The Joe Budden Network Rakes in $20 Million a Year, According to Company CEO

Photo Credit: Joe Budden Network (Instagram)

Joe Budden reveals just how lucrative his podcast network has become, leaving the industry stunned.

Rapper turned podcast network mogul Joe Budden thought he might humble-brag about his Patreon traffic with a screenshot showing over 30 million hits in 30 days. What he didn’t count on was internet sleuths manipulating the scribbles with which he attempted to obscure his Patreon revenue—revealing he had earned over $900,000 in June alone.

Since that headline-making number, Joe Budden agreed to share some details about his lucrative podcast business with The New York Times. That’s a rare glimpse into a world often kept close to the chest; many podcasters and podcast publishers are reluctant to share details of their revenue or even their download figures.

“Overall, the Joe Budden Network is on a pace to generate more than $20 million this year, according to its chief executive, Ian Schwartzman,” The New York Times reports.

But Budden’s reason for being open about his numbers now, after all is said and done, centers around a desire to make a “broader argument for maintaining independence as creators.” Despite spending two years working exclusively with Spotify, most of Budden’s ten years creating the show has been spent without any affiliation to an outside podcast network or media company. Both he and Schwartzman are proud of that fact.

The Joe Budden Network has earned around $1 million a month on Patreon so far this year, with around 70,000 paying subscribers who pay anywhere from $5 to $50 per month. That subscription grants access to exclusive content and bonus episodes.

Patreon alone, therefore, will probably make the Joe Budden Network over $12 million by the end of 2025, which makes Budden the crowdfunding platform’s top earner. Patreon also confirmed that fact and those numbers to The New York Times.

However, Patreon isn’t even the podcast’s only stream of revenue. According to Schwartzman, advertising generates several million dollars, and Budden’s company sells its own ads. That’s unusual among top podcasters, most of whom team up with large networks like SiriusXM or iHeartMedia for reach and ad revenue.

Smaller revenue streams for the podcast network include “passive advertisements” on social media platforms, like ads that play during Budden’s videos on YouTube. His status as an early adopter of video podcasting has earned him over 1.5 million followers on the platform.

The Joe Budden Network employs 30-plus independent contractors for production and administrative support. Their payment, and that of the on-air talent, are the company’s biggest expenses. Co-hosts of The Joe Budden Podcast earn over $1.5 annually; Budden quipped that since inadvertently revealing some of his revenue to his followers online, “now everybody’s asked for a raise.”

Real estate and marketing expenses make up the remainder of the company’s biggest costs. The company is in the process of finalizing the $2 million purchase of the waterfront condominium unit in Edgewater, New Jersey, where it currently records audio and video for The Joe Budden Show.

Budden and Schwartzman say their success comes from learning lessons, which has led to a desire for more autonomy. “The bigger the money gets, the more strings that are attached,” said Schwartzman. “We wanted someone to acknowledge how valuable we were by showing that they would be comfortable giving us skin in the game.”

That’s after spending 2018 to 2020 under a licensing agreement with Spotify that paid less than $2 million annually, according to Schwartzman. Further, the deal included no advertising revenue shares or stock, and required publishing the show only to Spotify. Their split in 2020 left them seeking a new partner—but one never materialized.

Then came Patreon in 2021, and Joe Budden never looked back. “Joe is in a league of his own,” said Jack Conte, chief executive at Patreon. “It is not common for people to make a million dollars a month on Patreon.” He confirmed that the show first achieved that milestone in November and has maintained it every month since.

But even for podcasters who aren’t at Budden’s level, subscription platforms like Patreon and newcomer Substack have enabled creators a platform on which to earn money from subscribers while maintaining autonomy and control of their IP. “Creators have more leverage and control than actually ever before in the history of the arts,” said Conte.

These platforms benefit from taking an approximate 10% cut of creators’ earnings, but that’s a small drop in the bucket for many. In 2024, podcasters on Patreon earned over $472 million collectively—up 35% from the year prior, the company reports. Meanwhile, Substack announced a $20 million fund this year to help entice creators away from Patreon and other competitors.

Link to the source article – https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2025/07/22/the-joe-budden-network-earnings-2025/