Bryan Barletta

Podcast awards can offer numerous benefits beyond just winning. Whether you become a nominee or a winner, entering a podcast awards competition enhances visibility, builds credibility, and showcases expertise. And being an “award-nominated” or “award-winning” show can help attract guests and collaborators, increase media exposure and the potential for podcast app feature opportunities, and open up avenues for monetization. So how should you budget for podcast awards submissions in 2026? What are key awards and their success rates for recognition? And how can podcast awards move the needle towards your overall show and audience goals?

Recorded live at SXSW 2026 in Austin, TX, this third special episode of Podcast Perspectives is a high-level panel called So Everyone Has a Podcast. Should They? Our conversation includes Sounds Profitable founder Bryan Barletta, Podcast Nation co-founder Nadine Robinson, Lower Street founder Harry Morton, and Podglomerate founder and CEO Jeff Umbro.

2025 in Podcasting: A Year of Reckoning2025 was a year of big shifts and even bigger headlines. We saw companies close, new ventures launch, and familiar players rebrand or pivot. Video podcasts continued to grow, bringing shows to streaming platforms, theaters, and even the Golden Globes stage. Revenue models evolved, AI loomed large, and creators explored new ways to connect with audiences, from premium content to live events and derivative IP.Despite all the change, the podcasting community remains vibrant, and many companies reported record revenues. Optimism is high, and opportunities for creators are abundant—whether you’re experimenting with video, exploring new formats, or building the next breakout show. Our guests had some thoughts of their own.

As we look towards the New Year, we’ve gathered some of the brightest minds in podcasting to reflect on a transformative year. From indie creators to network executives, our guests share their most humbling lessons, unexpected wins, and the moments that made them rethink everything. Plus, they reveal what’s keeping them up at night – and what’s getting them excited – as we head into 2025.

In 2020 Bryan Barletta founded Sounds Profitable – a company committed to setting the course of the audio business by creating free educational materials, research, and connecting different players in the industry. Today I’m chatting with Bryan about what they’ve been up to recently, what exactly the “future of the audio business” should look like, and relevant changes in Apple Podcasts from iOS 17.