If you’ve been keeping tabs on the world of podcasting over the past couple of years, then it’s likely easy for you to visualize how the podcast landscape has transformed into a game of Pac-Man, one in which audio brands compete to gobble up a variety of shows and platforms in their quest for size, scale, and all-out success.
From major acquisitions and exclusive deals to talent recruitment, there’s no doubt about it: Podcasting is consolidating. And more quickly han you think. Back in 2021, the top seven podcast networks reached 50% of weekly podcast listeners. Fast forward to 2022 (and a few substantial M&A’s later), and you’ll find that four major networks wield 50% of all weekly podcast listeners, per the findings of Tom Webster (formerly of Edison Research, now of Sounds Profitable).
Podcast consolidation leads to competition. And they say competition breeds excellence. But let’s be honest: It breeds stress, anxiety, and inevitable burnout. It makes it untenable for new voices and perspectives to hold space and grow. And that’s not what podcasting needs. It needs collaboration and a renewed sense of creative cooperation and compassion at a time where the industry finds itself creeping further toward competitive silos and all-around divisiveness.
In 2023, my hope is for podcast makers to overcome this insatiable need to be the first, the best, and the one-and-only, and to instead focus on being collaborators and audio allies. That means acknowledging some deep, dark truths:
Don’t get me wrong: A little competition can be fun, and it can be fruitful. But in 2023, let’s not focus our podcasting energies toward being “better than all,” but rather being “collaborative with all,” seeking partnerships rather than perceiving rivals, as we work toward a common goal: Amplifying humanity through audio.
Joni Deutsch is vice president of podcast marketing and audience development at The Podglomerate.
If you’ve been keeping tabs on the world of podcasting over the past couple of years, then it’s likely easy for you to visualize how the podcast landscape has transformed into a game of Pac-Man, one in which audio brands compete to gobble up a variety of shows and platforms in their quest for size, scale, and all-out success.
From major acquisitions and exclusive deals to talent recruitment, there’s no doubt about it: Podcasting is consolidating. And more quickly han you think. Back in 2021, the top seven podcast networks reached 50% of weekly podcast listeners. Fast forward to 2022 (and a few substantial M&A’s later), and you’ll find that four major networks wield 50% of all weekly podcast listeners, per the findings of Tom Webster (formerly of Edison Research, now of Sounds Profitable).
Podcast consolidation leads to competition. And they say competition breeds excellence. But let’s be honest: It breeds stress, anxiety, and inevitable burnout. It makes it untenable for new voices and perspectives to hold space and grow. And that’s not what podcasting needs. It needs collaboration and a renewed sense of creative cooperation and compassion at a time where the industry finds itself creeping further toward competitive silos and all-around divisiveness.
In 2023, my hope is for podcast makers to overcome this insatiable need to be the first, the best, and the one-and-only, and to instead focus on being collaborators and audio allies. That means acknowledging some deep, dark truths:
Don’t get me wrong: A little competition can be fun, and it can be fruitful. But in 2023, let’s not focus our podcasting energies toward being “better than all,” but rather being “collaborative with all,” seeking partnerships rather than perceiving rivals, as we work toward a common goal: Amplifying humanity through audio.
Joni Deutsch is vice president of podcast marketing and audience development at The Podglomerate.
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