On Air Fest celebrates ten years of big moments

On Air Fest has been the pulse of podcasting for a decade, and its tenth‑anniversary bash is a reminder that the industry’s biggest shifts have been happening right under our noses. The event that started in 2017coinciding with the birth of Podnewshas seen more than two thousand creators, investors, and tech innovators walk through its doors, each leaving a mark that reshaped how we consume audio. For the podcasters who built their brands on a single mic and the advertisers who bet on voice, the festival’s milestones are more than trivia; they are proof that the medium is still hungry for disruption.

When Spotify swallowed Gimlet and Anchor in 2019, it wasn’t just a corporate takeover; it was a signal that streaming giants were willing to pay for the next frontier of content. For the 1,200‑strong community that gathered at On Air Fest that year, the announcement meant that their niche shows could now access a global distribution engine. Yet, the deal also raised a warning: the platform’s algorithmic curation could drown out the very voices that made the festival a haven for indie creators. If Spotify had been a gatekeeper, it had become a gate‑keeper‑plus, offering both reach and risk.

Three years later, YouTube announced its entry into podcasting, a move that blurred the lines between video and audio. At the tenth‑anniversary event, the studio’s ever‑present box lightan icon of On Air Fest’s consistencyshone brighter than ever. The light, a silent witness to every pitch and pitch‑deck, now symbolizes a platform that is no longer content‑agnostic. For creators who had built audiences on the assumption that audio was a separate domain, YouTube’s pivot threatened to cannibalize their niche while simultaneously offering a new revenue stream.

Fast forward to 2025, when Netflix inked its first podcast agreement. The festival’s organizers used this moment to highlight how streaming services are diversifying beyond visual storytelling. For the thousands of podcasters who had relied on ad revenue alone, Netflix’s move suggested a future where subscription models could extend into the auditory realm. However, the partnership also hinted at a future where platform owners could dictate terms, potentially squeezing independent voices into a pay‑wall.

Today’s On Air Fest is not just a celebration; it’s a launchpad for the next wave of monetisation. Substack is rumored to roll out sponsorship tools that will let podcasters insert dynamic ads or offer paid ad‑free episodes. Meanwhile, beehiiv is reportedly preparing a podcast ad‑monetisation platform. For creators who have been juggling multiple revenue streamsadvertising, sponsorships, merchandisethese developments promise a more unified ecosystem. Yet, the risk remains: as more platforms claim to own the monetisation pipeline, the independence that once defined podcasting could erode.

Spotify’s RADAR Creators program for 2026 offers marketing, editorial, and promotional support to emerging podcasters from the US, UK, Australia, Spain, Argentina, France, Brazil, and the Philippines. While the initiative seems generous, it also signals a shift toward a curated pipeline where only selected voices receive amplification. For the thousands of creators who have built loyal followings without corporate backing, this could mean a tightening of the gate that once welcomed anyone with a story.

Given the trajectory of platform partnerships and the festival’s history of spotlighting pivotal moments, I predict that On Air Fest will evolve into a primary talent‑scouting hub for streaming giants. By the next decade, we will see a pipeline where creators are signed directly at the festival, bypassing traditional podcast networks. This will accelerate the convergence of audio and visual media but may also consolidate power in the hands of a few platform owners.

The tenth anniversary of On Air Fest is more than a nostalgic look back; it is a warning that the industry’s next decade will be defined by the same forces that shaped it in the last ten: platform dominance, monetisation innovation, and the relentless push for broader reach. For the creators who have turned their voices into brands, the festival’s history reminds them that every milestone is both an opportunity and a threat. The future of podcasting will not be decided by the loudest mic, but by those who can navigate the shifting tides of platform politics and monetisation models.