A woman relaxing with coffee and headphones listening to her favorite audio podcast. Despite all the words written gushing over video podcasts, there is still a large audience for audio podcasting.
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With the rise in popularity in video podcasts, you would think that the concept of video had just been invented. In the last year, non-podcast media and podcast networks eager to capitalize on video to enhance their bottom line have been proselyting for video like telemarketers trying to hawk extended car warranties.
Yet despite the hype about video in podcasting, streaming music is more ubiquitous as a daily habit than video streaming, with roughly 74 percent of U.S. internet users listening to digital audio, according to Nielsen.
There is an indie podcast from The Sound Boutique called The Sound Session, which delves into the creative and critical role sound plays in our lives.
Hosted by audio producer and composer Gareth Davies, each episode of The Sound Session features conversations with artists, audio professionals, and thinkers who are shaping the future of sound across media.
the Sound Session
In the trailer, creator/host Gareth Davies asks a series of existential questions about audio: “What happens when sound is the story? When a world comes alive, and you’re in it. When does the silence hit harder than a visual jump cut, and a voice alone can make you cry?”
Here, Gareth Davies reminds us of the sheer power of audio, noting that, “This episode delves into the enchanting world of audio storytelling, exploring how sound can create emotional depth and immerse listeners in ways that leave visuals behind.”
Into this discussion of video and audio enters Tom Webster of Sounds Profitable. Tom Webster is a Partner at Sounds Profitable, dedicated to setting the course for the future of the audio business. He is a 25-year veteran audio researcher and trusted advisor to the biggest companies in podcasting, and has dedicated his career to the advancement of podcasting for networks and individuals alike. Mr. Webster is also an inductee into the Podcast Hall Of Fame. Perhaps the only chink in his impressive armor is his allegiance to the Boston Red Sox.
Tom Webster, an inductee in The Podcast Hall of Fame, has been a co-author and driver behind some of audio’s most influential studies, including the Infinite Dial® series, Share of Ear® and The Podcast Landscape. Additionally, he has led hundreds of audience research projects on six continents, for some of the most listened-to podcasts and syndicated radio shows in the world, from Howard Stern to All Things Considered
Tom Webster
Not all podcast consumers are created equal. In the Audio Primes 2026 report, the latest research from Sounds Profitable, Mr. Webster identifies a powerful segment hiding in plain sight: the 22 percent of podcast consumers who listen to at least 75 percent of their content as audio. Based on the largest public study of podcasting in America, surveying over 5,000 Americans ages 18+, this report profiles who Audio Primes are, how they listen differently, and why they matter for everyone building (or buying) in the podcast space.
This study was done in June 2025 with 5,034 people responding in the largest study of podcasting in the U.S.
Sounds Profitable
Download the full report, sponsored by our friends at RSS.com, to explore the data, charts, and strategic takeaways behind one of podcasting’s most important audiences.
Data derived from The Podcast Landscape 2025 includes:
22 percent Have Never Left a Podcast have never stopped watching or listening to a podcast vs. 19% of all podcast consumers.
A stark attitudinal divide: Audio Primes resist AI voices, valuing authenticity in audio-only channels
Sounds Profitable
Audio Primes listen to learn and think, favoring political talk, business, and science over gaming, celebs and entertainment.
Political podcasts now serve as a primary news source for millions and are a crucial, high-engagement medium for political figures to reach audiences outside traditional media.
Sounds Profitable
With respect to Audio Primes, the study shows that they are +6 points on short-form under 20 minutes and more flexible on length overall.
The Core Audience are Listeners
According to the study, Audio Primes are among the podcast industry’s most valuable audiences.
Audio Primes actively discover and try new shows — 32 percent started one this month They actively discover and try new shows — 32 percent started one this month.
Sounds Profitable
The data on Audio Primes reveals that:
They are the core: 89 percent listened this week, 77 percent listen weekly or more They are younger, more educated, and more affluent than the total base, and they consume more of every media — audio AND video.
Audio Primes are the word-of-mouth engine: 71 percent will recommend a podcast They value ad relevance over ad volume. They reward consistency: 84 percent prefer regular series, 72 percent use the same platform. To Audio Primes, authenticity is non-negotiable, with 48 percent stating that they would leave over AI voices.
In his report, Tom Webster points out, “In a media landscape trending toward visual content, Audio Primes are a reminder that the ear remains a powerful gateway to trust, attention, and action. The smartest creators, platforms, and
advertisers will build for this audience — not despite the rise of video, but because of it.”
A study in 2020 by University College London compared audio versus video. The study authors played participants the same stories and asked which was more engaging. Nearly all participants said video. But researchers were not measuring opinions. They were measuring physiology. The body responded more intensely to audio [Richardson et al. 2020].
Body physiology (e.g. heart rate and skin conductance) reveals what we actually feel, even when our conscious mind says otherwise [Betella et al. 2014]. The study revealed that the human brain has dedicated circuitry for voice processing as an emotional and social signal. However, no visuals requires deeper cognitive and emotional processing.
Tom Webster, a partner at Sounds Profitable, notes in analyzing the study: “Audio Primes stay, recommend, and reward consistency. Audio-first is premium, not legacy. Research points to one underlying mechanism: the parasocial bond. And neuroscience explains how it forms.”
Sounds Profitable
Tom Webster observes: “We often hear that ‘video gets more engagement.’ But engagement can mean either attention (e.g. watch time) or connection. Attention fades when the screen turns off. Connection does not. When it comes to podcasts, Audio Primes are choosing the medium that deepens their connection with the host.”
Every time a listener presses play on a familiar voice, three systems activate:
1. Oxytocin. The brain releases the same bonding chemical triggered during parent-child contact. Every episode reinforces it [Seltzer et al. 2010].
2. Mirror neurons. When the host laughs, the listener’s brain fires as if they are laughing too. Voice alone is enough for empathic resonance [Aziz-Zadeh et al. 2010].
3. Weekly podcast episodes are microdoses of familiarity, and familiarity compounds into trust [Zajonc, 1968].
High Notes’ host, Melissa Thom is a speech and communication coach and acclaimed voice actor with decades of experience voicing projects including Grand Theft Auto V for Rockstar Games, Elder Scrolls for Zenimax, LL COOL J, Google, Amazon, Nike and many more. Melissa is also the Founder and CEO of BRAVA, and has trained thousands of people in communication and voice from the UK and beyond – from rappers and reverends to ad creatives and countesses.
Copyright Nick Brown Photography
High Notes is a podcast featuring conversations on the art and business of voice, hosted by voice actor and BRAVA CEO, Melissa Thom. From Mongolian throat singing to vocal health, accents, gaming, and more, HIGH NOTES uncovers the craft behind the business. A show about voiceover acting on an audio podcast is the perfect fit. High Notes glorifies the magic of audio, explains the technical aspect of voiceover work, and celebrates audio done with style and grace.
Let’s return to Gareth Davies from The Sound Session, who asked in his indie podcast, “What can sounds do that words and visuals can’t? How does sound shape the world, and how can we shape sound?”
“Sound is touch at a distance,” says Anne Fernald, Professor of Psychology at Stanford University.
Ear Worthy
Researchers at the National Institute for Neuroscience in Turin found that “sensory information – a particular sound – is coupled with emotional information – a memory of fear, for example, – and stored in the auditory cortex as a bundle. This allows the sound to acquire an emotional meaning.”
These sonic signatures resonate with us on a sensory, intellectual, emotional, and visceral level. In the 1975 movie, Jaws, the most prominent instruments are the tuba and the double bass, with the tuba playing the central two-note motif in the opening. We do not need to see the shark to know it’s there. As is often the case, hearing is more potent than seeing.
Helen Keller, upon being asked whether she considered vision or hearing more important, replied: “The problems of deafness are deeper and more complex, if not more important, than those of blindness. Deafness is a much worse misfortune.”
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