Reaffirming Our Commitment to Combating Inequity

Day after day, we are reminded how far we all still must go to combat racism and systemic inequity in our society and our company. Spotify’s support of the Black community remains unwavering, and our commitment to do more is stronger than ever. We’ve made strides in our efforts, but we still have a long way to go. 

Today, we are sharing our progress and how we plan to do more to continue to fight against racism and injustice.

Combating Racism in Our Workplace

Our commitment to combating inequity and racism starts in our hallways—both physical and virtual—which is why workplace diversity (who we are) and inclusion (how we engage with each other) are both so important to achieve equity. The BLK 5-Star Strategy has helped make a holistic and lasting impact at Spotify through our focus on People, Donations & Fundraising, Policy, Content, and Spotify Culture. 

Some of our progress so far when it comes to our own people includes: 

• Launching our Inclusive Hiring Strategy. As of the end of December 2020, representation of Black Spotifiers in the U.S. increased to 8.3% (from 6.4% in June 2020, 5.7% in 2019, and 3.7% in 2017), with 7.2% at Director+ level by the end of December 2020.
• Reorganizing and expanding the Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DIB) team to encompass DIB Strategy Specialists, Early Career Pipeline, Heart & Soul, Inclusive Hiring, and Social Media & Digital Storytelling teams.
• Launching the Black Coaching Initiative, with over 60 BLK members participating in executive coaching and 30 BLK members participating in the personal branding academy.
• Developing an education hub for Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging learning & development.
• Updating our Racial Equity content on our external career website and expanding our content on DIB via the 2020 Sustainability, Equity, and Impact Report.

Effecting Policy Change

Our commitment to policy change is about using Spotify’s global reach and influence to effect and drive real change. We will do this by supporting legislation and funding organizations that are truly making a difference in the search for racial equity. Our giving initiative provides us with the opportunity to build strategic programs and partnerships focused on empowering the next generation of Black creators. A few examples: 

• Spotify’s Racial Equity Donations & Giving Program has committed $10M—including the matching of $3M from Spotify employees’ donations around the world—to over 300 organizations. The remaining $7M will be donated to 15+ organizations dedicated to inspiring, connecting, and elevating the next generation of Black voices and creators. These include:
  • All Star Code
  • Black Girls Code
  • .PAAK House 
  • The Great Khalid Foundation
  • Trombone Shorty Foundation – Pathway to Careers Program
  • Girls Make Beats
  • Code 2040 
  • Project Go Dark 
  • United Negro College Fund
  • The One School & The Marcus Graham Project & Multicultural Advertising Intern Program & D&AD 
  • Executive Leadership Council 
  • Color of Change
  • Ad Color
  • 4As Vanguard Program
  • Vale do Dendê (Brazil)
  • The Black Curriculum (UK)
• Spotify is sponsoring the Racial Justice State Legislative Tracker, which tracks and recommends state and local government policies that address police practices, the criminal justice system, and ballot access. Specifically, Spotify is supporting bills on police reform (including the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act), participating in a joint Lobby Day on May 12 across multiple industries, and making Juneteenth a U.S. holiday.

Empowering and Celebrating Creators On Platform

We’re committed to using our powerful platform to empower and celebrate creators of every race, ethnicity, religion, sexual identity, and gender, and curating top audio destinations featuring Black, LGBTQIA+, women, AAPI, and other underrepresented voices. A few examples that we’re proud of:

• The Resistance podcast
• Our Black History is Now hub
• The EQUAL initiative
• Our Stop Asian Hate campaign
• The Ramadan hub
• Our Sound Up program

Last June, in honor of Blackout Tuesday, we stated: On this day—and every day—Spotify will support our employees, friends, partners, artists, and creators in the fight against racism, injustice, and inequity. We are using the power of our platform to stand with Black creators, amplify their voices, and accelerate meaningful conversation and long-needed change.

We continue to stand with the Black community and fight against racism, injustice, and inequity around the world.