Sounds Profitable Unveils First Speakers for Inaugural Business Summit
Sounds Profitable, the trade association for the podcasting industry, today announced the first speakers and participating organizations for the inaugural Sounds Profitable Business Summit, taking place September 14-15, 2026, at Terminal 5 in New York City.
Created exclusively for Sounds Profitable Partners, the Business Summit brings together the podcast industry’s leading publishers, platforms, brands, agencies, and advertisers. The two days will feature entertaining and research backed sessions that educate and inspire attendees, along with networking designed to accelerate business across the entire podcast ecosystem.
The first wave of confirmed participants includes Ira Glass, Don Lemon, Rich Roll along with representatives from YouTube, Amazon, and Scalable. Maggie Sellers Reum, host of the Hot Smart Rich podcast from FlightStory will also take the stage as well as Kimberly Adams of Marketplace’s Morning Report. Additional speakers and programming will be announced in the coming weeks.
The Summit will also feature exclusive industry announcements, including major news from Crooked Media that will be unveiled live from the Business Summit stage.
Unlike traditional industry conferences, no speaking opportunities at the Sounds Profitable Business Summit are sponsored or sold. Every session is independently curated to prioritize education, new research, and actionable insights for attendees.
“The Business Summit exists because more than 220 companies have invested in Sounds Profitable’s mission to grow podcasting,” said Bryan Barletta, Partner at Sounds Profitable and President of Podcast Movement. “We wanted to create an event worthy of that investment. That means content that’s practical instead of hypothetical, speakers who are doing the work instead of talking about it, and conversations that attendees can take back to their businesses the very next day. It’s not another conference built around familiar talking points, it’s built around what actually moves the industry forward.”
More than 125 brand, agency, and advertiser representatives have already registered to attend the Summit. Their roles span holding companies, independent agencies, and direct brands. Consistent with Sounds Profitable’s mission to grow podcast advertising, qualified buyers attend at no cost, removing barriers between advertisers and the companies they want to meet.
The Business Summit’s programming combines fast-paced presentations, original research from Sounds Profitable and industry partners, hands-on workshops, and extended networking sessions throughout the two-day event. Every programming block is followed by dedicated networking time designed to foster meaningful business conversations and partnerships.
The Business Summit also kicks off with a community Run Club in Central Park on the morning of September 14, hosted in partnership with Voicing Change Media and creator Zac Clark.
The Sounds Profitable Business Summit is part of a full week of podcast industry programming at Terminal 5. The rest of the week includes the official IAB Podcast Upfront After Party on September 16 and Podcast Movement September 17-18, bringing together creators, executives, advertisers, platforms, publishers, and industry leaders under one roof.
The Sounds Profitable Business Summit is available exclusively to Sounds Profitable Partners. Each partner organization is eligible to purchase up to two tickets, with additional ticket opportunities available based on capacity. Companies interested in attending can learn more about becoming a Sounds Profitable Partner by reaching out directly to Barletta at bryan@soundsprofitable.com.
Additional speakers, sessions, research announcements, and programming will be announced throughout the coming weeks.
For more information about the Sounds Profitable Business Summit or partnership opportunities, visit https://2026.podcastmovement.com/summit.
About Sounds Profitable
Sounds Profitable is a trade organization representing the leading companies in audio and podcasting. Boasting industry-leading research, an influential newsletter with 10,000 subscribers around the world, and a podcast on the latest developments in the key news of the audio world. Sounds Profitable provides the most critical insights into the business of podcasting, with over 200 partners and growing. With the goal of providing perceptive content from its experts – and a diverse collection of the brightest minds in podcasting – Sounds Profitable ensures that everyone in the industry is set on a clear path to more listeners and revenue from their amazing shows. For more information, please visit soundsprofitable.com and follow along on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/sounds-profitable.
This is a press release which we link to from Podnews, our daily newsletter about podcasting and on-demand. We may make small edits for editorial reasons.