Spotify Celebrates Creators and New Creator Offerings in L.A.

Panel highlights included a strategy-focused session where Colin and Samir shared the blueprint behind their show and discussed their approach to growing an audience and building their brand and business. They were particularly excited about Spotify’s new offerings: “To me, one of the biggest messages of today is that Spotify is pro-content,” said Colin.

The Good Children creators, Joe Hegyes and Andrew Muscarella, explained how they found their formats, what drives them to innovate, and how to cut through the noise. “We launched right before video podcasts had not only become the norm but the necessity,” they recalled. “We noticed that a lot of podcasts were cutting down video for TikTok clips in order to get more followers and information out about the podcast.”

We also heard how creators from Higher Learning and NewlyWeds have taken cultural moments and fandoms and built them into successful video podcasts. “Video is more immersive,” stressed Higher Learning’s Van Lathan. “When you can see it, you get a much better sense of somebody’s emotions and personality. It forms a stronger bond with your audience.”

And Spotify monetization experts Geoff Chow and Matt Huang walked through tips and insights on how to build a business as a creator on our platform. The newly launched Spotify Partner Program is a great place to start, as it supports both video and audio monetization. 

“We see some shows that are primarily an audio show dipping their toes into video with special episodes,” said Matt. “This program is going to help them monetize all of those different types of content as they’re experimenting and figuring out what works for them.”

Also, Spotify’s Chief Public Affairs Officer, Dustee Jenkins, got deep with creator Drew Afualo, pop star Meghan Trainor, and Spotify’s Sulinna Ong on the intersecting worlds of music, podcasts, and audiobooks.

“On Spotify, my podcasts, my audiobook, and my music are all in one place,” said Meghan. “It’s one place, one app where fans can find everything and learn more if they didn’t know I did all that. It’s the best.”

“I truly believe that artists and creators are the ones that change and drive culture,” added Sulinna. “We give you the tools to affect it, but you are the ones who change it.”

Throughout the afternoon, we also introduced creators to our house via guided office tours showcasing the 360-degree aspect of Spotify’s support for video production—from the podcast studios to the listening rooms to the seamless recording rooms and edit bays—all available to podcasters and video creators on Spotify.

Finally, it wouldn’t be a Spotify event without a little music. Global pop sensation Halsey brought the house down with a special performance of her hits, including “Without Me,” “Lucky,” and “You Should Be Sad.”

Check out more coverage from Spotify’s Now Playing event.