The day after Sounds Profitable announced its merger with Podcast Movement, founder Bryan Barletta has composed a lengthy, informative, future-focused mission statement. Titled What’s Next for Sounds Profitable, it is agreeably subtitled: “Sounds Profitable and Podcast Movement have merged, let’s talk about that.”
While addressed to sponsoring partners, Sounds Profitable has also released it publicly (HERE).
“How does all this work,” the piece begins, clearly targeted to 200+ partner companies who are invested in an enterprise whose hierarchical structure has abruptly changed. The document has an embracing quality, and is enthusiastically forward-looking.
Four announcements furnish the backbone of this communication:
- The well-known and eagerly anticipated annual Podcast Movement Evolutions event will be combined with the Podcast Industry track at the annual SXSW (“South By Southwest”) conference. (This revelation comes directly from Podcast Movement Evolutions Dallas which is occurring now.)
- Podcast Movement, which until now has been a roving event, will be run in New York City starting in September 2026.
- James Cridland, founder and operator of Podnews, becomes Editorial Director of Podcast Movement.
- Future Podcast Movement conferences will not offer the “virtual ticket” (which has allowed on-screen attendance). Instead, every session on every stage at every Podcast Movement will be audio- and video-recorded. Barletta does not specifically say the recordings will be released publicly, but does imply it: “Education and insights should be accessible and free in a growing market, not just for those who can afford to attend the event or purchase a virtual ticket.”
Bryan Barletta also promises expanded global research (Tom Webster’s domain), increased single-topic event series which have been successfully tested, and the creation of working groups for Sounds Profitable’s 200+ sponsor partners, with an overall mandate to improve many of the technical aspects of the podcast industry.
Again, the doc is HERE.