Spotify podcasters are making $18,000 a month with white noise

They say there is a podcast for everyone. Some people like their radio shows, true-crime episodes or even a deep conversation with famous figures or the most current entertainment news. While it’s these types of categories that undeniably lead the charts across major platforms, there is another group of Spotify podcasters right behind them that is profiting like crazy. One you would never expect. One that does no talking at all.

In a recent Bloomberg article, it has been revealed that certain podcasters on Spotify are making $18,000 a month by just posting episodes filled with white noise, and even if the creators mostly remain a mystery, their product does not. Whether people want these white noise episodes for relaxation, therapeutic or even for newborn sleep instances, there is no denying that the listening rate of these very niche podcasts is through the roof.

One man, in particular, Todd Moore, who started this type of podcast in 2019 after quitting his cyber security job, has now grown to 50,000 listeners a day, which ranks him in the top 25% of all podcasts. He produces “Tmsoft’s White Noise Sleep Sounds” using Spotify’s free hosting software, Anchor, which pays him $12.25 per thousand listens. That number adds up to $612.50 a day and $18,375 per month.

“I never thought writing a little app on a weekend would turn into my full-time life. You just never know.” – Todd Moore, Bloomberg

However, Moore is not the only major beneficiary of this rapidly growing genre. Brandon Reed, a former Walt Disney employee, did the same thing as Moore in 2019. He began his journey by creating white noise to help his baby son fall asleep. Fast forward to this year, he now has 100,000 daily listeners and made its way to the top 15 on the charts.

“The amount of production that goes into some of these podcasts, the production value, and then for this silly noise that plays for 12 hours to be in the top 100 feels crazy. People are absolutely devouring it.” – Brandon Reed, Bloomberg

Who knows where this type of podcast will be in the next five years or how many listeners it will have reached then. The demand for this genre is higher than ever, and as more people continue to get into it, it will slowly rise up the charts. And who knows, in five years, maybe you’ll see “relaxing white noise” in the global top five.

Image Credit: Hayoung Jeon/EPA