Podcast Movement Merges With Audio Trade Group Sounds Profitable

Bryan Barletta

Sounds Profitable

Podcast Movement, the premiere in person conference platform for podcasts, announced today that they will be acquiring Sounds Profitable, the trade association for the audio industry, in a seven-figure merger deal.

Under the terms of this new deal Bryan Barletta, the Sounds Profitable Founder, will be named president of Podcast Movement, while former President Dan Franks will now produce Podcast Movement as the President of independent production company Event Movement. Additionally, Podcast Movement 2026 has been moved from San Diego to New York City.

There is a great deal of synergy here as both companies are well known for pushing the audio industry forward, Podcast Movement by providing a platform, a voice, and a community for so many creators, and Sounds Profitable with their collection of newsletters, podcasts, and webinars that point the way to doing things better by encouraging podcasters to among other things, listen to their audience and in turn to become more profitable.

In the accompanying press release Bryan Barletta described the two companies as “champions and catalysts, supporting the growth of the entire podcasting industry,” and that the merger will amplify their new combined mission to “connect creators, brands, and innovators while providing an unmatched event experience in the podcast industry.”

Unlike the other recent big audio news which was Amazon restructuring Wondery and handing 110 employees pink slips, this announcement is not expected to result in any job cuts.

I had the chance to speak with Bryan Barletta and Dan Franks about this merger.

Why the merger happened

I asked Dan Franks about why the merger came about and he described their specialization in putting on audio events which he described as “a reflection of wherever the industry is at the moment.” In looking at their future he realized they wanted Podcast Movement to proactively push the industry forward instead of just reacting to it. Because of that he felt they needed someone to be the podcasting expert in the room – both managing relationships and living, breathing, and eating podcasting. That person, Bryan Barletta, very much is all of those things.

Speaking of moving the industry forward, Bryan talked about how the current discussion is about what video podcasting is but that no one is pushing the content and the conversation about what’s next and that’s something that Sounds Profitable has been focusing on with each of their partners individually. Thanks to the merger that message is now able to be spread directly at two different conferences per year where they can move the conversation to not just what’s happening now, but where are we going and why.

Changes in the word “podcasting”

Bryan shared an example of how his son asked him what his favorite podcast was to read, because to him a podcast means a show, and it’s different from being a Youtuber, or a streamer. It has interest, and it’s exciting. He connected that example with how Meghan Markle used the term “podcaster” at South by Southwest instead of all the other titles she could use and he thought that was really neat how the use of the word is being upheld even as the meaning of the term changes.

Reaction to the recent Amazon news

Bryan: Our announcement was timed around the upcoming Podcast Movement in Dallas this week and the fact that Sounds Profitable is coming up on our five year anniversary. Dan and I have seen the opportunity for jobs and growth on the small and mid size end but ultimately what we do helps the enterprise companies find their way forward as well. Also, Dan announced that anyone affected by the Wondery layoff is welcome to come to Podcast Movement this week for free.

Is the merger a win for advertisers or creators or both?

Bryan: Originally we were an ad-tech newsletter with a goal of educating people entering the space, but it’s easy to be pigeonholed into that or monetization, but when we talk about those things we’re talking about the pressures on the space that may affect you in the future. My partner Tom Webster and I have made all of our research available for free without even a lead capture to sign up for which gives us touch points for our 200 plus partners to talk about every month. Moving PM to New York next year is a big improvement for the business side and a lot of our time and effort is going to be towards listening to the creators and the fan side because we need more live events.

Dan: Just like Sounds Profitable, PM was geared towards creators and when the bigger companies got involved we reflected those changes. I’m excited to team up because we’re able to approach the industry stakeholders from creators to the business side in unique and unified ways as well as to now provide year-round education.

Advantages of having Podcast Movement in New York

Bryan: It’s about consistency, like what Podcast Show London has done a really great job at establishing. I look forward to the routine of the restaurants and shops that I can’t get anywhere else. With New York there’s so many venues and opportunities that really amplify the whole experience. Additionally, it will make it easier for brands and agencies to bring in talent and we know people consume live events for podcasting which will make it a profitable experience for everyone.

Dan: New York is one of the easiest cities to get to from wherever you’re coming from and the ease of getting together, the consistency like Bryan said removes an obvious barrier to building community which is really our goal – how do we make it as easy as possible to get people to the right place.

Full details of the merger will be unveiled in the PM Dallas keynote session August 19 at 11:15am CT. What else can we expect?

Bryan: Tom Webster (Sounds Profitable Partner) is going to speak about it a little more on stage, and while the three of us are excited about it we don’t want to limit talking about it to just the session and want to make ourselves available to everyone there to get their thoughts and feedback so it’s more of a discussion. There is a lot of excitement and concern that doesn’t happen on stage

Dan: We’ve never used the stage at PM to talk about ourselves – it’s about the industry, the creators, the people in the room and what they care about and that’s really what Tom’s presentation will be about.

Bryan: One of the things we’re working on is transparency about the creator track and the advisory board for that and what the process is for panel submissions. So we’re happy to share that James Cridland of Podnews who has been with Podcast Movement since its start in 2014 is a great voice for the creator and will be overseeing that process to make sure it addresses the needs of that audience.

Concluding Thoughts

Dan: No members of either team are going anywhere and structurally Event Movement is going to formally be a separate entity where I’ll officially be overseeing the production for PM. This feels like a 1 plus 1 equals 3 situation where together we’re going to be greater as a whole.

Bryan: This is an expansion with two companies coming together with a similar Venn diagram and I believe you’ll see a lot of growth out of us while continuing to be supportive of the whole industry. We get to move at the speed we want to move at with no disruption on either side because no aspect of Sounds Profitable is going to change and no aspect of the services of either company is going away either.

For anyone who has their ears to the ground for where the audio industry is headed, this is welcome news as these two companies have a proven track record for helping grow the industry as a whole. Despite the gloom of the Wondery contraction and other setbacks, this merger is a big bet that the audio industry is still thriving and I can’t wait to see where it goes next.