Rob Walch, VP Podcast Relations at DAX US / Captivate notes, “”I see the evolution of podcasting will be in indie podcasting and will continue to get better and better. That will draw a higher percentage of listeners. Better content and fewer ads – yes please. The network podcasts will still have substantially higher budgets to promote and produce, but those budgets will be cut back as listenership slowly diversifies.”
Imdb
Remember the 1996 film Independence Day? At the end of the movie actor Bill Pullman, as President Thomas J. Whitmore, gives a speech to pilots about to attack the invading aliens. Whitmore implores them with, “Today is your Independence Day!”
In podcasting, a two-tier caste system has developed, with celebrity-driven shows capturing media attention and a sizable audience. You know the names – Joe Rogan, Andrew Huberman, Esther Perel, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, etc.
However, the other approximately 40,000 independent podcasts not tethered to large corporations still account for over 80% of all listens/views/downloads. The short history of podcasting celebrates the indie, pirate entrepreneurs as the founders of the industry. To summarize podcast history in one sentence: Large companies didn’t pay any attention to podcasting for the first ten years of its existence.
Now, these originalists and indie podcasters are being threatened by Amazon, iHeart, SiriusXM, Spotify, and other opportunists, enticed by the smell of ad dollars, video podcasting, interest from streaming services, and the mainstreaming of podcasting in general.
Well, Mercury founder and president Liam Heffernan is what we would call a disrupter. Mr. Heffernan, in a loud and coordinated public relations campaign, has announced: “This new Independent Podcasters Day is designed to showcase the unique accomplishments and challenges of independent creators. Visit IndependentPodcastersDay.com to pledge your allegiance to indies.”
Mercury rising
Mercury, founded by Liam Heffernan, is a relatively new UK-based podcast network that launched in February 2025. It is designed to support the unique needs of independent creators looking to grow and monetize their podcasts. Since onboarding its first show in November 2025, Mercury has already sold over two million ad impressions, and boasts over 500,000 downloads per month.
Through years of navigating the ups and downs of podcasting, Mercury Podcast Founder and CEO Liam Heffernan noticed a striking gap in the industry. At one end sit the massive, celebrity-driven shows that dominate listener attention and advertising dollars. At the other, countless small podcasts struggle to find their footing. But in the middle exists a vibrant tier of talented, independent creators, shows too good to be overlooked, yet too small to attract traditional network support. Mercury was designed to serve this overlooked community. Its ambition is clear: to build an ecosystem for independent podcasters to create, collaborate, grow, and earn. Mercury is a big network with an independent spirit, tearing down gatekeepers and giving a platform to the best indie shows. Unlike larger networks burdened by high costs, Mercury is built to grow sustainably, providing the right support without compromising independence.
Mercury Podcast Network
Its initial roster represents independent shows across entertainment, history and leisure, ranging from four to six-figure downloads per month. Mercury’s ambition is to represent the world’s best independent podcasts and creators.
Its offering differs from other networks, with a strong focus on ensuring podcasters keep full control of their content. Benefits include direct involvement in advertising and sponsorship decisions. Mercury also promises a more personalized approach than other networks, prioritizing value over volume.
“We’re going toe to toe with the big networks… and we’re winning!” insists Liam Heffernan, Mercury’s Founder.
Mercury’s founder, Liam Heffernan, is an award-winning independent podcaster from the UK, whose own shows include America: A History. He has previously worked for companies including Auddy and The Podcast Boutique, and was featured on Podpod’s 30 Faces to Watch list, touted as a future industry leader.
“As an independent podcaster myself, I know that the biggest challenge facing creators isn’t content; it’s time and resource,” says Liam.
Mr. Heffernan continues: “Let’s take a hypothetical. Right. If you’re doing a podcast that gets like two million downloads a month, that sounds great. And you want some nice programmatic from that, but it’s really cheap… The nominal number of downloads is great, but how are you really going to sell that? Like, what’s your—who’s your audience? Like, who are you really speaking to?”
Declaring Independence for Independent Podcasters
The podcasting wars are especially pernicious because the industry was essentially created by independent artists. For the first decade of podcasting, it was the small-fry, independent entrepreneurs that nurtured the industry, and laid the foundation for growth.
Mercury
As a consequence as this increasingly dual-track structure in podcasting, Liam Heffernan and his Mercury Podcast Network have created an Independent Podcasters Day, which is designed to be an organic, user-generated annual event, where each year builds on the last as indie podcasters mobilize the global creator ecosystem for a day of celebration and recognition.
“This isn’t about competing or comparing, but in sharing the good, the bad, and the chaotic that defines the unique challenges of independent podcasting,” says podcast consultant George Witt.
Liam Heffernan adds: “July 4th is Independent Podcasters Day, a global celebration of the podcasts and people who do it their way, from Mercury and Orbit, powered by you. IndependentPodcastersDay.com will feature case studies and creator stories showcasing the best that independent podcasting has to offer, and why it remains the foundation of our industry.”
Beginning on that day, Mercury invites everyone – creators, agencies, executives, and follow networks – to pledge their allegiance to Independent Podcasters Day via their website.
Orbit is the sister network to Mercury, and a network for all podcasters to access the same tools as the biggest shows in the world. Orbit offers enterprise level hosting, access to an ad marketplace – and 100% of the programmatic revenue – and all from just £10 a month. Orbit levels the playing field for independent podcasters, and it reopens on Independent Podcasters Day.
Podcasters can register their interest in Orbit here.
Mercury’s mission is simple but ambitious: to level the playing field, empower indies, and make space for voices that deserve to be heard.
“Independent Podcasters Day represents everything Mercury and Orbit stands for,” says its CEO Liam Heffernan. “We exist to support, represent, and empower independent creators, so it makes sense for us to launch #IndiePodDay. We can’t celebrate indies enough, so to those of you who don’t want another day on the calendar, we say poo poo to you! And to all the hard-working, game-changing creators out there, we have your back!”
Em McGowan of the Verbal Diorama podcast and Emma Turner of whynow Media developed the Independent Podcast Awards in the UK in 2023, recognizing independent creators.
Verbal Diorama
For podcast consultant George Witt, “I think there’s so much more value in the way indie podcasters focus on building out that community, and monetize that community.”
Liam Heffernan observes, “As a producer myself, I saw this gap in the industry where, you know, there was an awful lot of fantastic shows and creators who were doing amazing stuff. And they deserve to have that support, the opportunity to scale up and grow and monetize. But they weren’t big enough to get the attention of the big networks. And even if they did end up on one of those networks, they were so far down—they’d be such a small fish.”
For me, it isn’t just the product these indie podcasters produce. It’s their DNA. I think it’s because independent podcasting requires the same traits needed to be a good and valued human being. They are hard-working and dedicated to their craft. Who else would work a job and then return home, go into their closet, and spend hours recording a podcast?
They are naturally collaborative and intellectually curious. They’re creative and they take risks. The unknown may scare some of them, but it doesn’t intimidate them. They’re fearless.
For some of them, a hobby podcast is enough. But for many others, the dream is making enough money so that they can podcast full-time.
As First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”