Podcrash! A 2023 Retrospective on Audio's Wild Ride

2023 was a BIG year for all things audio. The Media Roundtable takes an inside look at the stories and trends shaping the soundwaves. Back on the host microphone is Oxford Road Founder & CEO, Dan Granger with fellow agents of influence James Ingrassia, Spencer Semonson, and Stew Redwine.

We’re taking stock of this landmark year in audio with a special look at the so-called Podcrash, the industry impact of big brands and big brand bucks, YouTube’s surprise rise as the top place for podcast discovery, and a whole lot more. Let’s dig in.

“Audio is its own unique language. It has shades of digital, shades of influencer, shades of traditional media–it is all of them and it is none of them.”

– Dan Granger, Oxford Road Founder & CEO

  • Big Brands, Big Bucks, Big Mistakes? 💸 – Just as we called the end of “dumb money” with the end of big, exclusive celebrity podcast deals, the shift to brand advertisers is also changing the industry. Big brands entering the space should lift all boats, but the new companies don’t have a Chief Audio Officer who understands how very different audio can be, meaning those brand dollars could exit the industry as quickly as they entered.

  • Authenticity and AI 🤖🤝– You can’t talk 2023 without discussing the leaps AI has made. Clone voices are out there–but when a host can endorse anything without really endorsing it, what does that do to trust? Similar to how live sports is a bulwark against ad skipping on TV, we’re calling out authentic, bespoke host reads on audio as a stronghold of trust with audiences.

  • YouTube: Not An Afterthought ▶️– According to a Cumulus Media and Signal Hill report, YouTube is the top place for Podcast discovery. Podcasters doing YouTube right is now a niche element of our niche industry. Still, if brands can recognize and utilize the right partners, the ongoing discoverability of episodes (and baked-in ads) could be huge. It’s going to take the right sherpa to guide those campaigns in 2024.

Which industry-shaking waves have crashed, and which are just beginning? For every CAO steering a brand through rough waters, you owe it to yourself to tune into the full episode by clicking the link below.

Bianca Gorodinsky