tomorrow, December 11, at 2pm EST for an exclusive webinar on the 2024 True Crime Podcast Listener Landscape. Featuring insights from Sounds Profitable's Tom Webster, and Mandy & Melissa of Moms & Mysteries, this session will explore: ▶️ Overlooked audience segments ▶️ How sponsors connect with listeners ▶️ The unique bond between hosts and their audience Discover which listener groups are driving true crime’s popularity—and how these insights can supercharge your podcast advertising strategy. Register now: https://bit.ly/3ZpMsl6 #TrueCrime #Podcast #Advertising https://bit.ly/3ZpMsl6

“The future of Podcast is video!” “The future of Podcast is audio!” Why not both? 🤗 If you haven’t heard, there’s been some hand-wringing with Spotify's recent video push. Let’s get you up to speed: 1️⃣ We broke it down on a recent episode of The Media Roundtable. 2️⃣ Sounds Profitable's Tom Webster shared his thoughts (🔗 in comments) 3️⃣ Per a great Podcast Business Journal Interview with Neil Mody (CEO, Headliner), audio and video actually have two strengths that work well together👇 Video = discovery & Audio = retention. Audio vs. Video doesn’t have to be a battle 🤝 Meet your audience where they are. They’re on YouTube and TikTok? Great, make clips for YouTube and TikTok. If you show value, they’ll want more and find the full show. Our hot take? 🔥 To grow and stay relevant, the podcast industry should focus on accessibility, discoverability, and creating value for the audience, rather than being confined by definitions. Sound off in the comments: can audio and video play well together?👇 – #AudioAdvertising #Podcast #Video

The Future of Podcasting is here, pay attention: In Tom Webster's latest Sounds Profitable post he shares his thoughts on the future of RSS and what it means for podcasting, especially in light of new updates from Spotify and YouTube. In his book 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘓𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨, which I recommend to all new podcasters, he writes about the MiniDisc. It was audio tech magic—better compression and swappable batteries. But MiniDisc’s story is a lesson about clinging too tightly to a single tech spec. Here’s why this matters now: Podcasting is evolving, moving beyond its RSS roots. Today, the big players are 𝗥𝗦𝗦, 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆, and 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗧𝘂𝗯𝗲. If you’re a purist, this might feel like a threat. But as a creator? It’s a time of 𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺. 🔑 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀: 1️⃣ 𝗗𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗥𝗦𝗦 RSS is magic for creators, but most listeners don’t care how their podcast reaches them. They just want it easy to find, consume, and share.  2️⃣ 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿 Dave Winer, the creator of RSS, is right: podcast clients need innovation. But not for creators—for audiences. YouTube wins because it’s easier to navigate, discover, and engage. Podcast apps? Too often they feel like empty rooms.  3️⃣ 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗣𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 Don’t fear “rented land.” Louis Vuitton built its NYC flagship on land they don’t own because 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦. Spotify and YouTube may feel like walled gardens, but those gardens are vast, buzzing, and fruitful. Until you’re the IKEA of podcasts, you need to hustle where the audience already is. 4️⃣ 𝗥𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲 “𝗣𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁” To the average listener, a podcast is simply a talk show. Live, recorded, audio, video—it’s the experience, not the delivery method. The audience has already defined it.  💡 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗶𝗴 𝗽𝗶𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲: Stop limiting podcasting with rigid definitions or clinging to nostalgia. Instead, innovate, adapt, and focus on where the people are. That’s how you grow—whether it’s on YouTube, Spotify, or the next big thing. Let’s build a future where podcasting thrives everywhere—because the walls? They’re all in our heads. Read Tom's full post at soundsprofitable [dot] com

This will be a great webinar - join us!

Exciting day for listeners that love "The Alien Adventures of Finn Caspian" and Yoto, the show is the first from the GZM Shows slate to land on the platform today! Gen-Z Media will launch six shows from its young listener slate on Yoto’s platform, one each month through June 2025, including the non-fiction kids game show “The Big Fib” science podcast for kids, “Earth Rangers” and “The Rez” – an adventure story about two strange friends and their adventures trying to stop a mischievous A.I. entity. Congrats to all those who worked on the partnership Jeremy Westphal Ben Strouse Jessica Fisher Claire McClanahan Amy Cervini. Check out the full release at Sounds Profitable https://lnkd.in/gXx7fj5R

“Whether it's an MMM or even a pixel-based model, it's a view of the world that’s created through the math, but it's not the truth. It's not reality. It's giving you an estimate.” - Giles Martin, (EVP of Strategy & Insights, Oxford Road) New Influencer, New Media Roundtable 🎉 We recently welcomed dozens of Chief Audio Officers for an Attribution Forum at Audacy, Inc.'s SoundSpace in Soho, NYC. ICYMI, we’re sharing highlights and wisdom straight from the CAOs. Giles Martin, (EVP of Strategy & Insights, Oxford Road) hosts: ⭐ James Ingrassia (EVP, Client Service, Oxford Road) ⭐ Emmy Jadoff, (Senior Manager of Integrated Media, HelloFresh), and  ⭐ Shane Pittson, (Founder, So&So™) for a deep dive into attribution. Highlights: 🥣 MMMs – Getting in the Mix  📻 Next Level Radio 🔎 Everything Pixels Also well worth your time: 😱 Creators, Influencers, and Makers — Oh My! 🤔 "Audio Primes" and "Video Primes" with Tom Webster of Sounds Profitable 🎙️ The Podcast Election Check out the new Influencer and sound off in the comments 👇 — #AudioAdvertising #Podcast #Attribution

Join Tom Webster and Crooked Media's VP of Sales, Giancarlo Bizzarro, on November 20th to talk the latest findings from Sounds Profitable's groundbreaking research on podcast consumption patterns and the future of audio and video. Register below! 🎧

13 years ago today I walked into Seattle City Hall and paid $70 for a business license and Larj Media was born. From Chef Tom Douglas who was the first to say "yes" on day one to our most recent show, George Cheung & More Equitable Democracy, and everyone in between it has been a complete and utter thrill ride. Thankfully it's no longer just me working alone to help clients find their audiences and tell their stories! Cheers and gratitude to my sister Joelle Nole at the helm and our team of experts & partners who continue to enjoy our journey...the ride continues! Corine (McKenzie) Kuehlthau Maria Paleologos Shawn Simmons Faith O. Lisa Gray Chris Young Sounds Profitable Tom Douglas #podcast

Tom Webster 🤝 The Podcast Academy LEARNING ALERT! TPA is hosting a webinar with Tom Webster from Sounds Profitable on podcasting trends, insights, and future directions. It's open to all, so don't miss it! You don't have to be a member to attend. Register: https://lnkd.in/eT7Y_7CS