Fulfilling the need for an integrated service

Audio broadcasting relies on multiple capabilities, making platform consolidation essential for hosting, delivery and monetization. SoundStack is a U.S.-based independent audio-as-a-service company that serves podcasters, broadcasters, hosting platforms, advertising demand partners and more with audio hosting, delivery, monetization and analytics tools. RedTech spoke with its founder and CEO, Jon Stephenson.

RedTech: You founded EmpireStreaming at just 15, working from your parents’ basement. What led you to launch a streaming business at that age?

Jon Stephenson: I loved radio from a very early age. In the 4th grade, my uncle inspired me to build a “pirate” FM radio station. I took it online, originally broadcasting on Shoutcast. As my audience grew, so did the costs, and my parents would not foot a hefty bandwidth bill. So, I started hosting other people’s radio stations in exchange for a small monthly fee. I became more fascinated with technology than “being a DJ,” which birthed EmpireStreaming.

RedTech: EmpireStreaming eventually merged with Live365. What was the strategy behind that, and how did it lead to SoundStack?

Stephenson: I purchased Live365 through bankruptcy court in late 2016. I saw a void in the market for small and mid-sized webcasters needing a one-stop shop internet radio platform to connect them to larger audiences and facilitate licensing. There was little overlap with existing EmpireStreaming customers, so it felt natural to add Live365 and serve the full spectrum of online radio, from hobbyists to large enterprises.

RedTech: How does “audio-as-a-service” translate into real-world tools?

Stephenson: While we provide SaaS, a global content delivery network, and a massive ad marketplace, we also partner with publishers of all sizes. Close collaboration and service are core to helping publishers deliver great content, earn more revenue, and grow.

RedTech: What’s been the most significant shift in streaming technology since you started?

Stephenson: Dynamic ad insertion, with one-to-one replacement for users. When I started, all “dynamic ads” were managed at the encoder level. Real dynamic ad insertion — the ability for an ad to serve automatically when a show is streamed and be better targeted to a listener — brought digital audio to the forefront and drove streaming and podcast adoption.

RedTech: Why is integrating hosting, delivery and monetization under one platform important for independent audio publishers?

Stephenson: Everything is interrelated. At the core, you have distribution — delivering audio content to listeners. With most audio publishers, the only way to monetize with dynamic ad insertion is by controlling it at the delivery layer. The two need to go hand-in-hand. By optimizing for this, we’re enabling any publisher to earn more revenue. Our independence allows us to remain unbiased. It also means being tech-agnostic, allowing publishers to integrate other technologies as needed.

Our customers and partners are our “shareholders” — without them, none of this would be possible.
SoundStack CEO, Jon Stephenson.

RedTech: What technical challenges have you overcome to ensure seamless live streaming and dynamic ad insertion?

Stephenson: Our biggest challenge has been reliance on third-party software. Publishers don’t want to hear that it’s a third party’s “fault.” To truly back enterprise-level service level agreements, we had to engineer our own stack from the ground up, including owning our own content delivery network and streaming applications. This took significant people power, but it means we control our destiny and offer guarantees to our partners.

RedTech: How has your role changed as the company has grown to over 80 team members?

Stephenson: In the early days, I was involved in everything, from systems administration to responding to customer tickets in the middle of the night. As SoundStack has grown, I’ve focused more on being a “real” CEO with help from CEO coaching. While I’m still “in the trenches” daily, I dedicate specific blocks of time to strategy.

RedTech: How has being independently owned shaped your approach in a space dominated by major tech players?

Stephenson: Our customers and partners are our “shareholders” — without them, none of this would be possible. This allows us to focus on doing what’s best for our partners without being distracted by Wall Street reactions or parent company objectives.

RedTech: What developments in audio do you see as most important over the next five years?

Stephenson: In streaming, we’ll see a push toward low latency, allowing users to experience listening closer to real time. In podcasting, we’ll see better ways to deliver audio-only consumption, using things like HLS. This will help user experience, monetization and engagement. In ad tech, we’re seeing more focus on curation elements — using, for example, contextual advertising to drive better outcomes for advertisers.

This story originally appeared in the July/August 2025 edition of RedTech Magazine.