Angel Livas Alive Podcast Network
The term podcast was coined in 2004, and since then, it has experienced explosive growth in listenership, revenue, and participation. Many creators and entrepreneurs feel that they can contribute to the public conversation about their expertise or a topic of interest through podcasting.
Like any new industry, podcasting is a realm of boundless opportunities and potential. As the industry matures, new gaps in the market emerge, creating fertile ground for innovation. Angel N Livas, a trailblazer in the field, recognized the potential of podcasting to bridge the gaps in the black content creation space. Her initiative in establishing the Alive podcast network is a beacon of inspiration for aspiring entrepreneurs, demonstrating the transformative power of podcasting.
Livas, who worked in traditional media for 25 years, saw an opportunity emerge from the explosive growth of the podcast industry. "I believe every voice matters," says Livas, who recounts that "99% of the time she was in traditional media, she spent time creating content for white audiences such as Larry King and Jane Pauly."
Livas saw the opportunity to create a podcast network that caters to a primarily black audience but offers content everyone can enjoy. Livas believes that the current structure of podcast advertising doesn't allow black content creators with great podcast content to be recognized through monetization like other mainstream podcasts.
Advertisers typically pay using a CPM (cost per mille or thousand) model when advertising on podcasts. Without substantial download numbers, black content creators, although they have great content, might miss the boat on monetization and reaping the revenue rewards from their podcasts.
The Alive podcast network, under the visionary leadership of Livas, is set to revolutionize the podcasting landscape. With a subscription model priced at $ 4.99 and a 50/50 revenue split with hosts, the network's approach is a stark departure from the industry norm. Unlike other podcast networks that demand a certain number of downloads per month and a 70/30 commission split, the Alive podcast network is committed to empowering content creators and ensuring fair compensation.
For Livas, though, the mission is twofold: first, to bring revenue into black creative podcast content, and second, to amplify the expertise of black content creators who provide a valuable service to their audience. Livas recounts a story from a previous show that she produced: "I remember a Hispanic man writing into a show that got canceled because he couldn't afford therapy but said the show was his weekly accountability partner." This testimonial was another driving force in Livas recognizing the importance of minority voices in the podcast sphere.
In the age of marketing intelligence and analytics, the most important data point is engagement, and the black content creator space has high engagement.
Podcasting is a force and will not be slowing down. According to exploding topics, podcast growth is expected to hit 12% and generate $2 billion in revenue for 2024, with further growth hitting 10% in 2025 and 8% in 2026, respectively.
In 2024, where much emphasis has been put on diverse voices and diversity of opinion, the Alive podcast network is positioning itself to ride the wave of the future and will continue to tweak until the right formula is found for black creatives.