Spotify clarifies new podcast leadership team

• Spotify has reportedly made changes to its podcast leadership team. On the content side, Sahar Elhabashi is now Head of Podcast Business and will report to Alex Norström; Maya Prohovnik, pictured above, is now Head of Podcast Product and will report to Gustav Söderström.

• Pushkin Industries is said to have laid off “a handful of employees” this week.

• Covered by Podnews on Jan 18, Libsyn has officially announced Libsyn Connect, a browser-based remote recording tool, and a number of other creator offerings, at Podfest in Orlando.

• Remote recording tool Riverside has released a comprehensive report on the future of video podcasting for brands. 38% of consumers prefer YouTube as a podcast player, the company has found.

• UK advertising spend rose in Q3/22 by 4.3%.

• A San Francisco meditation company, which was described as a criminal cult in a BBC podcast, has failed in an attempt to sue for libel. A similar claim by an individual practitioner, Rachel Cherwitz, has been allowed to proceed. The case continues.

• UK newspaper The Guardian has been accused of institutional racism by a number of podcast producers.

• The RØDECaster Pro II has new firmware, v1.1.1, which adds advanced sub-mixing and a number of other enhancements.

Thank you to Rekha Murthy and to George Mocharko for becoming our latest personal supporters. We’re very grateful to you for helping our independent journalism: thank you.

Moves and hires

• Co-founder and CTO of Acast, Johan Billgren, has stepped down and will leave the business. “Now it’s time for me to focus on my family and friends, before the next adventure.”

• Available: One of Ellen Schweikert's biggest clients has moved their marketing in-house. “I write podcast show notes, blog posts, teaser emails and social content,” she says, linking us to her portfolio.

If you’ve been affected by recent changes in the job market, we’d love to sing your praises to more than 25,000 subscribers here. Please email editor@podnews.net with an updated LinkedIn link, and tell us what kind of role you’re looking for.

Tips and tricks - with Podcast Movement Evolutions

• “I booked over $120,000 in revenue with podcast ads in 2 years. Here’s how I grew and monetized my show.” - an interview in Business Insider with Jay Clouse (host of Creative Elements).

Podcast News - with editaudio

From editaudio: editaudio: On The Road SXSW "A traveling podcast sharing the thoughts, feelings, anecdotes and advice collected from the attendees who stopped by our mobile sound booth at Blk Pod Festival Atlanta.

The Podnews Weekly Review this week includes an interview with Jack Davenport, the co-founder and Managing Director of Goalhanger Podcasts, responsible for some of the UK’s biggest shows like The Rest Is Politics. We also hear James’s views on the stock market and Spotify’s layoffs, and Sam calculates the average salary for a Spotify employee. It’s sponsored by Buzzsprout.

Pod Chat - Insights and Trends from Podcast Experts has Sam Sethi as a guest this week. Sam and host Danny Brown talk about the emergence of podcast-first radio, why ads and sponsorship levels will drop in a big way in 2023, why Spotify are stuck in a revenue crisis they created themselves, and why Value for Value is the future for podcast monetisation and creator/audience relationships.

Clever is one of a number of podcasts that has joined the SURROUND Podcast Network. It features podcasts showcasing leading voices, topics, and trends in the architecture and design industry, and is one of two content networks from SANDOW Design Group.

The new episode of Drink Champs, out today, is the first to be published under Interval Presents, the podcast network from Warner Music Group. We’re told: “In this episode the Champs chop it up with My Expert Opinion! Math Hoffa, Mr. Mecc, Sean Bigga & Michael Smith-Baker talk careers, battle rap and much more!!! Make some noise!!! 📣📣📣!!!”

Productivity Puzzles has returned for a new season. From The Productivity Institute, it provides insights from the latest research on UK productivity issues and solutions. It was made by Manchester’s Cue Podcasts.