More and more podcast creators and distributors are making moves to ensure consumers – not just advertisers – pay for their audio content. How will this play out as tensions between platforms mount and audiences have to decide which voices in their ears deserve the money from their wallets? Radio Today’s Vivienne Kelly explores the latest developments and tensions, and speaks to Mamamia’s Holly Wainwright about the launch of MPlus amidst the madness. Even people who purport to have been into podcasting before it was cool can admit that the path to effective monetisation hasn’t been easy. However as we head into the deep depths of 2021 and the medium becomes more mature, we are seeing more and more publishers and distributors effectively create branded podcasts which reach genuine and engaged audiences, as well as more sophisticated ad insertion techniques, tracking capabilities, measurement and commercial offerings.