Working with the audio behind great conversations.
Waltoa partners with podcasters and creators around their recordings: licensing archives, building tools that make the work easier, and teaming up with researchers who care about great conversation. When we use what you've made, we pay for it, and you keep every right to your work.
Talk to us How we workThree ways we work with your audio.
Different work, but all of it begins with respect for the people who make the audio.
Licensing & archives
We license recordings and back catalogs for a fair, agreed price: a one-time deal for an archive, or an ongoing arrangement for new episodes.
Creator tools
We build tools that help podcasters get more from their own recordings, from production and editing to insight about their conversations.
Research partnerships
We team up with universities and researchers exploring what makes conversation work, and bring what we learn back to the people who make it.
Your recordings are worth something.
Every episode you've made is hours of real, unscripted human conversation, and that is genuinely rare. We think the people who sat down and recorded it should be the ones who benefit when it's put to use, not a platform sitting in the middle. So the deal stays simple: we pay you, you keep your rights, and you decide what you're comfortable sharing.
No lock-in, no fine print, no pressure. Ask us anything before you commit, take the agreement to a lawyer if you like, and step away at any point with no hard feelings. We would much rather build something you're genuinely happy with than rush a single deal.
“You made it. You keep it. We simply pay to work with it.” The Waltoa promise
Four things that never change.
However we first reached out to you, these hold true every time.
If we use your recordings, you're paid for them. No “exposure,” no free work.
You go on publishing your show anywhere, forever. Nothing we do changes that.
Before anything you share is used, we tell you plainly what for, and you agree to it in writing.
Any agreement fits on a page and says exactly what we may and may not do. No buried legalese.
Good to know.
The things people ask us most, answered straight.
Why does Waltoa exist?
Our founder ran his own podcast and fell for the format: the raw, unscripted back-and-forth between two people. Waltoa grew out of that: he wanted to build the tools he wished he'd had, so creators can spend their energy on the one thing that actually matters: the conversation. The rest, we're happy to take off your plate.
Who are you, really?
A small independent team working with conversational audio, not a faceless platform or a data broker. We work directly with podcasters and creators, alongside production partners and university researchers. When you write to us, you reach a real person (usually Antonia), and we're happy to hop on a call so you can see who's behind it.
How does it actually work?
Simple, and always at your pace. It's really just a few steps:
- We figure it out together
A quick call with Antonia, or just a few emails, whatever you prefer. It works the same whether it's your back catalogue, a research project, or a one off.
- We send a simple agreement
One plain-English page that says what we license and what we pay. Yours to read in your own time.
- You share the files
However, and whenever, works best for you. We make the handover easy, and help if you're not sure what you've got.
- You get paid
Once it's all agreed, that's it.
Rather talk it through first? Grab fifteen minutes with Antonia.
What do you pay?
It depends on the hours, the quality, and what you're comfortable sharing: a one-time figure for an archive, or an ongoing arrangement for new episodes. Either way you'll see a real number before you decide, never a vague promise.
Do I keep the rights to my show?
Always. You go on publishing everywhere, forever, and you keep ownership of your own recordings. Anything you license to us is spelled out on a single plain-English page: what we may do, and what we may not.
Is the license exclusive or non-exclusive?
Your call. Most creators choose a non-exclusive license: you license the same recordings to us while keeping them free to use, sell or license anywhere else, with no restriction. If you'd rather grant an exclusive license for a given set of recordings, we pay more for it, because it limits what you can do with them elsewhere. We'll lay out both options with clear numbers so you can pick what suits you, and either way it only ever covers the specific files you agree to hand over, never your whole catalog by default.
Who do you work with?
Podcasters and creators of every size, production and editing partners, and universities and research groups studying what makes good conversation work. If you're a student or researcher yourself, we're especially glad to hear from you.
“A fair price for work you already made, and the freedom to keep making it.”
The team behind Waltoa.
A small team that answers its own email. When you write in, you reach one of us.
Speak directly with our project coordinator, Antonia.
Fifteen minutes, no obligation. She'll answer anything about how it works, what we pay, and whether your archive is a fit.