🎧 “Hit the Pause Button, Spotify! 200 Jobs Axed in Podcast Plot Twist 🔄”
TL;DR;
Spotify’s gonna cut loose around 200 of their employees, roughly 2% of their workforce, in a big shake-up of their podcast world 🌍🎙️. It’s not a reduction in originals, but a pivot towards stronger partnership efforts with top podcasters around the globe. This means they’ll be merging Gimlet and Parcast into an amped-up Spotify Studios operation. Drama, right? 🎬🍿
📰 The Full Story
In the world of digital music, Spotify has been spinning the disc and dominating the dancefloor for years. But wait… did someone just scratch the record? In a new-age corporate dance-off, Spotify’s doing a radical shuffle, planning to slash around 200 jobs from its lineup and redefine the way it rolls with podcasters. But hey, as we’ve learned from any decent movie, with any epic plot twist comes… adaptation! 🐍🌳
Sahar Elhabashi, the VP and Head of Podcast Business at Spotify, dropped this bombshell like a hot new track 🎵💣. They’re planning on upping their game with leading podcasters across the globe. “A tailored approach optimized for each show and creator,” was how Elhabashi explained it. That’s corporate speak for “we’re changing our moves to match the beat.”
Why the sudden change, you ask? 🤔
Turns out, this isn’t Spotify’s first swing at the layoff dance-off. Earlier this year, they gave 6% of their total workforce (nearly 9,800 people back then) their marching orders. Among those left without a dance partner was Dawn Ostroff, a veteran of the TV industry and a former head of Condé Nast Entertainment who had inked a few high-ticket and big-name talent deals during her stint at Spotify.
And as if that weren’t enough to cause a stir, a couple of headline-worthy podcast names have taken their tunes elsewhere, such as Brené Brown, Esther Perel, and even Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground. Not to mention Jemele Hill, another known member of Spotify’s roster, who’s reportedly been scouting for a new dancefloor before her contract expires this summer.
However, Elhabashi says this move isn’t a step away from Spotify’s original programming. Instead, it’s all part of a bigger plan 📝. Spotify’s putting Gimlet and Parcast in the blender to create a souped-up Spotify Studios operation that will keep churning out those high-impact originals we all know and love, like Stolen, The Journal, Science Vs, Heavyweight, Serial Killers, and Conspiracy Theories.
But what about the backstage crew? Julie McNamara, VP, Head of Global Podcast Studios, will continue to oversee Spotify Studios, with Liliana Kim and Liz Gateley taking charge of Current Content and development, respectively.
While all these changes make you dizzy, here’s a thought: What’s the real story behind the scenes? 🎭 Is this a genius strategy to dance to the beat of an evolving industry, or just a desperate shuffle to keep up with the rhythm?
And here’s the real zinger: How does this mega-move from Spotify shake up the rest of the podcast industry? 🎧 Let’s hear it from you, readers! 🗣️
