Spotify enhances its Spotify Memberships

• Spotify has launched Spotify Memberships, an enhanced version of its premium membership tool for podcasters. It’s available to eligible podcasters hosting with Megaphone or Spotify for Creators. You can see the feature in Two Hot Takes.

  • This isn’t a new feature - called “Podcast Subscriptions”, it’s been available since Apr 2021 within the US, and as of Nov 2021 became available in 34 countries. The product was originally free, with a plan to charge 5%. The rebranded “Spotify Memberships” costs 10% - but adds a clearer in-app subscription process, member badges for comments, and different membership access tiers. Creators can download member email addresses, too. Here is Megaphone’s support doc with more information.

• Has Netflix forgotten about podcasts already? In its Q3 financials, podcasts weren’t mentioned at all in the shareholder’s letter, nor the earnings call, nor the investor video interview which they posted on, er, YouTube. Netflix revealed revenues were up +12%, but that’s the lowest growth in three years. The company, which recently fired its global content chief Bela Bejaria and its movie boss Dan Lin along with laying-off 6% of its staff, acknowledged concern about view-hours growth in the US and Canada - but the things that were supposed to help with that, podcasts, didn’t get a mention.

• The winners of the Signal Awards were announced. There are 1,226 recognised podcasts, and 465 gold winners. The Listener’s Choice Awards received more than 260,000 votes.

  • Meanwhile, the nominees of the 2026 Astra Podcast Awards were announced by The Hollywood Creative Alliance. Among this year’s nominees are Good Hang with Amy Poehler, Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard, Call Her Daddy, SmartLess, Crime Junkie, and The Daily.

• The 0600 edition of the BBC’s Global News Podcast will be produced in Sydney, as well as all overnight news bulletins and a radio show, according to newly obtained internal plans. It’s part of the Corporation’s cost-cutting measures - removing overnight working entirely from Broadcasting House for the BBC World Service. The radio station has a weekly global audience of 313 million listeners; the podcast is its biggest global hit.

• The Nomono recording tool has released an upgrade that allows podcast editors to control the “sound of the room”, for a more immersive atmosphere. While there are plenty of tools that will remove “room-sound”, Nomono records it separately, allowing better control of the results: it’s especially useful for video podcasts, where a “studio sound” can sometimes not be ideal.

• PodSummit took place in Calgary AB, Canada, over the weekend. Matt Cundill wrote up his thoughts of the event: following the removal of Apple’s country-specific podcast curation, delegates were particularly concerned about Canadian content, how visible it is, and how consumed it is (40% of Canadians listen to Canadian podcasts).

• Disctopia has begun streaming the catalogue of New Rockstars, the pop-culture commentary studio. The video podcast platform is hosting the shows, and returning 70% of revenues back to the studio.

• Post on Facebook, Threads or Instagram? New terms and conditions suggest that you’ll be helping train Meta’s AI tools - even content from your own websites. The UK’s Press Gazette reports the News Media Association calling this a “shameless landgrab”.

• In Australia, September’s Australian Podcast Ranker was released: Hamish & Andy grabbing #1 from Mamamia Out Loud. It measures participating publishers only. Meanwhile, James Manning has published the top 30 most influential people in podcasting in Australia in 2026.

People news - with podnews.net/jobs

• In Stockholm, John Rosenius has started as Product Director at Acast. He’s worked for the company for more than twelve years (and was previously at Spotify).
• In Boston MA, Margaret Low is to step down as CEO of WBUR in June. The 67 year-old has worked for public media for 40 years.
• Juleyka Lantigua is cycling 300 miles in October for the American Cancer Society.

Tips and tricks - with Audiencelift

• Your listeners can help you grow your show - as long as you have set up a feedback system for your podcast. Ausha shares data showing how.
• What are ten things that brands shouldn’t do when they invest in podcast advertising? Krystina Rubino posts a list.

Podcast News - with Airwave

With Airwave: Childproof - parenting is hard, but it’s even harder when you feel alone and have only the sounds of Cocomelon to keep you company. Childproof is a parenting chat show for when you’re craving adult conversation.

The We Do Not Care Club Podcast with Melani Sanders is new today from Audacy. The show will feature candid, unfiltered conversations about midlife, menopause, health, wellness, relationships, reinvention, and more; the We Do Not Care Club movement is a space where women come together to talk openly about the experiences, challenges, and opportunities that come in midlife.

It’s Halloween (soon), and in History Hit, Dan is examining mummies: one of history’s most fascinating and macabre topics - even the Victorians were obsessed with Egyptian mummification! Dan and Dr Campbell Price explore this obsession from 'unrolling parties’ to those who consumed ground-up mummies as medicine. This episode looks at centuries of colonial obsession, superstition and misunderstanding that has shaped how we view ancient Egypt.