RAIN to Produce 2nd Annual RAIN Podcast Business Summit

Chicago IL, USA — With advertising spending on podcasts estimated to reach $500M by 2020, RAIN (Radio, Audio, Internet News), the leading knowledge and networking organization for the online audio industry, announces the 2018 RAIN Podcast Business Summit. The half-day event takes place March 22, 2018 at New World Stages in New York. Tickets are available at RAIN News.

Now in its second year, the 2018 RAIN Podcast Business Summit will focus on the solutions and innovations driving the podcast industry forward: measurement advancement, creativity in content, experimental publisher-brand collaborations and more. Laura Correnti and Alexa Christon, co-hosts of the popular and influential Adlandia podcast, will keynote the event. Edison Research SVP Tom Webster will present the latest research on how audio and podcasting fit into the media landscape for consumers, including new research from The Infinite Dial and the latest from The Smart Audio Report from NPR and Edison Research. Speakers and the full agenda will be released in the coming weeks and available online.

“As audio reaches listeners in new places, on new platforms, and with new types of content, podcasting is storming the scene with an astonishing range of programming and value to advertisers,” noted RAIN President Brad Hill. “This year’s Podcast Business Summit, the only conference which encompasses the entire business opportunity of podcasting, challenges participants to describe the choices and solutions of attaining $1-billion annual revenue.”

The Summit will bring together brand marketers, media agencies, leading podcast publishers, show hosts and producers, data experts, and technology companies to explore the dynamic intersection of the buy and sell sides in on-demand audio. By demystifying the challenges, presenting solutions, and forecasting future trends, the Summit will bring important knowledge to all participants who have a stake in the evolution of on-demand audio.

“Podcasting’s value to publishers and advertisers is quickly gaining new research validation,” said RAIN Founder Kurt Hanson. "According to Nielsen, 57% of podcast ads outperform video pre-rolls, and 70% of ads increase brand awareness. Podcasting is becoming an increasingly dynamic category, and the RAIN Podcast Business Summit is the preeminent meeting place for its stakeholders.”

The RAIN Podcast Business Summit, presented once again with support from NPR, is part of the highly-regarded RAIN Summit conference series, which for 16 years has illuminated and advocated webcasting, streaming radio, music services, online delivery, and personalized listening.