Thanks to this approach, a forecast by eMarketer released in March 2021 predicted that Spotify’s podcast listener numbers will surpass Apple’s for the first time this year, at least in the United States. Mr Watts said compared to his experience at Apple, Spotify put more active focus into its music and podcast offerings and innovation.Īs part of the focus on the under 30s, Spotify has signed the likes of NSW south coast-based social media entertainers The Inspired Unemployed (Jack Steele and Matt Ford), Sydney-based entrepreneur and content creator Flex Mami (Lillian Ahenkan), South Australia-based social media stars the Fairbairn brothers (Lachlan and Jaxon Fairbairn), and Melbourne-based comedian Em Rusciano to make podcasts with a local flavour for the Stockholm-headquartered app.Ī Gen Z-targeted daily news podcast by the Nine-owned Pedestrian TV, and a sport and life themed podcast by Perth-based rising social media star Josh Garlepp, is also on the way.

Locally, the company poached its new ANZ head of studios Ben Watts from Apple in February, handing him, and the rest of the Australian management team, a high degree of trust to make decisions that will land with Australian listeners without every step needing a rubber stamp. The streaming giant is doubling down on the under-30 market, trying to lure new listeners in but also move their music listeners around the Spotify ecosystem and make podcasts feel more accessible and less elitist to this age group. Spotify, having proved a master in the music recommendation game, is giving it everything to try to win the next generation of podcast hosts and listeners as it looks set to surpass Apple in the podcast battle for the first time.

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