Warner Music Group and Spotify have entered into a new partnership that will see the two companies develop a series of original podcasts built around WMG’s extensive and diverse artists’ and songwriters’ catalogs.
“The most impactful podcasts share with music the key component of storytelling and personal experience. In partnership with Warner Music Group, we look to develop stories leveraging their unique artists and catalog,” said Courtney Holt, VP Global Studios & Business, Spotify. “We look forward to helping them leverage the power of podcasting to forge a deeper connection with fans.”
“We’re excited to take this step forward with Spotify as we strengthen and deepen our existing partnership. Podcasts provide an opportunity to unlock value for artists and songwriters by delivering fresh and unique stories to music to fans across the globe,” said Oana Ruxandra, EVP, Business Development and Chief Digital Officer, Warner Music Group. “We look forward to working with Spotify to experiment and drive growth in podcasting.”
While no artists were named in the announcement, the following podcasts give a hint of the depth of the Warner catalog. The news follows Warner Music Group’s recent launch of theBLK In Americapodcast by Topsify, which sees artists like Rico Nasty, Chaka Khan, and Keedron Bryant discussing what it means to be Black in America.
WMG produces various podcasts from across its network including Duran Duran’s “WHOOOSH!,” curated and hosted by Simon Le Bon; the Prince official podcast in collaboration with his estate; Robert Plant’s “Digging Deep”; the “Good Ol Grateful Deadcast” hosted by musician Rich Mahan and Relix contributing editor Jesse Jarnow; “The Rhino Podcasts,” telling stories of legends like Aretha Franklin, Todd Rundgren, and John Densmore of The Doors; “Warner Chappell Music’s Final Sessions,” a series chronicling the narrative behind the release of“Losst and Founnd”– the album of final recordings from the late singer/songwriter Harry Nilsson; Grandson’s “XXWhy” show interviewing other artists and activists; as well as cultural show “Uproxx’s People’s Party” hosted by Talib Kweli.
Spotify is now home to more than 2 million podcasts, including “The Michelle Obama Podcast,” “The Journal.,” “The Bakari Sellers Podcast,” “Stolen: The Search for Jermain,” and the recently launched “Renegades: Born in the USA.” It is also the exclusive home of a wide range of Music + Talk shows, the personalized music and podcast mix Daily Drive and innovative programming like “The Get Up,” which combines music curated for each individual listener with the latest in pop culture, news, entertainment and music from hosts Kat Lazo, Speedy Morman and Xavier “X” Jernigan.
