Everything You Missed at Last Week’s Podcast Movement; WSJ Discusses Oxford Road & Podscribe’s PodLoad Report; Major Podcasts Switch Networks

The Media Roundtable is back! Fresh from Podcast Movement 2024 in DC, we’re here to alleviate FOMO (ICYMI) and share the biggest takeaways from speakers and attendees.

Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) recaps and reminisces with fellow Oxford Roadies Miranda Romano (SVP, Media, Oxford Road), Neal Lucey (EVP, Strategy & Product, Oxford Road) and welcoming Tess Ryan (Associate Media Director, Oxford Road).

The team is talking: Two Kinds of True Crime, Research Superpowers, What Brands Want, and more. Let’s dig in.

“The beauty of podcasting and its greatest challenge is this fragmentation.” – Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road)

Two Kinds of True Crime ️ – True Crime’s a juggernaut of genre, but it’s not uniform, as Miranda’s panel addressed. While some advertisers avoid it altogether, smart CAOs should consider this question first: Is it exploitative or productive? There are amazing podcasters helping to solve cold cases (shoutout to our friend Ashley Flowers of Crime Junkie), and producing great journalism that’s morphed into a form of public service. These types of shows are worthy of your brand dollars.

Research: Your Superpower – Great research guides the industry. Per Neal’s panel on research, we don’t know where we’d be without the work of Signal Hill Insights, Edison Research, Sounds Profitable, and many others. Neal’s tip to make sure you’re getting the most from the data? Consistency. ‘When I see consistency across sources, that validates the value of the research to me.’

What Brands Want: The Report – Adding to the realm of research, we’ve unleashed our Oxford Road PodLoad Report with Podscribe (now in the WSJ!) and our Oxford Clock. Plus, we teased a new report on What Brands Want, straight from our CAOs. One stat that’s currently driving discussion: 80% of brands surveyed say the tools available to them in podcasting are substantially less useful than what they get from other media channels.

Don’t miss all the ‘you had to be there’ moments. Catch the full episode by clicking the link below.

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Listen Here: Spotify

Listen Here: Apple

The Classifieds

Little Classified True Crime

Network: QCODE / Monthly Downloads: 58k / Current Civility Score: 84, HIGH

It may not be a favorite emotion, but fans of our first selection love to get Big Mad! That’s because host Heather Ashley talks about some of the most tragic, egregious, horrible crimes known to humankind, and likes her listeners to remember that these perpetrators are NOT idols. Ashley narrates each episode with a flowy voiceover in a confident, assured tone, while still feigning irreverence. Her evenhanded cadence creates a distinct intended tension for her listeners, hooking a loyal fanbase of true crime lovers.Recent episodes have covered well-documented cases like; the Girl in the Box and the death of Jason Corbett, with a focus on the victims in those cases. This is a surefire top performer for DTC advertisers with a strong preference for this genre. Don’t get mad, get Big Mad, by clicking below.

Get The Deal

A Friend in Need is a Friend Indeed

Network: Moonbeam Media / Monthly Downloads: 15k / Current Civility Score: 81, HIGH

Girlfriendship is a special bond that’s truly hard to define, even in podcasting. Aleena Miller and Sarah Whelan know how to decompress and just be themselves in the most visceral, authentic, lovable ways possible. In doing so they’ve deeply connected with an audience yearning to hear from these two close gal pals, even when things become a bit complex. Their episodes are a hodge-podge of advice, introspection, love for the internet, and pop culture, and their Gen Z have become accustomed to hearing their specific POVs. The show differentiates itself from other ‘bed set’ simulcast options by touching on less mainstream topics like; female sexuality, niche mental health issues, and women’s anxieties with fertility. This show has been a high performer for many DTC and small B2C advertisers looking to reach a younger female demographic. Get your friendship bracelet today by clicking the link below.

Get The Deal

In Case You Missed It

Don’t Skip the Beat: Music Matters

Edison Research has released the Music Discovery Report, revealing that Spotify is the primary source people 12+ use to follow music. The report highlights the importance of music discovery for the US population 12+, with 14% of the 12+ stating it’s very important, and 35% saying it’s somewhat important. Spotify has grown significantly over time, with 48% of 12+ listeners using it to learn about music. Social media plays a significant role in music discovery, with 63% using Instagram, 58% using TikTok, and 18% using Facebook. Black Americans, including age 12+ are the most dedicated music followers. CAOs, if music isn’t part of your audio strategy, we strongly recommend considering it. While podcasting gets the attention, 65% of consumers’ time spent with audio is dedicated to music.

Alex Cooper Says Yes to SXM

Alex Cooper, the world’s most popular female podcaster, has signed a $125 million deal with SiriusXM to take her Call Her Daddy show and burgeoning podcast collective starting in 2025. The deal gives SiriusXM exclusive advertising and distribution rights for Cooper’s flagship podcast and her Unwell brand’s lineup of shows (which include Hot Mess With Alix Earle, Pretty Lonesome With Madeline Argy, Boyfriend Material With Harry Jowsey and In Your Dreams With Owen Thiele). SXM made waves when they scooped up SmartLess from Wondery in January, and now they’ve landed Alex Cooper—the biggest free agent in podcasts, and formerly a Spotify exclusive.

The Kelce Bros. Take Their Talents to Amazon

The Kelce brothers have signed a three-year deal with Amazon’s Wondery for their popular New Heights podcast, worth over $100 million. The deal includes global distribution rights to all audio and video episodes of the podcast, including the show’s back catalog of content. Wondery also has exclusive rights to monetize and distribute audio and video podcast episodes. The deal kicks off next NFL season and will still be available on various podcast services. One thing that’s unmistakable in 2024—publishers are willing to shell out BIG bucks for BIG podcasters. Is this good for podcasting? We say YES! It demonstrates the value of top creators and their loyal listenership.

The Rooster Crows for Tim Ferriss & Shopify

Cock-a-doodle-doo Influencees! It’s a great day for Shopify seller success stories, courtesy of The Tim Ferriss Show. Armed with some tongue-in-cheek and genius shop ideas, Tim Ferriss gives a genuine personal endorsement for Shopify and his COCKPUNCH Coffee business, powered by Shopify, of course! Tim’s upbeat delivery and in-depth substantiation, backed with a splash of energetic background music, make this a great sponsorship to jam along to.

Ferriss also shares how his business ‘gives back,’ elaborating that positive incentive fuels eagerness—turning browsers into buyers. Tim’s fine execution is one where every word counts. Definitely worthy of the rooster’s crow!

Listen Here

OXFORd In The News

The WSJ Talkin’ ‘bout Our PodLoad Report

Last week we shared how the industry is abuzz about our “The Danger of Rising PodLoad“ report featured in notable podworthy publications like; Podnews, Podcast News Daily, and the Podcast Business Journal, sharing our findings. And now, The Wall Street Journal has jumped aboard our Oxford Road Anti-PodLoad train. The WSJ article goes a bit more in-depth, to include additional perspectives on the topic. In addition to numerous quotes from our own Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) and Pete Birsinger (CEO & Founder, Podscribe), the article shares thoughts from podcast hosts Claire Parker and Ashley Hamilton (Celebrity Memoir Book Club) as well as Jasper Wang (Co-Founder and VP of Revenue & Operations, Defector) rounding out the piece with the creator-side of the issue. CAOs, if you’re not fully up to speed on how increased ad load impacts the efficacy of your podcast ad dollars, check out the report first, then read this article.

If you’ve read this far, thank you!

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