Sounds Profitable

With the upcoming release of Sounds Profitable’s study The Podcast Opportunity, Tom reflects on the idea of podcasting being considered ‘neither fish nor fowl’ in the advertising world. Credits: Written by Tom Webster Edited by Bryan Barletta Assembled with Spooler.fm Hosted by ART19 Sounds Profitable: Narrated Articles is a production of Sounds Profitable. For more information, visit soundsprofitable.com.

Articles covered: Quick Hits: Registration is open for next week’s Sounds Profitable webinar for the upcoming study The Podcast Opportunity: Buyer Perceptions of Podcast Advertising. The presentation is on June 28th at 3p.m. Eastern Standard Time. The new study uncovers the latest thinking from buyers on the current state of podcasts advertising, and the strengths and weaknesses of buying the medium. In a bonus video from this week’s Product Deepdive, Podscibe’s Amelia Coomber demonstrates a new tool in the platform that uses ChatGPT, trained with the GARM framework, to generate a risk assessment for the podcast. The content rating system generates a visualization that shows what content is flagged, an automatic summary of what was said, and timestamps to check out the offending content directly. Streaming Audio and YouTube Measurement now offered in Magellan AI. As of last week, Magellan AI supports the measurement of streaming audio campaigns, as well as podcasts. Advertisers can now confirm impression delivery by channel and measure ad performance through custom KPIs. Magellan also launched the ability to measure YouTube impact. Acast launches new tech integrating publishers’ paywalls with podcast platforms. The tech, dubbed Acast+ Access, will enable paywalled news outlets to produce podcasts that are siloed and only accessible to those who pay for the site’s premium subscription. Ausha Launches Ausha PRO, a new sub-brand dedicated for Branded Podcasts. Ausha PRO includes the features of Ausha with the added benefits of enhanced support, advanced customization of promotional materials, multi-user access for collaborative management, and platform configuration performed in-house by Ausha staff.

This week, Tom looks at some recent data on popular podcast genres from Pew in light of Spotify parting ways with Meghan and Harry and their podcast Archetypes. What can we learn from the past about the future of celebrity podcasting? Credits: Written by Tom Webster Edited by Bryan Barletta Assembled with Spooler.fm Hosted by ART19 Sounds Profitable: Narrated Articles is a production of Sounds Profitable. For more information, visit soundsprofitable.com.

This week's stories: Podcast listeners well disposed to political ads (Veritonic)Let’s Think about Podcast Consumers, Not Just ListenersCan A Million Ads Simplify Hyperlocal Audio Ads By Creating Even More Of Them?Partner Events: “Demystifying Brand Lift: Measuring How Audio Ad Campaigns Resonate with Listeners.” “How Creative Testing Drives Success in Audio.”“The Podcast Opportunity: Buyer Perceptions of Podcast Advertising”Quick Hits: What AI Will Never be Able to Do That People Can by Scott Klass. With AI discourse focusing on the hypotheticals of replacing on-air talent, SoundStack CMO Klass addresses the need for a human experience in the customer service side of advertising. Is the podcast bubble starting to burst? by Nick Bonyhady. A look at podcasting’s listener growth (and recent lack thereof) in Australia, showing there’s less of a balloon and more of a new normal catching up to the statistical anomaly of the surge in new podcasts spurred by pandemic. Podsights goes free-to-use and rebrands as Spotify Ad Analytics by Reem Makari. Rebranded to Spotify Ad Analytics, the platform offers free pixel tracking and has expanded to more countries. Brand lift studies are still Spotify app only, but are included for free with campaigns that meet a minimum spend and reach threshold. Podscribe Launches Automated Ad Scoring The new tool, powered by ChatGPT, automatically grades the quality of ad reads on a scale of 1 to 10 using criteria like how clearly the product was endorsed, and how personalized the recommendation was. Narrativ Launches Mobile App Open Beta. Generative AI startup Narrativ generates audio versions of news articles and monetizes via audio ads. The mobile app currently hosts content from several collegiate newspapers and will soon incorporate national news and Associated Press articles.

Programmatic ad placement has been stuck on the waterfall for long enough. It’s time to lay the foundation for Header Bidding in podcasting. Written by Bryan Barletta Edited by Tom Webster Assembled with Spooler.fm Hosted by ART19 Sounds Profitable: Narrated Articles is a production of Sounds Profitable. For more information, visit soundsprofitable.com.

Articles covered: Spotify to Slash Podcast Workforce, Combine Parcast and Gimlet Studios in New Round of Cuts“How Do We Pivot?”: Podcasting Turns to M&A and Cost-CuttingWhy advertisers are reconsidering keyword blocklists as brand safety approaches to hard newsGrowing Up with Podcasts: The Gen Z Podcast Listener ReportThe State of Audio Technology ReportIs YouTube Eating Podcasts? Cumulus Media And Signal Hill Insights’ Podcast Download – Spring 2023 ReportHot Pod coverage of audiobook surveys.Quick Hits iOS 17: What’s new for Apple Podcasts. During the 2023 Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple announced upcoming changes in iOS 17 that will impact Apple Podcasts. Search filters, episode art, and a new listening experience are among the new features. Developers currently have access to a beta, while public beta testing is slated for later this month. Podcasting’s Biggest Opportunity by Tom Webster. Podcasting is becoming more competitive and less collegial every year. Is that a good thing, a bad thing, or just inevitable? Tom Webster suggests there is still an important job we all need to collaborate on first. Triton Audio Marketplace Expands Basis Technologies Partnership to Support Advertising Across Digital and Broadcast Radio Segments. The new arrangement aims to enable marketers to streamline and consolidate content across all audio segments (podcasting, streaming, and terrestrial broadcast radio) via the Triton Audio Marketplace. Canadian Branded Podcast Agency Seeks Bad Reviews for its New Show. JAR Audio’s new ‘tell all’ about the branded podcast industry, pitched as part advice column and part sketch comedy, is asking be ruthlessly critical of the show during its upcoming launch window. Finally: the Sounds Profitable press release portal is now open! You can now submit your press releases directly to Sounds Profitable via the new portal at SoundsProfitable.com/press. In fact, the last two Quick Hits are pulled directly from our press release section. Head over now and amplify your podcast industry-related news and announcements.

Podcasting is becoming more competitive and less collegial every year. Is that a good thing, a bad thing, or just inevitable? Tom Webster suggests there is still an important job we all need to collaborate on first. Credits: Written by Tom Webster Edited by Bryan Barletta Assembled with Spooler.fm Hosted by ART19 Sounds Profitable theme written by Tim Cameron Sounds Profitable: Narrated Articles is a production of Sounds Profitable. For more information, visit soundsprofitable.com.

This week on the Download: Why podcasters are selling subscriptions through third-party vendorsFuture of TV Briefing: CTV continues to be a black box to programmatic marketersPublishers large and small put their resources into first-party data - Digiday ResearchAustralian digital audio ad spend climbs to $51.9 millionQuick Hits: The Podscape, a collaborative effort between Magellan AI and Sounds Profitable, will be publishing a new edition this summer! In the interest of making this snapshot of the podcasting industry as accurate as possible the Podscape is putting out an open call: Is your company missing from the current edition? Notice something we omitted? Submit Updates HerePeabody-Nominated Content Studio Project Brazen Launches Platform for “Fearless Storytelling” by Alex Ritman. The new content platform features a special focus on journalism “that reveals hidden aspects of the world around us.”

There has been much concern over how podcasting will implement AI. Tom breaks down the current landscape, as well as future symbiotic relationships.Credits: Written by Tom Webster Edited by Bryan Barletta Assembled with Spooler.fm Hosted by ART19 Sounds Profitable theme written by Tim Cameron Sounds Profitable: Narrated Articles is a production of Sounds Profitable. For more information, visit soundsprofitable.com.

This week on The Download: Advertisers and audiences refute the idea that podcasts are on the wane. NewsGuard: Programmatically-placed ads for major nonprofits and government orgs on dozens of misinformation websitesWhy Black creators say brands are ‘quiet as a mouse’ on Black History Month and Juneteenth this year. Quick Hits: Podscribe Launches YouTube Conversation Modeling. The new dashboard unifies RSS and YouTube metrics into one location. ARN and Magellan AI announce Top 15 Podcast Advertisers in Australia for Q1. The list includes familiar faces like Apple, Amazon, and McDonald’s. ‘The Turning’ Podcast Studio Rococo Punch to Merge With Audily by J. Clara Chan. From the article: “When two independents come together, we can do much bigger things.” ARN uses geo-location to deliver headlines on Your News Now podcast. The new podcast uses geotargeting to create a sub-three-minute episode covering local news, sports, and weather forecast. Missing the Sounds Profitable Podcast this week? Check out the latest episode of the ANA’s podcast Champions of Growth. The episode, titled Is Podcasting the Future of Branded Advertising, features both Bryan Barletta and Tom Webster talking with Matthew Schwartz

Like a kid taking a bite of his dessert before his meal is finished, I think it’s time we enter the next phase of podcast adtech even before we finish the last.Credits: Written by Bryan Barletta Edited by Gavin Gaddis Read by Gavin Gaddis Assembled with Spooler.fm Hosted by ART19 Sounds Profitable: Narrated Articles is a production of Sounds Profitable. For more information, visit soundsprofitable.com.

This week: Lessons from the Podcast Upfront, the Spring 2023 MIDAS report is here, and SXM Media leaders see podcast advertising maturing.| Podcasters focus on expansion and reach despite slower ad revenue growth at upfronts Podcast Advertising Sees Slowdown in 2022, Even as Growth Rate Outpaces Other Digital Mediums Despite Layoffs and Canceled Podcasts, Podcasting Is Optimistic About AI And First-Party Data RAJAR Spring 2023 MIDAS Report Hot Pod: SXM Media Leaders talk about how podcast ads are still maturing And for our Quick Hits: New from Recordical: Audio Currents, a twice-weekly audio industry newsletter written by Shreya Sharma. Tuesday issues will focus on audio news, industry expert interviews, and resources for brands, while Friday episodes will feature creator spotlights. Barometer and ArtsAI have partnered to “bring new solutions to market delivering unprecedented in-flight transparency of brand safety and suitability for podcast advertising.” Podcasting gets a new magazine with Good Tape. The new print magazine aims to capture the conversations happening in the audio industry. The first issue is available for pre-order and slated for Fall 2023 release, with an open call for writers to pitch content. For a full transcript and links to all articles mentioned, please visit SoundsProftiable.com/Podcast

In this episode, Arielle Nissenblatt and Bryan Barletta interview Tom Webster about his recent reporting: an article he wrote for Sounds Profitable called “How To Murder a Podcast” and a YouTube video called “Research Collection Methods.” We talk about Sounds Profitable’s approach when it comes to education for the industry and how understanding research collection methods fits into our mission. We also discuss our upcoming research projects and where you can go to learn about them.Listen to learn about: Probability sampling Convenience sampling “Crap” sampling Why understanding research methodology is important How to understand and take action on industry studies What we’re presenting at The Podcast Show in London for SP partners Links: Ashley Reese’s tweet about Robert DeNiro / Al Pacino How To Murder a Podcast Sounds Profitable’s YouTube channel Credits: Hosted by Bryan Barletta, Arielle Nissenblatt, Tom Webster Produced by Spooler Media Hosted on Art19 Recorded on SquadCast.fm Edited by Gavin Gaddis

This week, we have a special guest post from Newton Schottelkotte! Newt recently graduated from college this year, but do not let their age fool you - they’ve been in podcasting for seven years now, and seven significant years at that. We asked Newt to share some perspective on how podcasting has changed, and how it can continue to grow as a viable career. Written by Newton Schottelkotte Edited by Tom Webster Assembled with Spooler.fm Hosted by ART19 Sounds Profitable: Narrated Articles is a production of Sounds Profitable. For more information, visit soundsprofitable.com.

This week's stories: DISQO: Proving the Power of Podcast Ads Elite podcasts struggle while the podcast masses thrive. Pluto TV has an ad frequency problem. Quick Hits: Newsguard Launches World’s First Journalist-Vetted Podcast Credibility Ratings. In addition to this announcement, Newsguard has also announced a partnership with Barometer to provide episode-level misinformation detection for podcasts. Dovetail from PRX is now IAB Podcast Measurement 2.1 Certified. Spotify launches the Spotify Audience Network in France, Spain, and Italy. Continuing podcast’s global growth, advertisers will now have access to the network in more European countries. This week on Data Decoded, Tom Webster brings a special extra-long episode in the form of his IAB Upfront talk. Join Tom as he breaks down the data to look at the anatomy of podcasting’s audience, and how it has grown.

The Edison Research Share of Ear shows podcasting’s share of daily audio listening for Americans 13+ has doubled over the last nine years. This week, Tom highlights a related statistic that shows a promising ratio for podcasting’s core.Credits: Written by Tom Webster Edited by Bryan Barletta Assembled with Spooler.fm Hosted by ART19 Sounds Profitable: Narrated Articles is a production of Sounds Profitable. For more information, visit soundsprofitable.com.

This week's top stories: How to use CTV as a Roadmap for Programmatic AudioWhat downturn? In real terms, ad spending is doing just fine.Washington State passes sweeping health data lawResearch Roundup: Audacy State of AudioCumulus Media 2023 Audioscape iHeart State of Podcasting 2023Podcast Advertising Benchmark Report by PodsightsThe Soundout Index 2023Quick hits: Barometer and Audiohook partner to enable Brand Suitability and Contextual Targeting at scale. The partnership aims to allow advertisers the ability to enforce brand suitability guidelines while also taking advantage of Audiohook’s programmatic platform. New on Data Decoded, Tom shares his love of commercial jingles while examining interesting data in the Soundout Index report. Why is sonic branding seemingly less effective on Gen Z? Find out in Tom’s new six minute video!

In this episode, we discuss baseball! The new pitch clock, our favorites teams…just kidding. We talk about what it means to swing for the fences in the podcast and audio space and the companies who are taking big risks. Sounds Profitable is in a unique position to not only swing for the fences ourselves, but to help others who want to help grow this industry too.Listen to learn about: The big swings we’ve taken and how they’ve paid off Why the podcast industry needs big ideas Some Sounds Profitable partners who are conducting industry-leading research Why kids and family podcasts are helping to grow the pie Why we think the new Julia Louis Dreyfuss Podcast from Lemonada is a great example of a successful swing for the fence Links: Sounds Profitable’s partners Lemonada Wiser Than Me Cleveland Credits: Hosted by Bryan Barletta, Arielle Nissenblatt, Tom Webster Produced by Spooler Media Hosted on Art19 Recorded on SquadCast.fm Edited by Gavin Gaddis

A recent research report from Japan highlights how podcasting can grow when it germinates from a very different seed. Tom Webster breaks down the data and how it applies to podcasting everywhere Credits: Written by Tom Webster Edited by Bryan Barletta Assembled with Spooler.fm Hosted by ART19 Sounds Profitable: Narrated Articles is a production of Sounds Profitable. For more information, visit soundsprofitable.com

This week on The Download: How Brands Can Lift the Tide of Minority-Owned Media More brands choose Boomer/GenX influencers as 'older audiences can be just as impactful' as young ones. What Marketers need to know about Generation Zennial from social media and buying habits And in Quick Hits: Barometer Secures $2.25M To Expand Brand Safety And Contextual Targeting For Podcasts by Anthony Vargas. Veritonic Achieves Security Organization Control 2 Type II Certification. After an audit by Prescient Assurance, Veritonic has been validated as having effective enterprise-level security for customer data. Audioboom publishes 2022 Annual Report & Financial Statements. The company reports double-digit growth in several key metrics. WPP Acquires Sonic Branding Agency Amp to Strengthen Landor & Fitch by Stephen Lepitak. This is the third acquisition by WWP in the past month, along with technology-focused social influencer marketing agencies. For links to all articles covered and a full transcript of the episode, please visit SoundsProfitable.com/podcast

In this special re-upload, Bryan speaks with U of Digital Managing Partner Shiv Gupta about what it means to create a comprehensive educational approach across an industry. Gupta comes to us by way of the digital marketing space, but has spent his career creating programming aimed at educating and serving across different sectors and levels within companies. Adtech Applied cohost Arielle Nissenblatt joins to set up the chat and break it down with takeaways at the latter half of the show.Listen to learn about: Shiv Gupta’s career Why it’s important to create non-biased courses that educate on entire industries How Sounds Profitable plans to approach an education initiative Why we need your feedback on this podcast Here’s our favorite idea from this conversation: creating opportunities for folks to learn, either if they’re new to a job or looking to move on to the next level, benefits everyone.Links: Bryan Barletta Arielle Nissenblatt Shiv Gupta U of Digital The Download Sounds Profitable: Narrated Articles SquadCast Podscribe Credits: Hosted by Bryan Barletta & Arielle Nissenblatt Audio engineering by Evo Terra Executive produced by Evo Terra of Simpler Media Sounds Profitable Theme written by Tim Cameron Revised edit by Gavin Gaddis.

Continuing Sounds Profitable’s mission to provide more for the business of audio, Bryan Barletta announces the Partner Perks Series. Get in touch to learn more about the Business Leaders Summit at The Podcast Show London! Written by Bryan Barletta Edited by Tom Webster Assembled with Spooler.fm Hosted by ART19 Sounds Profitable: Narrated Articles is a production of Sounds Profitable. For more information, visit soundsprofitable.com.

This week's stories: ‘They are blatantly blocking news’: Confessions of a programmatic sales lead on brand safety filters’ impact on publishers’ direct-sold ads Pew Research publishes Podcasts as a Source of News and Information Americans Spend $48 per Month on Video Streaming Services — and Half of Those Surveyed Say That’s Too Much FTC Warns Almost 700 Marketing Companies That They Could Face Civil Penalties if They Can’t Back Up Their Product Claims Quick hits: Podscribe is now IAB Tech Lab Certified. Announced this Monday, verification platform Podscribe announced they have officially received their IAB certification after a six month audit process. Podcast hosting platform Ausha has announced the implementation of ChatGPT into their social media management system. Netflix Earnings, Netflix’s Movie Strategy, Accretive Ads by Ben Thompson. This week’s Stratechery issue covers the recent Netflix earnings call, Thompson’s previous coverage of Netflix, and what could lie in Netflix’s future. Veritonic has published a new guide titled 5 Things to Consider When Running a Brand Lift Study for Audio. For full transcript and links to all articles mentioned, please visit SoundsProfitable.com/podcast

Did you know that April is Adopt-a-Podcast Listener Month? Now you do! Bryan Barletta speaks with Lauren Passell and Arielle Nissenblatt about Tink Media, this new initiative to grow the podcast/audio space, barriers they’ve uncovered for potential listeners, and how you can get involved.Listen to learn about: How to idea for this event came about Lauren and Arielle’s woman-on-the-street approach to ask people about their listening habits Best practices they’ve uncovered for recommending podcasts The pre, mid, and post-roll ad campaign you can participate in Links: Lauren Passell Tink Media Adopt-a-Listener Month Credits: Hosted by Bryan Barletta, Arielle Nissenblatt Produced by Spooler Media Hosted on Art19 Recorded on SquadCast.fm Edited by Gavin Gaddis

Discussed this week:Ad Spend in the US will grow more than initially expected this year, per S&P. How brands can tailor their audio ads to target “co-listeners”Why news outlets are putting their podcasts on YouTube Quick Hits:The 2023 Quill Podcast Awards nominations are now open. Public nominations will run until April 24th, with finalists announced on May 4th and winners announced on May 17th. Eligibility guidelines and categories can be found on Quill’s website. OxfordRoad has published a new study titled Solving Audio Ad Attribution. The white paper aims to teach marketers how to improve performance at scale and proposes vanity urls “no longer cut it.” A month after the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, the fallout is just beginning for the ad industry by Seb Joseph and Marty Swant for Digiday. A substantial breakdown of the aftershocks from the SVB collapse and what impacts it’ll have on advertising. For full transcript and links to everything mentioned, please visit SoundsProfitable.com/Podcast

In this episode, Tom, Arielle, and Bryan recap their experiences at Radiodays Europe, which took place last month in Prague. They discuss the expo hall, the presentation they attended, trends they identified, and much more. Listen to learn about: How Tom’s recent research was received by a primarily European audience Radio’s prevalence in Europe What podcasting can learn from radio Why Sounds Profitable feels it’s important to be at non-podcast-specific events The Podcast Summit at Radiodays Links: Radiodays Europe Podcast Show London Data Decoded Adopt-a-Listener Month Sounds Profitable’s research Credits: Hosted by Bryan Barletta, Arielle Nissenblatt, Tom Webster Produced by Spooler Media Hosted on Art19 Recorded on SquadCast.fm Edited by Gavin Gaddis

This week, Tom Webster spots a misapplication of podcast research that he felt strongly enough about to hopefully nip in the bud, wherever the bud may be found.Contact for information about Business Leader Summit in London.BumperCredits: Written by Tom Webster Edited by Bryan Barletta. Assembled with Spooler.fm Hosted by ART19 Sounds Profitable: Narrated Articles is a production of Sounds Profitable. For more information, visit soundsprofitable.com.

This week on The Download: AMERICA bill aims to regulate big ad tech Publishers find Q1 numbers not as bad as forecasted A deep dive into podcasting in South Korea Quick Hits: Submissions for the Digiday Media and Technology awards are approaching their regular deadline of May 11th. If you’re interested in submitting a podcast to either category, use code soundsprofitable, all one word and lowercase, to take $100 off your submission fee. Rococo Punch launches RP Labs, a vertical dedicated to continuing education audio experiences. Rococo RP Labs announcement Audio Insurgent author Eric Nuzum published the text of his seven minute Radiodays Europe speech on market saturation in audio. The speech makes a bold statement: market saturation doesn’t exist for podcasts created by genuinely motivated production teams. Adthos launches self-service AI-generated audio ads for radio, podcast, and streaming. Starting Tuesday, users of the Adthos platform now have access to the ability to generate an audio ad creative from scratch entirely using AI tools, from the script to backing music. TuneIn adds 120,000 audiobooks to premium service, by Matthew Keys. Audio streamer TuneIn has now added a sizeable library of audiobooks. Some classic titles will be available for free, while premium users will have access to the entire collection. For all links and a full transcript of the episode, visit SoundsProfitable.com/Podcasts

Podcast advertising is in a weird phase. We’re caught between our ideals and our reality; the technical capabilities of the space and the business decisions of the company. That confusion is starting to cost us trust. Written by Bryan Barletta Edited by Tom Webster Assembled with Spooler.fm Hosted by ART19 Sounds Profitable: Narrated Articles is a production of Sounds Profitable. For more information, visit soundsprofitable.com.

This week on The Download: Google Announces Ad Library, the maturing podcast ad industry attracts more mainstream brands, and Audiobooks could become new audio advertising frontier. Quick Hits:Gumball Expands Its Host-Read Podcast Advertising Marketplace Model to YouTube Integrations. Podcast Company Audacy Shakes Up Its Leadership, Retains Cadence13 Studio by Ashley Carman. For a full transcript of the episode, links, and other episodes, please visit SoundsProfitable.com/Podcast

Tom Webster recently wrote an article entitled, “What We Talk About When We Talk About Podcasts.” He posits that, while publishers may think they know a lot about their audiences, they don’t really know all that much. He outlines five questions that podcasters can ask of their audience in order to get a better grasp on who they are, what they want, and how the show can potentially appeal to more listeners like them. Arielle Nissenblatt and Tom discuss these five questions and share some more context on how to chat with your audience. Also in this episode, we discuss Sounds Profitable’s “The Medium Moves the Message” research study and Tink Media’s upcoming Adopt a Listener Month initiative.Listen to learn about: 5 questions you can and should ask your audience How to actually get responses from your audience Why it’s not enough to just ask “what do you like about my podcast?” Why you don’t need this to be a study or have thousands of responses for it to be effective What’s coming up at Sounds Profitable Links: Article Arielle Nissenblatt Tom Webster Sounds Profitable’s research Credits: Hosted by Bryan Barletta, Arielle Nissenblatt, Tom Webster Produced by Spooler Media Hosted on Art19 Recorded on SquadCast.fm

From an undisclosed location in Prague, Tom Webster reflects on highlights from recent Sounds Profitable research and why it means radio should embrace podcasting. Credits: Written by Tom Webster Edited by Gavin Gaddis Assembled with Spooler.fm Hosted by ART19 Sounds Profitable theme written by Tim Cameron Sounds Profitable: Narrated Articles is a production of Sounds Profitable. For more information, visit soundsprofitable.com.

This week on The Download:Ad Fraud Yet to Significantly Impact PodcastsMarketers and creators react to potential TikTok banYouTubeTV increases price due to content costsSounds Profitable releases The Medium Moves the MessageQuick hits: The Biggest Challenge for Podcasters Today is… by Eric Nuzum in his newsletter Audio Insurgent. This issue Nuzum has a conversation with ChatGPT, asking the bot to list the biggest issues podcasters face currently. Interestingly enough, it might have parroted the sentiments of one of Nuzum’s own articles back at him.Amaze Media Labs Acquires Rockable. Podcast advertising company Rockable, and their proprietary audience growth solutions, are now a part of AMAZE Media Labs. For a full transcript of the episode, links, and other episodes, please visit SoundsProfitable.com/Podcast

Google has a potentially huge opportunity to grow the podcast industry — both for publishers and for listeners (and even for advertisers) — by way of YouTube Music. The past few weeks have brought more and more attention to this possibility by way of Kai Chuk’s announcement at Hot Pod Summit at On Air Fest and a recent press release shared on Podnews. In this episode, Bryan Barletta and Arielle Nissenblatt discuss the opportunity at hand, what we would like to see, what we will likely see (realistically), and what the future looks like if the opportunity is seized.Listen to learn about: How YouTube could potentially ingest RSS feeds What hosting providers and YouTube should be negotiating How Sounds Profitable plans to handle video Upcoming research from Sounds Profitable How AI fits into all of this Links: Article Sounds Profitable’s research Credits: Hosted by Bryan Barletta, Arielle Nissenblatt, Tom Webster Produced by Spooler Media Hosted on Art19 Recorded on SquadCast.fm Edited by Gavin Gaddis

This week Bryan addresses the myth that podcasting has a unique measurement problem, and how the industry as a whole can move forward to address it. Written by Bryan Barletta Edited by Tom Webster Assembled with Spooler.fm Hosted by ART19 Sounds Profitable theme written by Tim Cameron Sounds Profitable: Narrated Articles is a production of Sounds Profitable. For more information, visit soundsprofitable.com.

The Download is brought to you by Magellan AI. Track the trends in spend, ad load, podcasts on YouTube, and more with Magellan AI's advertising benchmark report for Q4, available now.The stories covered this week are: 6 AI tools podcasters are using for new ideas, editing, and more — and why they're skeptical of ChatGPT Why regulators’ scrutiny of Big Tech is rekindling buyers’ interest in ad tech News publishers lament the role of verification firms in the programmatic market Quick Hits: The JAR Audio Pilot Competition for Emerging Women Podcasters is now accepting applications. The winning idea will be produced as a pilot episode with JAR audio collaborating with the creator. The deadline for submissions is May 1st. Sessions from Veritonic’s Audio Intelligence Summit are now available on Veritonic’s website. For those who missed out, or are interested in reviewing what they saw in person, the seven sessions are now live, including the panel on attribution and brand lift that includes our own Bryan Barletta. What Are the 3 S’s of Programmatic Podcast Advertising? By Mattia Verzella on AdMonsters. Spreaker’s Head of Business Development breaks down the rise of ad trading in podcasting, the challenges faced by both publishers and advertisers, and details how the three S’s can solve for them. For the episode's full transcript, please visit SoundsProfitable.com/Podcast

Does the medium move the message? Spoiler alert - yes. This week Tom Webster previews the next research project from Sounds Profitable. Written by Tom Webster Edited by Bryan Barletta Assembled with Spooler.fm Hosted by Omny Studio Sounds Profitable theme written by Tim Cameron

Gavin: This is The Download from Sounds Profitable, the most important news from this week and why it matters to people in the business of podcasting. I’m Gavin Gaddis, in for Manuela Bedoya. Shreya: And I’m Shreya Sharma.Gavin: The Download is brought to you by Magellan AI. Track the trends in spend, ad load, podcasts on YouTube, and more with Magellan AI's advertising benchmark report for Q4, available now. You can find a link in the description or visit Magellan dot AI.Shreya: This week: Spotify Stream On Announces New Features, RSS.com and Spreaker make transcripts more accessible, Marketers adapt to serve niche communities, and The Infinite Dial turns 25. Let’s get started. Spotify live stream Gavin: Yesterday Spotify hosted their annual Stream On live event from LA. Throughout the 90 minute presentation a series of guest speakers, ranging from Spotify executives to the Jonas Brothers, debuted new features from Spotify and the company’s goals in the near future. Let’s look at the ones relevant to podcasting:Starting yesterday the Anchor brand has been retired. The hosting service and other podcasting features will be brought under the name Spotify for Podcasters. In addition to the new coat of paint for Anchor, several features originally only available to podcasts hosted on Anchor have been made platform-agnostic. Chief among these features is the ability to upload video podcasts to Spotify, a particular pain point for video podcasters outside the Spotify umbrella. In addition to video uploads, users will have access to net-new features like Q&A posts and polls that will be visible on the podcast’s page in Spotify. The Spotify for Podcasters dashboard will also feature more advanced analytics. As one slide of the presentation announced: “Spotify is open for business.” Speaking of business, during the segment focusing on the Spotify Audience Network, Chief Business Officer Alex Norstrom announced the newest publisher to join SPAN is none other than podcasting giant NPR.In the world of monetization, Spotify podcasters are getting a sizeable upgrade in the form of a Patreon partnership. Now podcast listeners will be able to listen to premium content hosted on Patreon from within Spotify itself. With this announcement, Spotify now has a direct answer to Apple’s paid podcast subscription service.This year’s Stream On was a promising one, with a healthy focus on the podcasting industry overall. This renewed focus on upgrading the platform, adding new features, and making older features more accessible to podcasters everywhere is a promising one. Spotify seems to be interested in growing with podcasting instead of growing independently. We love to see it. RSS.com and Spreaker make transcription freeShreya: To continue the trend of features that benefit everyone in podcasting we have two big transcription announcements. First: this Monday https://podnews.net/press-release/rss-com-free-transcripts?utm_source=podnews.net&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=podnews.net:2023-03-06. When generated, these transcripts will be posted automatically to the show’s episode page on RSS.com, as well as pushed the show’s RSS feed. This will allow the transcript to be displayed in podcast listening apps that support Podcasting 2.0 tags. According to this Monday’s issue of Podnews, the list of apps that actively support transcripts through this method includes Podverse, Podbean, and Podcast Addict. At launch the automatic transcripts support thirteen languages: English, Spanish, Arabic, Catalan, Dutch, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese and Turkish. In the official press release, RSS.com co-founder Ben Richardson said there were several features the company considered essential to the tool for it to be ready, including multiple languages and ease of use for the podcaster. From the press release: “We encourage all types of podcast player apps to facilitate the use of captions and transcripts our podcasters can provide in order to open up even more of podcasting’s potential.” And for the second part of this Monday transcription tale: the folks at Spreaker launched http://freepodcastranscription.com, a free tool available to anyone regardless of affiliation with Spreaker. The website touts a high level of privacy and security due to everything being run locally in the user’s browser. From the site’s copy: “We don't send the mp3 file to a server. All the processing happens on your device.” Since that processing is kept in-browser instead of farmed out to an expensive server network, the burden of effort and cost is shifted to the user, allowing a lightweight, free option for podcast transcription. Users pick from one of sixty language options, select the file needing transcription, and run the process. After some time, dictated by the power of the computer, a .SRT file is generated for download. The easier it is for podcasters to generate transcripts, the more pressure there will be for podcas

This week we bring you a feed drop from Insider Interviews, in which E.B. Moss interviews Linda Bethea. The original show notes follow: Linda Bethea, Head of Marketing for Danone North America - a top 15 Food and Beverage brand and the country's largest B corp - gives Insider Interviews host, E.B. Moss, the insider's scoop on marketing 20 different beloved CPG brands, and staying true to a corporate mission of sustainability. Hear how she developed her leadership skills during stints with PepsiCo, Frito-Lay and Diageo, and is now "delighting" consumers with everything from International Delight partnerships with the iconic show "Friends" to the hit Super Bowl commercial for Oikos with Deion Sanders and family.Linda and E.B. discuss:• Linda's path from soda to spirits to spirited field work that taught her how to negotiate and earned the nickname of The Velvet Hammer• Her definition of brand purpose and how proper marketing of it impacts consumer choice and company values• The growing demand for plant-based foods today• How Danone is rescuing fruit and repurposing bottles into shoes and what E.B. eats as an "ova-lacto-pesce-vegetarian"! (And a lot more about plant-food trends, like Danone's new campaign for Silk with a "faux" milk moustache on stars!Linda Bethea is smart and inspiring and mission-driven. Don't miss this conversation with a conscientious consumer marketer and leader.

In preparation for Podcast Movement Evolutions and South by Southwest, Bryan Barletta sits down with Tom Webster to discuss research, presentations, and his new weekly video series Data Decoded.Credits: Written by Bryan Barletta Edited by Gavin Gaddis Assembled with Spooler.fm Hosted by ART19 Sounds Profitable theme written by Tim Cameron Sounds Profitable: Narrated Articles is a production of Sounds Profitable. For more information, visit soundsprofitable.com.

Manuela: This is The Download from Sounds Profitable, the most important news from this week and why it matters to people in the business of podcasting. I’m Manuela Bedoya. Shreya: And I’m Shreya Sharma.Manuela: The Download is brought to you by Magellan AI. Track the trends in spend, ad load, podcasts on YouTube, and more with Magellan AI's advertising benchmark report for Q4, available now. You can find a link in the description or visit Magellan dot AI.Shreya: This week: Podcasts are coming to YouTube Music, Digiday breaks down the Google antitrust case, Podnews publishes a deep dive on podcasting in Japan, and how marketers are looking at Q2. Let’s get started.Podcasts are coming to YouTube MusicManuela: Since the release of the YouTube Podcasts webpage last year, there has been little in the way of concrete feature announcements from YouTube, leaving some skeptical of Google’s commitment. After all, podcasting has been burned by companies veering away from podcast support at the 11th hour. Last Thursday, during the Hot Pod Summit at On Air Fest, YouTube Podcast Lead Kai Chuck took to announce YouTube is releasing a beta version of podcasting functionality for YouTube accounts, as well as adding podcasts to YouTube Music in the near future. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/youtube-podcasts-1235332624/: “The message that I would hope folks are taking away is YouTube, at large, independent of YouTube Music, is looking to better support podcasters and [recognizes] that podcasting is generally an audio-first medium.” Once implemented, YouTube Music listeners will likely have a comparable podcast listening experience to current offerings with Spotify and Apple. As reported on the https://blog.youtube/news-and-events/youtube-music-premium-80-million-lyor-cohen/ in August, YouTube Music has a subscriber base of around 80 million users split across YouTube Music and YouTube Premium. Not bad, but it pales in comparison to YouTube’s over two billion users. According to Chuck, there are intentions to bridge the gap between the platforms. https://newsletters.feedbinusercontent.com/60b/60b0be3184899cafee144c595c4fee42eb420187.html: “I don’t expect podcasts to only live on YouTube Music, that’s the only way that people consume podcasts on YouTube,” Chuk said. “We expect there to be kind of a back and forth between the two.”Shapiro then says Google product lead for podcasting Steve McLendon gave an explanation of how the feature would ultimately work, describing seamlessly continuing a podcast episode that had been started on a desktop computer watching YouTube to an audio feed while driving home from work. While not directly related to podcasting, another promising audio feature was announced for YouTube last week: https://variety.com/2023/digital/news/youtube-multilanguage-audio-tracks-mrbeast-supercharges-videos-1235533196/. Currently in beta and piloted by popular content creators like Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson, the feature will allow creators to upload alternate audio tracks to dub new and existing videos in different languages. If properly supported and implemented, this could have interesting implementations for podcasting in future.In the https://soundsprofitable.com/guide-and-article/how-google-can-earn-our-trust/, Bryan Barletta detailed several ways Google could win back trust from skeptical podcasters and show they’re committed to integrating with the industry. One way mentioned was a commitment to RSS ingestion and integration. While a step in the right direction, Chuck’s announcement didn’t completely deliver this. A quote from Chan’s presentation: “Definitely support for RSS is something we are looking at. I would say, probably initially, we will leverage RSS to make it easier for podcasters to bring shows to YouTube. In terms of future plans, things like that, we’re sort of exploring what should our goal be.” So podcasts are coming to YouTube. Kind of. As Chuck said, the current vision for RSS integration is less integration and more an automatic import to bring the file into YouTube’s ecosystem. Promising steps are being made towards YouTube integrating into podcasting, instead of YouTube turning podcasters into YouTubers who occasionally upload audio elsewhere, but we’re not out of the woods yet. WTF is going on with the Google antitrust case? Shreya: Back in late January the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Google, alleging the search engine giant had created a monopoly in the ad tech market as well. The 155 page lawsuit argues Google has used a combination of ad tech tools like their ad exchange and publisher ad server to corner the market on programmatic ads. https://digiday.com/marketing/wtf-is-the-justice-departments-ad-tech-antitrust-case-against-google/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=digidaydis&utm_source=daily&utm_content=230227 collecting together the first three installments of a series of videos explaining the DoJ’s lawsuit, as well as the basic fu

Writing for Sounds Profitable recently, Bryan Barletta posited the idea that Spotify has a big opportunity to use their streaming ad insertion technology to grow the industry. In this episode, Arielle Nissenblatt speaks with Bryan and Tom Webster about this opportunity, what it means for the larger industry, and how this all fits into the current zeitgeist around the future of audio (i.e. there have been some doom-and-gloom-focused articles popping up). Listen to learn about: The origins of streaming ad insertion How streaming ad insertion differs from dynamic ad insertion How streaming ad insertion and dynamic ad insertion can work together Why publishers benefit from streaming ad insertion How this discussion affects Apple, Amazon, and more companies Sounds Profitable’s presence at Podcast Movement and SXSW Links: Bryan Barletta Arielle Nissenblatt Tom Webster The article we’re discussing Podcast Movement Sounds Profitable at SXSW Credits: Hosted by Bryan Barletta, Arielle Nissenblatt, Tom Webster Produced by Spooler Media Hosted on Art19 Recorded on SquadCast.fm Edited by Reece Carman and Ron Tendick

Every podcaster thinks they know what their audience likes. This week Tom Webster shares strategies to actually get that audience talking and directly telling you what they like. Credits: Written by Tom Webster Edited by Bryan Barletta Assembled with Spooler.fm Hosted by ART19 Sounds Profitable theme written by Tim Cameron Sounds Profitable: Narrated Articles is a production of Sounds Profitable. For more information, visit soundsprofitable.com.

Manuela: This is The Download from Sounds Profitable, the most important news from this week and why it matters to people in the business of podcasting. I’m Manuela Bedoya. Shreya: And I’m Shreya Sharma.This week: The App Tracking Transparency Recession, Streamers struggle with frequency capping, Bumper calculates listen time, and IPG Equity Upfront Spotlights Lack of Diverse Adspend.Manuela: The Download is brought to you by Magellan AI. Track the trends in spend, ad load, podcasts on YouTube, and more with Magellan AI's advertising benchmark report for Q4, available now. Link in the description or at Magellan dot AIShreya: Let’s get started. The App Tracking Transparency recession Manuela: While not hot off the presses, an early January article from Eric Benjamin Seufert discussing the effects of Apple’s App Tracking Transparency has come across The Download’s desk. As with most things in advertising, there’s nuance in the numbers.Quick refresher for those who haven’t seen the letters ATT dozens of times: App Tracking Transparency was a privacy policy introduced to iOS in 2021 that turns most forms of mobile data tracking into an opt-in service. As a result, a significant portion of iOS users have digitally disappeared for advertisers. An upset to the status quo, for sure, but the overall numbers provided by Seufert show the digital advertising market is not in a cyclical downturn. That said, social media platforms and other industries most likely to be affected by ATT have experienced a significant downturn due to a combination of both ATT-influenced changes and changing consumer preferences.Which is to say, not macroeconomic factors. A market-wide downturn, as well as more stress on those companies most affected by ATT, would primarily come from an actual 2023 recession. Overall, digital advertising has been working as intended. Consumers are consuming. Seufert points to a Bureau of Labor Statistics graph tracking US employment in December of 2022. According to these, unemployment is the lowest it has been since August 1969. From Seufert’s piece:“But one might assume that the economy has utterly imploded from reading the Q3 earnings call transcripts of various social media platforms. Alphabet, Meta, and Snap, in particular, cited macroeconomic weakness, headwinds, uncertainty, challenges, etc. in their Q3 earnings calls.”In the weeks since Seufert’s article, the overall numbers are trending to agree. The Download has recently mentioned podcast ad spend has remained up while others decline, but the same holds true for other areas. Last week a piece by Ethan Cramer-Flood for Insider Intelligence reports mobile app install ad spending increased 24.8% in 2022, on track to a market growth of 12% this year. Meanwhile, still on Insider Intelligence, Daniel Konstantinovic reports that while market concerns aren’t gone, ad-cost inflation has slowed. 84% of ad executives told Insider Intelligence they're not lowering budgets for 2023. From Konstantinovic:“But now, the industry is adjusting to a new normal. With inflation steadily falling and the cost per ad decreasing, some of the advertising spending that was staunched in the second half of last year may return.”The future may be uncertain, but for the wider advertising economy, podcasting included, things tend to be stable or trending upward. And, it bears repeating, podcasting has never benefited from mobile device IDs. From this industry’s perspective, at least, ATT has had little to no impact. It feels fitting to end with this quote from Seufert’s article:“While one might materialize, the belief that an advertising recession is currently and comprehensively depressing advertising spend is difficult to support with analytical rigor.”Streaming advertisers continue to struggle with frequency caps. Shreya: If you’ve used a video streaming service with advertisements, you’re likely intimately aware of the industry’s issue with frequency caps. Last week’s Future of TV Briefing from Digiday’s Tim Peterson zooms in on this particular issue with the section Capping Out. Streaming advertisers are in a bind. Some viewers are getting underexposed to ads, while others are overexposed. Problems that will only exacerbate as digital video streaming continues on its overtake of traditional television. According to a recent eMarketer graph, US adults only averaged five minutes less digital video time than television last year, and are projected to overtake TV’s declining numbers for the first time this year. Of course, addressing the frequency issues isn’t as easy as it sounds. A myriad of reasons exist, from lack of ability to track exposures across multiple streaming platforms, to multiple DSPs buying from the same pool. Even when the solution exists, sometimes it comes at a price. Peterson reports some streamers are charging more in exchange for placing stricter frequency caps. An anonymous ad agency executive told Digiday:“Some will endeavor to charge more for more restri

On this episode of the Sounds Profitable Podcast, Bryan Barletta sits down with Audiohook's Jordan Bentley to discuss pre-bid. What is it, what does it mean in the world of display advertising, and how can it be brought to podcasting? Listen to learn about: Pre-bid/header bid for Display. Pre-bid is coming for audio. What 'headers' will look like for audio. Links: Bryan Barletta Arielle Nissenblatt Jordan Bentley Audiohook

There has been a cooling of Google and YouTube's enthusiasm for podcasting as of late. Bryan Barletta details what they can do to to heat things back up.Frequency Webinar Signup Link.Credits: Written by Bryan Barletta Edited by Tom Webster Assembled with Spooler.fm Hosted by Omny Studio Sounds Profitable theme written by Tim Cameron Sounds Profitable: Narrated Articles is a production of Sounds Profitable. For more information, visit soundsprofitable.com.

Manuela: This is The Download from Sounds Profitable, the most important news from this week and why it matters to people in the business of podcasting. I’m Manuela Bedoya. Shreya: And I’m Shreya Sharma.This week: The ‘slippery slope’ of podcast endorsements, Netflix’s ad-supported tier has teething troubles, why ad buyers are hesitant to embrace DSPs, and a look at modern contextual advertising. Let’s get started.Navigating the ‘slippery slope’ of personal endorsements in podcast adsManuela: Over the past few years there have been multiple headlines spotlighting instances of social media influencers butting up against the Federal Trade Commission. This period of adjustment as new media incorporates modern advertising rules has matured to the point the FTC has a official page just for coaching influencers on advertisement disclosure. As MarketingBrew’s Alyssa Meyers pointed out this week: the FTC hasn’t similarly cracked down on podcast advertisements just yet, but it has come close. Listeners of The Download might remember a case in November when Google and iHeartRadio settled with the FTC out of court. The case concerned allegations that several iHeart on-air radio personalities were given ad copy with personal endorsements for a Pixel phone the hosts had not used. From Meyers’ article: “Though the FTC’s guidelines for endorsements and testimonials in advertising don’t mention podcasts, the agency proposed a change last May that would, if approved, add an example concerning a podcast host related to disclosing material connections.”Podcasting is no stranger to ad copy that flirts the line between advertisement and personal endorsement. Meyers opens her article asking if the reader has ever questioned if podcasters really made the meal kits they endorse, or if their mattress sponsor actually fixed their back problems. Hyperbolic, perhaps, but endorsements are a big factor in the appeal of host-read ads. David Plotz, CEO of City Cast told MarketingBrew he has experienced advertisers requiring ads to contain personal endorsements or, more worryingly from an FTC perspective, attempt to slip a personal endorsement into the ad copy. Meyers spotlights two approaches that eliminate any FTC concerns: Lauren Lograsso and NPR. Lograsso prefers ad deals with required endorsements and the authenticity of having tried the product herself. Conversely, NPR has a blanket policy of zero personal endorsements, a byproduct of the company carrying over its radio journalism ethos into podcasting. The article then closes out with advice from Veritone One VP of podcasting Hilary Ross Shafer and Adopter Media CEO Glenn Rubenstein: onboarding calls between podcasters and advertisers are useful, if not vital, tools to establish goals and prevent miscommunication. While host-read remains the preferred method of podcast advertising, it’s worth remembering Sounds Profitable’s first study, After These Messages, found the gap between host-read and announcer-read was smaller than conventional wisdom might suggest. 81% of respondents trusted host-read ads, followed by 71% trusting announcer-read.While it’s certainly possible podcasting will get a headline or two on par with, say, Instagram influencers selling teas that claimed to cure cancer, the data shows there’s no need for such extremes. Podcast listeners, especially in comparison to other forms of media, are quite accepting, if not supportive of advertising. Netflix Ad-Supported Tier Experiences Teething TroublesShreya: Time for an update on a continuing story involving Netflix. Back in early November we covered the details of Netflix’s new Basic tier with advertisements, as well as the big brands buying space at a reported CPM between $60 and $80. Now Basic with Ads has been out a few months and experienced its first teething troubles. Danielle Long, writing for The Drum, reports the streamer has had to issue refunds to Australian advertisers after failing to meet projected audience numbers. From the article: “Media reports suggest Netflix’s Basic with Ads subscription tier, which launched in November, has underperformed by as much as 70% in the first three months of operation.”While Australia’s ad refunds are the most eye-opening headline, Basic with Ads is reportedly slower to start than expected on a global scale. From a US perspective, last week an Insider Intelligence piece from Sara Lebow digs into the question of why, in the face of a recession, consumers aren’t downgrading their Netflix memberships to Basic with Ads. In fact, as economic worries mount, CivicScience numbers show there has been a three percent decline in US citizens who only have one subscription video-on-demand service since January of 2022. From Insider Intelligence analyst Daniel Konstantinovic: “Not only have people shown they are willing to pay for entertainment through difficult economic times, but they’re actually adding more.”One bright spot for Basic with Ads is the recent rollout of Netflix’s passwor

On Air Fest is a yearly event that celebrates sound by way of the podcast and audio industries. It’s in its 7th year, and this year, there’s an added bonus to the three-day-long event: the Podcast Experience. Bryan Barletta speaks with On Air Fest founders Jemma Brown and Scott Newman about the festival, this year’s inaugural “experience,” their hopes for the future of events in the audio space, and more.Listen to learn about: How On Air Fest has evolved How the podcast and audio space can grow by way of in-person and fan-focused events Why Bryan thinks we have to look outside of traditional audio spaces to grow the industry How to get tickets Sounds Profitable’s plans for SXSW Links: Bryan Barletta Arielle Nissenblatt Jemma Brown Scott Newman On Air Fest The Podcast Experience Events Credits: Hosted by Bryan Barletta and Arielle Nissenblatt Produced by Spooler Media Hosted on Art19 Recorded on SquadCast.fm Edited by Reeece Carman and Ron Tendick

This week, on a very special Law and Order-flavored article, Tom Webster recounts his experience serving on a jury and what the defense’s tactics taught him about podcasting. Don’t look at the chicken.Credits: Written by Tom Webster Edited by Bryan Barletta Assembled with Spooler.fm Hosted by Art19 Sounds Profitable theme written by Tim Cameron Sounds Profitable: Narrated Articles is a production of Sounds Profitable. For more information, visit soundsprofitable.com.

Manuela: This is The Download from Sounds Profitable, the most important news from this week and why it matters to people in the business of podcasting. I’m Manuela Bedoya. Shreya: And I’m Shreya Sharma.This week: Podcasting a ‘bright spot’ at SXM Media, Amplifi Media CEO counters ‘jarring headlines,’ new Black Podcast Listener Report from SXM and Mindshare, and the state of Google in podcasting.Let’s get started.Podcasting remains ‘a bright spot’ at SXM MediaManuela: ‘Tis the season of quarterly earnings calls. It seems like we get a batch of these every three months! SiriusXM has published their Q4 and full-year results for 2022. Overall the company saw a 4% year over year increase in revenue, hitting 9 billion dollars. The company shouted out its agreements with, as the official copy puts it, “podcast powerhouses” like Crooked Media, Freakonomics, and a 24/7 original comedy channel captained by Conan O’Brien’s Team Coco. Podcasting is on the mind at SXM. CEO Jennifer Witz spoke highly of the company’s podcasting arm during the call. To quote fhttps://d1io3yog0oux5.cloudfront.net/_a9fb3e04db36529ff47846b646f7e89e/siriusxm/db/2245/21302/file/SIRI+Q4+2022+Earnings+Release+vF.pdf“In a challenging ad market, podcasts continue to be a growth opportunity for us. This past quarter, we expanded our podcast offerings while doubling down on the shows that have proven most successful with five of the top 20 shows in Edison Research's top 50 podcast rankings, the most of any network.” Witz went on to say podcasting was a bright spot for the industry overall and SXM in particular, driving their 34% increase in off-platform business in 2022. We’ve said it before and will say it again: it’s a good day to hear good news in podcasting. Podcasting is doing fine; thank youShreya: Last week an https://rainnews.com/steve-goldstein-05132022-2/ was published on RainNews, built to assuage fears over recent doom-and-gloom media coverage. A quote from Goldstein’s opening: “If you are reading the headlines about podcasting, you might be a little nervous. There has been a lot of confusing and contradictory chatter about what the drop in new podcasts in 2022 means. Has the podcast bubble burst? Are podcasts on the way out? Not likely.”The piece puts to bed the air of uncertainty as recent reports show a decrease in active podcasts. Goldstein points to the marked increase in podcast production at the beginning of the pandemic, along with air fryer sales, used car sales, and views for cooking videos on YouTube. Now the https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ay5GqJwHF8 era of podcasting is over. Companies can no longer invest with the philosophy of “if you build it, they will come.” Which leads to Goldstein’s conclusion. Quote: “Just like all media, the podcast space is dynamic, exciting and rapidly evolving. It’s full of possibility and wonder. We just need a little more rigor and a little less throwing spaghetti against the wall. The next generation of podcasts will likely have greater research, focus and muscle behind them. Companies that produce and promote fewer high-quality podcasts will be better positioned for optimal growth. So, let’s get past the jarring headlines.“SXM Media and Mindshare publish Black Podcast Listener Report 2.0Manuela: SXM Media is back with the second edition of their https://www.sxmmedia.com/insights/what-brands-need-to-know-to-reach-black-podcast-listeners-in-2023. The study is the result of over 2,500 online interviews with Black and/or African American adults in the United States during September of last year. According to SXM’s footnotes, the data was weighted for age, sex, census region of the US, and the Edison’s Infinite Dial 2022 podcasting listening statistics. Among the findings are some promising results for advertisers. From the SXM blog post: “The best way to win over Black podcast listeners is to run ads on shows that represent their voice, culture, and point of view. Black audiences who have listened to a podcast with a Black host in the last month are more likely to take action than those who’ve never listened to a podcast hosted by Black talent.”82% of respondents would consider a brand if they heard their ad on a podcast with a Black host, as well as 78% saying they would purchase said brand. The recap article ends by encouraging brands who set aside ad budget to target Black audiences during February for Black History month to continue that spend throughout the year. From the article: “Like so much of the population, Black audiences are listening to podcasts—and, as you’ve learned, they’re leaned-in and here for ads that support the shows they love.” The State of Google and PodcastingShreya: Continuing the trend of earnings calls, let’s talk Google. It was a mixed bag in this year’s Q4 earnings report. Parent company Alphabet reported a 0.7 billion increase year over year in total revenue for Q4 2022. According to https://www.insiderintelligence.com/content/google-misses-mark-q4-setting-up-cha