Podcast monetisation and remuneration Balancing creator and platform needs

20,000 foot view: Audio platforms traditionally monetise through advertising and, to a lesser degree, listener subscriptions. However, with the rise of the creator economy and more creators entering the podcast space, platforms must bulk up their offerings for creator monetisation as well. This is because they are not only battling for listeners, but also for creators to supply the entertainment for those listeners. As the creator economy continues to grow and an economic recession looms, podcast platform success will depend on how well platforms can balance their own monetisation strategies with creators’ own remuneration needs. 

Key insights: 

• The podcast host platform is the bank that directly pays podcast creators regardless of the affiliated audience platform. Thus, the host is the gateway to creators
• Apple and Spotify both introduced creator subscriptions in their services, reflecting growing demand for them among audio creators
• Podcasts can be cross promoted for audience platforms with other divisions, such as hardware (Apple, Amazon, Google) and access to radio listeners (iHeart, SiriusXM)
• Audio creators combine both direct (advertising, listener subscriptions) and indirect (merchandise, public speaking) revenue streams. These resources are fragmented across a variety of platforms
• Audience platforms can integrate indirect monetisation tools to appeal to creators and expand their monetisation opportunities, such as merchandise shops 
• Podcasting has not yet reached mainstream penetration, indicating that this is only the beginning of its monetisation potential 
• The economic recession could decrease both platform and creator subscriptions, slowing the market’s growth and making ad-supported models even more important

Companies and brands mentioned in this report: Acast, Amazon, Amazon Prime Video, Anchor, Apple, Apple TV+,            Audible, Brittany Broski, Buzzsprout, Chartable, Conan O’Brien, Freakonomics, Google, iHeart, Jack Harlow, Joe Rogan, Lisbyn, Luminary, Patreon, Paypal, Podchaser, Podsights, Simplecast, SiriusXM, Shopify, Spotify, Spotify Car Thing, Spreaker, TikTok, Megaphone, YouTube