Spotify Launches First Episode of Its Own Original Podcast

Starting in late February, Spotify began streaming their new original podcast series, Showstopper, which was quickly followed by a second series, Unpacked. Spotify’s third project, The Chris Lighty Story (the working title), is soon to follow, with a premiere date sometime in April.

The first series, hosted by The Fader’s Editor in Chief, Naomi Zeichner, narrows in on the process behind music selection in today’s most popular TV shows. Three episodes have been released thus far, featuring interviews with the music supervisors from Girls, The OC, and Being Mary Jane. The podcast covers everything from lyrics to soundtrack decisions (based on current pop culture and political movements). Zeichner and her guests dive into the intricacies involved in creating a momentous scene on TV with music choices, especially when it comes to featuring artists and songs that can make or break the mood of the moment.  

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Unpacked, meanwhile, takes on the country’s biggest music festivals, with hosts Matt FX (Broad City’s music supervisor) and Michele Santucci (of Spotify Studios) traveling around the country to interview the creative minds behind festivals like South by Southwest. The Chris Lighty Story will focus on the music industry executive and his part in building the careers of hip hop’s lauded figures LL Cool J, 50 Cent, Missy Elliott, Foxy Brown, and Puff Daddy. The podcast will deal with a range of issues, from Chris Lighty’s own tumultuous path, to the rise of hip hop and the consequences of success.

These projects are the products of partnerships with Panoply Studios (involved in producing Showstopper and Unpacked) and Gimlet Media and Loudspeakers Network (responsible for The Chris Lighty Show). The first two podcasts will be streamed exclusively on Spotify, while The Chris Lighty Show will appear on other platforms just 8 weeks after its release.

Spotify’s objective is to provide opportunities for podcasts to reach the platform’s diverse audience pool, according to an interview between Nieman Lab’s Nicholas Quah and Spotify’s Dossie McCraw. McCraw, who is the company’s head of podcasts, claims that Spotify will be able to help podcast publishers with “creative, marketing, and event production support,” hoping to tap into users’ vested interest in music, music history, and key figures in the development of the industry.

This move comes at an interesting time, as companies like Apple, Pandora, and Spotify are all competing to provide fresh, accessible content to their music-streaming users in novel ways. It will be interesting to see how these platforms progress and evolve as they vie for wider audiences and new angles for streaming opportunities.