Month: March 2025

The Power Of In-Person Discussion To Promote And Advance Podcasting As An Essential Part Of The Greater Media Landscape

~ jen

Good Tape, the leading magazine with critical coverage on entertainment and podcasting, officially launches “Off The Record,” a community-centered media business that facilitates real-time dialogues between podcast executives, creatives, and brands. Each event convenes diverse industry leaders and inspires conversations around hyper-relevant topics focused on evolving the medium.

What began in 2023 as an informal monthly coffee meetup in Brooklyn, NY – first hosted by Jeff Weiner, Joe Fucigna, and Dane Cardiel — has now evolved into a formalized network and new brand under the leadership of Dane Cardiel, Kristin Myers, and Meggan Ellingboe, who will establish Off The Record’s founding chapter in Los Angeles, CA.

As podcasting solidifies its position in mainstream media, Off The Record offers direction and intention to the industry’s growing identity crisis, providing a space for strategic minds to move beyond surface-level discussions and toward collaborative problem-solving.

“The idea remains the same as when we first started – connecting the well-appointed but often siloed podcast leaders who truly care about the future of the medium,” says Dane Cardiel, Good Tape’s founder. 

“These leaders hold deep expertise across the industry’s ecosystem and have a clear vision of what’s missing and what needs fixing, but are too isolated to affect widespread change. Off The Record is a container where these thinkers can move beyond talk and into action.”

Through intentionally curated gatherings over coffees, happy hours, or dinners, Off The Record brings together decision-makers to move past roadblocks, share expertise, and collectively shape the industry’s next chapter. 

“I’ve taken to calling this a bit of a thing-tank for podcasting,” says Kristen Myers, a host of the Los Angeles chapter. “There are more boutique teams, more brilliant consultants, more ways to monetize and grow than ever before, but none of that matters if the landscape cannot be navigated. There are still fundamental challenges and under-explored territories to be charted. We need every bit of passion, technology, and expertise we can find and we need it in one room, ready to earnestly make things happen.”

Off The Record is proud to partner with boutique podcast marketing consultancy, Listening Party Agency, as one of our launch partners. For more information about Off The Record, partnership opportunities, or to request an invite to our next gatherin

g near you, visit GoodTape.com/off the record or contact our@goodtape.com

Crowd Network’s For The Love Of Rugby Introduces Three New Presenters

~ jen

Crowd Network (Crowd), one of Europe’s fastest-growing independent podcast networks, has introduced three new prisoners to its podcast For The Love of Rugby, who are producing a series for the Guinness Women’s Six Nations.

Red Roses Sadia Kabeyla (Loughborough Lightning) and Maud Muir (Gloucester-Hartpury) and retired England player Shaunagh Brown (Harlequins Women) are presenting weekly episodes, delving into the tournament and sharing exclusive insights from the Red Roses’ camp.

The strengthened presenter roster is the latest example of Crowd championing women’s sports, creating female-led content and working with brands to secure authentic, meaningful partnerships. Crowd also works with Chelsea FC Women’s football team on the We Are Chelsea Podcast. Using content from the podcast, Chelsea FC Women’s TikTok’s received 50 million views in summer 2024 — more than any other women’s sports team globally.

Sage also continues its partnership with For The Love of Rugby, as its official insights partner, providing live data on the tournament. The new hosts use Sage insights to analyze the games and make predictions on upcoming matches for their audience. It follows Sage’s partnership with For The Love of Rugby for the Guinness Men’s Six Nations, where Sage insights formed the backbone of analysis and facilitated the creation of the “Rugbyverse” — a virtual podcast recording studio – in host Ben Youngs’ house.

For the Love of Rugby launched in January 2024 and has since grown its fanbase to become one of Crowd’s most popular podcasts, landing in the Top 10 for sports podcasts on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. It recently featured Bristol Bears player and social media phenomenon Ilora Maher in a special episode, and it won the Gold Award for “Best Rugby Podcast” at the fan-voted 2025 Sports Podcast Awards.

Full-time hosts Ben Youngs and Dan Cole achieved chart-topping record downloads and more than 54 million social media views with their coverage of the Guinness Men’s Six Nations, and they will undertake a national podcast tour in April and May.

Louise Gwilliam, Talent Manager at Crowd Network, said: “2025 is set to be the biggest year in the history of rugby, never mind women’s rugby, and we’re so excited to bolster our world-class talent by welcoming Shaunagh, Sadia, and Maud to the Crowd community. They’re providing our listeners with next-level insights, both from their experience playing at the highest level and with data from our partner Sage. 

As we build towards the Women’s World Cup on English soil later this year, which is already breaking ticket sale records, we want more brands to join us in supporting women’s sports by investing in female-led content and partnering authentically with female athletes.”

AdWizz And Nielsen Extend Targeting Agreement

~ jen

AdWizz and Nielsen announced the renewal and extension of an agreement to provide data activation and audience targeting capabilities within AdsWizz’s full-stack audio advertising technology offering. 

The integration allows AdWizz publishers and advertisers to leverage Nielsen Marketing Cloud and other third party datasets for better audience targeting across verticals. From media owners and advertisers to inventory resellers and agency buyers, the extended agreement is a part of AdsWizz’s mission to support its customer’s needs in the digital audio ecosystem.

AdsWizz customers can now leverage audience segments from Neilson Marketing Cloud datasets, including online and offline activity, customers surveys and panels, purchase history, and multi-media consumption, to better inform their campaign targeting.

This data is expected to strengthen AdsWizz’s cross-platform audience offering around specific verticals, including Political (L2), CPG and Retail (Neilson Buyer Insights, Nielsen CPG), B2B, and Personal Finance (Dun & Bradstreet, Bombora), as well as overall insight activation (Claritas), in addition to AdWizz’s existing contextual-based targeting via Predictive Audiences.

“We are excited that AdsWiz, a global leader in digital audio monetization, is utilizing our Marketing Cloud services,” said Kristen Cummings, General Manager, Nielsen Marketing Cloud. “Nielsen is committed to innovation across the advertising industry as we leverage proprietary technology and our unique data sets to provide global reach and consistent accuracy.”

“Advertisers and buyers in audio are looking to harness more data at scale for deeper and more effective targeting solutions,” said Jason Bauer, VP, Audience Data Operations at AdsWizz.

“This continued agreement will allow customers to request and utilize third party data along with their proprietary data to fulfill their audience targeting strategy. Advertisers can activate audio messaging against precise behaviors and engage with existing consumers and target potential new ones to maximize their return on ad spend. This is just the latest in our continued efforts to provide global support for audience activation and targeting the audio space.”

This arrangement will allow AdWizz to support multi-signal activations helping advertisers maximize their campaign reach and monetization in audio.

Acast Expands Into Queensland, Australia With New Hires And Announces Raft of Key Promotions

~ jen

Leading podcast company Acast has announced a raft of promotions in the Acast AU/NZ sales team and has appointed Lauren Everist in the newly created role of Senior Account Manager, Queensland.

Everist bring to Acast twenty years of diverse, award-winning commercial experience in media, most recently spending eight years at Audio at ARN Brisbane. Her expertise extends across Broadcast TV, Out of Home and Digital/Print, with roles encompassing Sales, Insights & Strategy and Trade Marketing. Everist is a four-time winner at the Media | Awards and was awarded ‘Best Creative Campaign’ at the Australian Podcast Awards in 2022.

The local podcasting scene is thriving in Queensland across genres spanning from comedy to true crime and Everist will oversee the strategic direction and growth of Acast’s sales presence in the region. As the exclusive host for Queensland-based shows Alpha Blokes, Basically Besties, We Got The Chocolates, One Minute Remaining, Proper True Yarn and Bloody Brilliant Beers, Acast provides valuable opportunities for local brands and agencies to connect with highly engaged audiences. 

Everist says: “Queensland creators are producing some of the best content in the country and being able to bring Acast’s world-class podcasts and advertising solutions to my local market feels just right. There’s so much potential for brands and agencies to use podcasting as part of their media mix, so its exciting to hit the ground running with the incurable team at Acast. I look forward to connecting with new and familiar clients in my new role.”

Alongside Everest’s appointment, Acast has announced promotions in their Sydney and Melbourne-based teams for Ally Marchetti, Daisy Smith, Keegan Litchfield, Samantha Lee and Madison Symonds. As a newly appointed Group Business Director, Ally Marchetti will oversee Acast’s dedicated sales team in Melbourne, while Samantha Lee and Madison Symonds have been promoted to Senior Account Manager level in the Sydney-based team.

As the company expands its presence across Asia-Pacific, Daisy Smith will transition to the role of Programatic AdTech Solutions Lead, APAC, and Keegan Litchfield is promoted to Director of Ad Operations, APAC. Their remit and responsibilities will shift to a broader focus, with all promotions taking effect in 1 April.

Henrik Isaksson, Regional Managing Director for Acast ANZ, says:  “I think Acast is very lucky to be working in an industry that is growing despite the economic headwinds many others are seeing. The expansion of our business to Queensland and the promotions is just one of many things we are looking to announce this year.”

The slew of announcements comes weeks after Acast posted its first year of profitability in the company’s year-end report. The business revealed a $44.9 million payout for creators in Australia and New Zealand since launching locally in 2017, with leading podcast Casefile True Crime, Toni & Ryan and Between Two Beers joining the Acast Creator Network over the past seven months. Digital audio advertising is one of the most significant growth markets in Australian media and Acast now hosts more than 140,000 podcasts globally, providing extensive opportunities for brands to reach new audiences.

The 4th Annual Signal Awards Are Open For Entries

~ jen

The Signal Awards, the premier honor recognizing excellence in podcasting, is officially open for entries for its 4th annual season. As the podcast industry continues to shape culture and conversations worldwide, The Signal Awards seeks to celebrate the voices, stories, and innovations that define this ever-evolving medium.

Podcasts are no longer commenting from the outside — they are where culture is created. From breaking news to personal narratives that inspire change, the power of audio storytelling has never been stronger. This year, The Signal Awards expands its categories to further recognize the creators, hosts, and productions that continue to push the boundaries of the industry. 

New additions to Signal’s categories include separate Best Host categories in News and Politics, Culture, and Documentary to reflect the skills required of hosts in these genres to capture and move audiences. We are opening more avenues for fiction podcast, such as Best Voice Acting. Signal is also expanding categories for Video Podcasts to include Best Editing for a Video Podcast, Most Innovative Video Podcast, as well as new honors for Thought Leadership and Local News.

“In 2024, we watched podcasts shift into a new place in the cultural consciousness,” said Jemma Brown, General Manager of The Signal Awards in an opening letter penned to creators. “Podcasts are the new linchpins of our information ecosystem — which means the work that you do is more vital than ever.”

Creators are invited to submit their work in categories spanning Shows, Limited Series & Specials, Individual Episodes, and Branded Content. Past winners include industry-leading and chart-topping podcasts such as Wiser Than Me with Julia Louis Dreyfus, Pivot with Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway, Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, The Percent Happier, Design Matters, Unlocking Us with Brené Brown, and Conan O’Brian Needs A Friend.

The Signal Awards are judged by an esteemed panel of experts from across the podcasting landscape. Additions to the Judging Academy this year include influential voices such as Latif Nasser (Co-Host, Radiolab), Anna Sale (Host, Death, Sex & Money), Bailey Sarian (Host and Executive Producer, Dark History), in addition to Marshall Lewy, (Chief Content Officer, Wondery), Kate Navin (Head of Creative Development, North America at Audiible), Steve McLendon (Product Lead, Podcasting at YouTube), Kati Fernandez (Senior Director, Head of Development, ESPN), Carrie Lieberman (Chief Operating Officer, iHeartPodcasts), and Valentina Bojanini (Director of Audio Content Strategy, TED), as well as industry leaders at NPR, CNN, Condé Nast, Vox Media and more.

New this year, The Signal Awards has partnered with industry-leading platforms and publishers including YouTube, Dolby, TED, The CBC, On Air Fest, Good Tape and Sounds Profitable. These organizations join a growing cohort of aligned organizations amplifying the award’s honors which include Max by HBO, Podcast Movement, The Podglomerate and Pod People. 

The Early Entry Deadline for The Signal Awards is Friday, May 9th, 2025, offering entrants the opportunity to receive preferred pricing. For more information on categories, eligibility, and how to enter, visit www.signalaward.com.

Jillian Winmill Joins Amplitude Media Partners As Senior Partnership Manager

~ jen

Amplitude Media Partners (AMP), a leading media sales organization specializing in driving revenue for independent creators, is pleased to announce the addition of Jillian Winmill as Senior Partnerships Manager.

Winmill brings a wealth of industry experience, having previously served in a similar role at AdvertiseCast, now known as Libsyn Ads. Her extensive network of relationships, deep industry knowledge and attention to detail make her a valuable asset to AMP as the company continues to expand its reach and deliver top-tier monetization opportunities for creators.

“Jillian’s passion for helping podcasters thrive aligns perfectly with our mission at AMP,” said John Donahue, Managing Partner at Amplitude Media Partners. “Her expertise and commitment to fostering strong partnerships will play a key role in our continued success and growth.”

WinMill’s arrival reinforces AMP’s dedication to building meaningful collaborations between brands and independent content creators, ensuring that advertisers can connect with engaged and loyal audiences.

“I’m thrilled to join the team at AMP and to work alongside such a talented group of professionals who are committed to elevating the podcast industry,” said Winmill. “I look forward to leveraging my experience to create valuable partnerships that drive success for both creators and advertisers alike.”

For more information about Amplitude Media Partners and its services, please visit amplitudemediapartners.com, or contact marques@amplitudemediapartners.com.

Left Of Dial Media Launches The Inaugural Essential Listening Poll

~ jen

Unlike movies, music, and books, podcasts have never received the mainstream critical attention they deserve. They are rarely discussed, debated, or analyzed outside of industry circular after their initial release. Beloved shows fall off the charts and become invisible to new listeners, buried under an algorithm that favors new and familiar.

“We have yet to write our history or establish a cannon and keen new listeners are left without a starting point for exploration. The poll will celebrate the rich history of podcasting, help develop a culture of criticism, create broad debate and discussion, and breathe new life into timeless classics and forgotten cult hits,” says Alan Black, founder of Left of Dial Media.

In mid-April, a diverse list of participants including members of The Podcast Academy will be invited to vote in the poll, sharing their top five shows, shining a new light on the work that has the most inspired, engaged, and influenced them. Votes will be tallied and a definitive list of the top 100 podcasts of all time, along with individual participant lists, will be created and widely distributed with a launch and reveal at Podcast Movement in Dallas in August and a series of accompanying articles and celebratory events.

“There has been so much enthusiasm for a project like this. We are thrilled to partner with industry leaders like Good Tape, Podcast Movement, and The Podcast Academy and tastemakers like Eurowaves and EarBuds Collective to bring this project to life,” adds Black.

“Good Tape Magazine aims to engage critically with the profound impact podcasting has on our culture,” says Dane Cardiel, founder of Good Tape. “We’re eager to extend this work through our partnership with Left of Dial Media and hope it will spark countless conversations, discussions and debates about the medium we love.”

The Essential Listening Poll will ensure that the groundbreaking and unforgettable shows of yesterday continue to find new audiences and inspire the creators of tomorrow and that the history of podcasting pervades the culture and is widely celebrated and discussed.

For more information about The Essential Listening Poll and how to get involved, go to www.leftofdialmedia.com/essential-listening-poll

About Left of Dial Media

Left of Dial Media was newly founded in the spirit and with the attitude of college radio. We want to turn you on to your next favorite show — the one you didn’t know you needed, the one that changes your life. It is our new mission to produce, distribute, and champion incredible audio and create opportunities for new and visionary voices on and behind the mic.

Station Enabled Spotify Open Access For Seamless Access To Premium Content

~ jen

Station is pleased to announce an integration with Spotify Open Access that will allow users with Station subscriptions to access their paid content seamlessly on Spotify.

Station, a new podcast community platform, joins Spotify in the quest to scale distribution of podcasts, while supporting creators and fostering innovation in the industry. Spotify Open Access streamlines the process for listeners to unlock their premium subscriptions wherever and however they listen.

We are excited to announce that Tanner Campbell’s Practical Stoicism, a show dedicated to bring Stoic philosophy into everyday life, is already leveraging the new functionality. Listeners of Practical Stoicism can now conveniently access its premium feed on both Spotify and Station, eliminating the need to manage multiple subscriptions. To explore Practical Stoicism on Station, visit station.page/stoicism.

Key Highlights:

Unified Subscriptions: Subscribers of Station can now conveniently access their premium Station subscription content on both Spotify and Station at no additional cost.

Streamlined Listener Experience: The Open Access integration ensures that fans have more flexibility in how they choose to listen, discover, and enjoy podcasts and other exclusive content.

Creator-Centric Approach: The integration reduces friction for creators who wish to share their content across platforms helping to expand audiences and drive engagement.

Enabling Greater Audio Freedom

This integration makes subscription-based content more accessible. By reducing barriers for listeners and ensuring the content experience is uniform, both Spotify and Station aim to empower creators to reach existing fans and attract new ones.

“Station has long believed that bonus content should be widely accessible and creator-friendly,” added Cam Pritchard, CEO at Station. “Our integration with Spotify Open Access signifies a major step toward simplifying listener access while supporting the vibrant creator community. We look forward to seeing how this partnership helps more people deepen their relationship with their favorite shows, podcasts, and audio experiences.”

How It Works: Subscription Verification: Existing Station subscribers can link their Station and Spotify accounts providing a seamless crossover listening experience. Once verified, subscribers immediately gain access to premium content on both platforms without needing separate logins.

Availability: The integration is rolling out globally in the coming weeks. Users can log into their Station or Spotify accounts to activate cross-platform access. 

About Station: Station is a new community platform for podcasts, designed to help creators reach listeners directly and efficiently join community events, ask hosts questions, unlock exclusive content, and access promotional offers mentioned on their favorite shows.

Quill Ranks #1 On The Globe And Mail’s List Of Top Growing Women-Led Companies

~ jen

Quill, a leading branded podcast agency, has been recognized as the fastest-growing women-led company, securing the #1 spot on The Globe and Mail’s inaugural ranking of the Top Growing Women-Led Companies, with 4,186% over the past three years.

This prestigious ranking highlights the extraordinary growth of women-led businesses across the country, measuring three-year revenue growth. As a female-founded and women-led organization, Quill’s recognition underscores their rapid expansion and commitment to driving innovation in the podcasting industry.

Being ranked as the number one fastest-growing women-led company is an achievement that goes beyond Quil — it’s a testament to the power of women entrepreneurs and leaders in shaping the future of business,” said Fatima Zaidi, Founder and CEO of Quill and CoHost, a podcast hosting and analytics platform.

“Only a fraction of venture funding and business resources go to female founders, yet women-led businesses continue to drive remarkable growth and impact. At Quill, we are proud to be 66% female-led, to champion opportunities for women in media and technology, and to be one of the few companies that haven’t raised capital on this list.”

Since it’s inception, Quill has been at the forefront of branded podcast production, helping enterprise-level brands like Walmart, L’Oreal, and Expedia Group create compelling audio content that engages audiences and drives measurable impact.

The full list of winners and additional coverage is available in the March 2025 issue of Report on Business magazine and online at The Globe and Mail.

About Quill

Quill is a podcast production agency that produces high-quality audio content for brands. They specialize in crafting compelling branded podcasts and audio marketing strategies that have an impact. Working with leading companies, including Walmart, McKinsey & Co, Expedia Group, PwC, and Interactive, Quill empowers brands to tell their stories, engage in listeners, and make a lasting impact.

Quill is also the parent company to CoHost, a podcast analytics, hosting, and audience insights tool that provides brands with deeper metrics around who is listening to their podcast. Through CoHost, Quill provides clients with actionable, data-driven insights on podcast performance.

Sam Sanders To Be Honored With The Podcast Academy’s Impact Award At The Ambies

~ jen

The Podcast Academy, the preeminent professional podcast organization, announced that award-winning reporter, radio host and podcast Sam Sanders, will receive the Impact Award, which recognizes an individual or podcast that has made a significant, positive effect on its listeners.

Previous recipients of the Impact Award include Ira Madison III (2024) and Teenager Therapy (2020). The honor will be bestowed upon him at the Fifth Annual Awards For Excellence in Audio (The Ambies), which will be hosted by multi-hyphenate comedian Tig Notaro, on Monday, March 31, at the McCormick Convention Center in Chicago.

As previously announced, Ira Glass will receive this year’s Governor’s Award. The ceremony will be LIVE streamed by Amazon Music-Twitch from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. CST.

The Ambies celebrate excellence in podcasting and elevate awareness and status of podcasts as a unique and personal medium for entertainment, information, storytelling and expression.  The ceremony will highlight 199 nominees across 28 categories with winners to be selected by every voting member of The Podcast Academy (TPA).

“Sam Sanders doesn’t just cover the news, he makes sense of it, humanizes it, and welcomes us into the conversation,” said Christy Mirabal, chairperson of TPA. “From his early days at NPR to his groundbreaking work into It, Vibe Check, and now The Sam Sanders Show, he builds spaces where joy, curiosity, and critical conversations thrive. His ability to challenge perspectives, celebrate culture in all its complexity, and make audiences feel truly seen is what sets him apart. The Podcast Academy is proud to honor his lasting influence on the industry with this year’s Impact Award.”

Sanders is an award-winning reporter, radio host and podcaster. He currently co-hosts Vibe Check from Stitcher Podcasts, with Saeed Jones and Zach Stafford, and The Sam Sanders Show, produced in partnership with KCRW, and distributed nationally through PRX. 

In 2022, The New York Times named Vibe Check one of the 10 best podcasts of the year and the show was awarded with a Signal Award in 2022 for the best pop culture podcast.

Previously, Sanders launched and hosted the NPR radio show and its podcast It’s Been a Minute, interviewing luminaries ranging from JLo to Maya Rudolph to Beto O’Rourke to Malcolm Gladwell. Sanders was also a founding host of the NPR Politics Podcast while covering Election 2016 for NPR. He founded the pop culture podcast Into It at Vulture and New York Magazine, and it was named a best podcast of the year in 2022 by both Spotify and VOGUE. 

Sanders has been named best podcast host by both the Ambies and iHeart Podcast Awards, and his work has been honored by the LA Press Club, the National Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists, and the National Association of Black Journalists. 

His written work has appeared in New York Magazine, Politico Magazine, The Washington Post, and the Columbia Journalism Review. He has a bachelor’s degree from the University of the Incarnate Word and a Master’s degree in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and has taught radio at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.