Why You’ll Want to Be at Podcast Movement 2026 with Molly DeMellier

What happens when a podcast conference stops trying to be everything to everyone and starts creating the right experience for the people actually in the room?

Podcast Movement is heading to New York September 17th and 18th and with a completely reimagined format, and Molly DeMellier, Head of Communications at Sounds Profitable, joins PodBiz to break down what attendees can expect.

This year separates the business side of podcasting from the broader creator conference, with the Sounds Profitable Business Summit bringing buyers and sellers together early in the week before Podcast Movement takes over Terminal 5 on Thursday and Friday. The goal? More focused conversations, stronger connections and programming designed around what attendees actually want to learn.

As Molly explains:

“We have seen conferences across industries that have just gotten bigger and bigger. And in trying to reach everybody, they consequently speak to nobody.”We also get into why New York and September matter, the decision to eliminate paid sessions from the Podcast Movement stages, bringing new speakers and perspectives into the industry, and why a $199 ticket is central to making the event more accessible to creators.

“We really felt strongly that what occurs on stage should be what the industry wants to hear from.”

In this episode we discuss,Why Podcast Movement redesigned its conference formatWhat separates the Sounds Profitable Business Summit from Podcast MovementBringing nearly 200 media buyers into the roomWhy Podcast Movement moved to New York and SeptemberMaking the conference more accessible for independent creatorsHow community voting helped shape this year’s programmingWhy Podcast Movement eliminated paid stage sessionsBringing new speakers, audiences and industries into podcastingHow Sounds Profitable is helping podcasting reach beyond its own echo chamber

Episode Chapters(02:12) Welcome back Molly DeMellier

(02:51) Where the money is in podcasting now

(04:49) Molly’s journey to Sounds Profitable

(08:00) Taking podcast research beyond the echo chamber

(11:45) Video, creators and the changing podcast landscape