What’s a Podcast?: The Revolution Redefined is a provocative three-part series that unpacks the identity crisis, evolution, and future of podcasting. Produced by Oxford Road, the leading agency in podcast advertising, and Shaun Colón (Age of Audio), and hosted by industry veteran Allyson Marino, this series goes beyond nostalgia to expose the seismic shifts reshaping the medium.
Once an independent, audio-first frontier, podcasting is now being redefined by the rise of video, platform exclusivity, and the battle for control. Featuring candid insights from over 30 industry pioneers—including Ira Glass, Guy Raz, Adam Carolla, and Leo Laporte—this series takes listeners inside the high-stakes tug-of-war that will determine the fate of the industry.
As platforms like YouTube and Spotify blur the boundaries between podcasts and video content, What’s a Podcast? asks the hard question: if we don’t act now, will podcasting lose the very thing that made it revolutionary?
This isn’t just a podcast. It’s a wake-up call.
After Serial broke the sound barrier, podcasting went from niche to everywhere—fast. In this episode, we follow the industry through its Hollywood makeover, the rise of podcast celebrities, and a pandemic-era boom that flooded the market with new voices. Hear from insiders like Bryan Barletta, Pete Birsinger, and the Meiselas Brothers on how podcasting became a business, a brand builder–for D2C brands and podcasters’ personal brands alike–and a battleground for independence. From million-dollar deals to the chaos of overproduction, this is the story of podcasting’s wildest decade.
For the most comprehensive picture of what podcasting means to consumers today, check out our accompanying white paper with Edison Research, “What is a Podcast?: Preserving its Essence, Structuring for Expansion,” featuring quantitative and qualitative data compiled from over 4,000 Americans.
Download the White Paper Here: https://oxfordroad.com/whats-a-podcast
And if you’re really invested in the future of podcasting, there’s something you can do today. Help us bring YouTube, Spotify, and other platforms to the table—not to regulate, but to collaborate. Sign our petition for a shared definition, an open measurement framework, and a future where podcasting remains open, inclusive, and built to last.
Add Your Name to the Petition Here: https://chng.it/6S5S7bPrjR
