Stand up for your partners in ‘25 – The Short Stack
Friends,
One of the reasons I love these year-end posts is that they force me to take stock and really focus on what mattered the most this year. Spoiler alert: it’s about the people.
We’ve had a tremendous year in so many respects. On the tech side, we rolled out everything from new features like HLS Interstitial, a protocol built specifically for ad insertion and all that it requires, to new insights like Streaming Trends, so broadcasters have a clear, simple view of how their stations are performing over time.
We sent Stackers to stages around the world, from Lisbon to Venice to NYC, plotting a path for audio with friends/partners from the likes of Katz Digital, Podnews, NPR, This American Life, Barometer, IAB, and so many others.
We brought on amazing new partners, including (but not limited to) some of the leaders in public media – KCRW, WBGO, KUT, and more.
The connective tissue through all of the above is the people – both our own Stackers, and the friends and partners with whom we collaborate. It bears repeating that our constant use of the term “partners,” when we talk about our customers, is very deliberate. We think about these engagements as relationships like any other – built on mutual respect, listening, and dedication to putting in the work that yields amazing results for everyone. It’s the kind of partnership we’ll always strive for, and that we firmly believe is critical to maintaining a vibrant audio media/tech ecosystem going forward.
I talk more about it in my annual year-end blog post – have a read here: https://soundstack.com/blog/stand-up-for-your-partners-in-2025/
We wish you a fantastic holiday season and can’t wait to show you what we have in store for you in ‘25.
Best,
Jon Stephenson , CEO 
“If the independent ecosystem starts to wither and platform growth becomes the only viable way to build and reach an audience, podcasters will become, in material terms, more like YouTubers, TikTokers, and other influencers.”
IAB highlights how listeners of streaming audio and podcasts find their content between 1.6 to 6.6 times more authentic than streaming video…This trust factor translates into higher receptivity to advertising messages, particularly among younger audiences.
We couldn’t be happier to announce that Rockie Thomas is now Chief Strategy Officer for SoundStack. In the words of CEO Jon Stephenson: "The ability for every kind of audio publisher to have agency over their business is the cornerstone of their future success. From her years in broadcast, to being a trailblazer in programmatic advertising, to helping create measurement standards in audio, and more, Rockie is better suited than anyone to lead publishers on a path of control, choice, and the growth that comes from it."
On Air Fest 2025 Podcast Business Summit is convening executives in podcasting, media, entertainment and advertising who are shaping the future of the industry. We’ll be there – can’t wait to talk all things audio with friends and partners. See you there!