Tag: Africa Podcast Fund

South Africa Looks Back at Five Years of Spotify Streaming

March 13, 2023

When Spotify launched in South Africa in March 2018, new users and music lovers raced onto the platform to stream Thelonious Monk’s “‘Round Midnight.” In the five years since, listeners in the region have made millions of playlists spanning nostalgic jazz, pop, hip-hop, rap, home-grown Amapiano, and much more, and have spent billions of hours listening to podcasts. This has led to thousands of artists and creators finding an audience for their craft, with South African artists themselves having released over one million tracks.

Today, we mark this five-year milestone by looking back on the early days of Spotify streaming in South Africa. 

Originally, the only South African song featured in the first 10 tracks played in the market was Shekhinah’s “Thirsty.” Now, Canadian rapper Drake takes the top spot. He’s followed by Amapiano artist Kabza de Small in second place, The Weeknd and Juice WRLD in third and fourth, and South African DJ Maphorisa to round out the top five. The combination of global and local talent is further testament to the massive appeal and growth of Amapiano, and South African music in general.

“Spotify provides a global platform for these creators to share their music and podcasts with the world, and our entrance into the market has allowed local artists to grow their audiences and monetize their creativity,” said Jocelyne Muhutu–Remy, Managing Director for Spotify in Sub-Saharan Africa. “Spotify programmes like EQUAL, Fresh Finds, RADAR, and GLOW have also helped to market and support local, emerging, and underrepresented artists.”

Last year, we announced that we would include four South African podcasts in our Africa Podcast Fund. With this initiative, we’re supporting burgeoning podcasters through financial grants, workshops, and networking opportunities, and amplifying their stories. Our goal is to help platform African creators on a global scale and shift the historically restrictive view of stories about the continent.

Celebrate South Africa’s milestone anniversary with the Top 50 tracks being streamed in the country today.

2022 Saw Even More Advancements, Acquisitions, and Excitement at Spotify

December 27, 2022

Earlier this month, we all had a chance to revisit what we listened to most in 2022 with Wrapped. From the year’s top artist (congrats on the three-peat, Bad Bunny) to identifying our listening personalities (where the “Deep Divers” at?), fans worldwide shared their listening habits. But that’s only the icing on the cake. The year also saw new content offerings such as audiobooks and more programs to support diverse and underrepresented voices, all designed to bring the best experience to listeners and creators.

Ring in 2023 by reliving Spotify’s highlights from 2022.

Commitment to platform safety

At the start of the year, we shared several actions we’re taking to balance creator expression with safety, including publishing our Platform Rules and taking steps to ensure creators and users alike understand what’s permitted on Spotify. This summer, we unveiled the Spotify Safety Advisory Council, an interdisciplinary group of experts that are providing our teams with an outside-in view of the safety landscape and helping us ensure that our products and policies address the needs and concerns of our users, creators, and artists around the world.  

Acquisitions expand our offerings

Early in the year, we acquired two podcast technology companies: Podsights, a podcast advertising measurement service, and Chartable, a podcast analytics platform. This move helped us uplevel measurement for podcast advertising and give publishers a new way to grow their business through insights and promotions tools.  

Over the summer, we closed on the acquisition of Findaway, a global leader in digital audiobook distribution. Findaway works across the audiobook ecosystem with a platform and offerings that serve authors, publishers, and consumers. Their technology and know-how helped accelerate Spotify’s entry into audiobooks earlier this fall.

As the world’s leading audio streaming platform, it made perfect sense to bring Heardle, the beloved interactive music game to Spotify. It has provided a fun and innovative way to help fans discover new songs and artists.

We also acquired Kinzen, a global leader in protecting online communities from harmful content. Our partnership with the Dublin-based company, which began in 2020, has been critical to enhancing our approach to platform safety. The company’s technology and unique approach helps Spotify better understand, prepare for, and prevent abuse trends from emerging on our platform.

Frequency carves out a spot for Black creators

We expanded Frequency, our global initiative and holistic destination for celebrating Black art, entertainment, creativity, culture, and community both on- and off-platform, with even more opportunities for Black creators. In addition to on-platform hubs and playlists, we hosted The Free Studio, a four-day residency that brought together nine Black musicians and creators. Spotify’s popular playlist Ripple Effect continued the Frequency Sunday Dinner series in Houston, as well as cities across California. 

Helping diversify the voices of podcasting

Programs like Sound Up, the Creator Equity Fund, and RADAR for Podcasters help underrepresented voices and emerging talent in the audio space. From education and workshops to on-platform amplification, these initiatives give creators the tools they need to tell their story. In October, we introduced the Africa Podcast Fund, a first-of-its-kind initiative to support burgeoning podcasters through financial grants, workshops, and networking opportunities. In December, we launched Elevate for Podcasters in partnership with the Inevitable Foundation. The program empowers professional podcasters with disabilities, providing the funding, mentorship, equipment, and accommodations they need to level up their careers. 

Introducing User Choice Billing with Google

Our multi-year agreement with Google represents a first-of-its-kind option in payment choice with opportunities for both consumers and developers. Users who’ve downloaded Spotify from the Google Play Store are presented with the choice to pay with either Spotify’s payment system or Google Play Billing. These two options living side-by-side in the app give users the freedom to subscribe and make purchases, using the payment option of their choice. With this announcement and our partnership, Google is allowing more choice and competition—decisive steps that demonstrate how platforms should work.  

Blend it up

Blend combines the best of Spotify’s personalization capabilities and collaborative playlist functionality into a single shared playlist. In 2022, we took Blend to a whole new level. Users can now Blend with up to 10 people or they can Blend with artists like Lizzo, Post Malone, and Charli XCX. Fans also have the opportunity to shop artist merch from the Blend experience. Blend represents another way we can give artists a new oportunity to interact with fans, and to bring added personalization to a listener’s music experience.

Playing with video

In 2022 we expanded video podcasting to Anchor creators in over 180 global markets. Podcasters love having the option to accompany their audio with visual components, and fans get the opportunity to deeply connect with the content. We also introduced Spotify Podcast Subscriptions for video podcasts, an integration with Riverside (the go-to platform for remote recording), embeddable video, video bulk-replace, video-specific analytics, and interactive podcast features, such as polls and Q&A.

Celebrating EQUAL’s first anniversary 

Since its launch, EQUAL has spotlighted women artists through global partnerships, activations, new content experiences, and on- and off-platform support. April marked the program’s one year anniversary. Among EQUAL’s major accomplishments: listeners streamed more than 13 million hours of program artists in the first month of joining. 

Reimagining with Roblox

We entered the virtual universe Roblox to create Spotify Island, an audio paradise where fans and artists from all over the world can connect and explore exclusive sounds, quests, and merch. We enhanced the experience during the year with K-Park and Planet Hip-Hop.

Spotify and FC Barcelona team up on the field

In July, we kicked off a partnership with FC Barcelona, becoming the Main Partner of the Club as well as the Official Audio Streaming Partner. We joined the team in Miami during the club’s preseason tour and brought artists like Ovy on the Drums, Piso 21, and Mau y Ricky along for the fun. Through the in-stadium LEDs and our other marketing channels, we promoted artists of all sizes from around the world including BLACKPINK, Fireboy DML, Megan Thee Stallion, Aitch, Pomme, Feid, and Rigoberta Bandini. For FC Barcelona’s October El Clásico showdown—one of the most iconic events in all of sport—we celebrated Drake’s 50 billion streams by creating a limited-edition kit. Get more details on this multiyear partnership on our Spotify: For the Record podcast.

Upping the ante with audiobooks

This fall, we introduced audiobooks to listeners in the U.S., the UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. With more than 300,000 titles on the platform, we are giving book lovers a new way to enjoy storytelling on Spotify.

Time to play fair

We believe everyone benefits when competition is fair. Unfortunately, Apple does not, and they’ve consistently abused their dominant position to favor their own services, stifle innovation and hurt consumers. This year, we continued to urge policymakers to take significant action to protect competition and consumers from Apple’s anticompetitive behavior. For more on this fight, listen to  Spotify: For the Record, where entrepreneurs, U.S. senators, and Spotify CEO Daniel Ek discuss the importance of consumer choice.

Get To Know the 13 Podcast Grantees of Spotify’s New Africa Podcast Fund

October 24, 2022

microphones and mouths dance around a colorful stage

In the year and a half since Spotify launched in more than 80 new markets around the world, we’ve been paying close attention to the many storytellers and entertainers across the African continent and using our platform to amplify and empower creators through activations on Fela Kuti’s birthday and Africa Day, spotlights on RADAR artists, and more.

Now, we’re turning up the volume on even more up-and-comers with a first-of-its-kind podcast initiative called the Africa Podcast Fund. Through this initiative, we’ll support burgeoning podcasters and further amplify their stories, bolstering their careers through financial grants, workshops, and networking opportunities. 

We offered the $100,000 fund to 13 creators from South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, and Ghana—the four African countries with the biggest podcast listenership. The fund also includes a Cameroonian podcast with a large listenership both in France and in Francophone African countries, such as Cote d’Ivoire. And languages abound: Given the wide range of selected countries, the winning podcasts are recorded in a range of languages including Pidgin, English, French, Sheng, Ga, and Twi. 

The recipients of the fund are independent emerging podcasters with growing audiences. We focused on supporting podcasts that showcase a range of voices, formats, languages, and content from hosts of all genders. Our goal is to help platform African creators on a global scale and shift the historically restrictive view of stories about the continent.

“We’re excited about the development of podcasting in Africa, particularly because the medium allows underrepresented African voices to tell the story of Africa,” says Melissa Mbugua, Co-Director of Africa Podfest, the organization that will administer the fund. 

Get to know the 13 podcast recipients (in alphabetical order by country) below.

Cameroon

Entrepreneur, journalist, and art collector Diane Audrey Ngako is the host of the French-language podcast Si Maman M’avait Dit, which roughly translates to “if my mom had told me.” On her podcast, Diane Audrey gives the floor to guests, posing questions about what lessons they’ve learned navigating their lives, careers, and relationships.  

Ghana

Sincerely Accra is a popular Ghanaian podcast based on urban life in the national capital, Accra. Episodes alternate between vox pops and in-studio interviews predominantly in English, with an occasional blend of Pidgin, Twi, and Ga. The podcast is fast-paced and colorful, featuring a mix of personalities with exciting and varying discussions driven by both the speakers’ opinions and pop culture. It’s hosted by Joseph Nti and produced by Kwame Asante. 

Kenya

The Sandwich Podcast, which has the most listeners in Kenya, is hosted by four creatives: Joan, Kibz, Nyamita, and Owen. Delivered in a mix of English, Swahili, and Sheng, the show covers topics that include life experiences and anecdotes, and sometimes features other guests.

The Messy Inbetween is hosted by Murugi Munyi and Lydia Mukami, who use their lived experience to cover and offer advice about love, money, work—and all the things that make life what it is. TMI provides a safe space for women to discuss their experiences candidly.

Mantalk.ke, hosted by Kenyan creators Eli Mwenda and Oscar Koome, recognizes the need for male-led conversations around issues such as toxic masculinity, fatherhood, feminism, dating, and self-care. The two hosts strive to have uncomfortable conversations, even if that means putting themselves on the spot. 

Nipe Story—hosted and narrated by Kenyan writer, journalist, and queer activist Kevin Mwachiro—gives a voice to written African short stories. Mwachiro provides a platform for African writers to have their short stories heard. 

Nigeria

I Said What I Said, one of the most popular podcasts in Nigeria, is hosted by Feyikemi Abudu, an entrepreneur who is excited about helping small businesses grow, and by Jola Ayeye, a storyteller with a core interest in contemporary African culture. Each week, they dive into the Lagos millennial experience and share their takes on current happenings in Nigerian society. 

Tea With Tay, hosted by Nigerian content creator Taymesan, covers societal issues and personal experiences in a fun, light-hearted, and entertaining way. Taymesan hosts celebrities and other guests for engaging topical conversations that spotlight their unique and intriguing stories.

F&S Uncensored covers music, pop culture, and personal experiences. Hosted by Feyikemi Akin-Bankole and Simi Badiru, the podcast offers commentary on trending pop-culture topics and informed opinions on how these topics affect everyday Nigerians.  

South Africa

Hosted by Gugulethu Nyatsumba, After School Is After School with Sis G.U. aims to speak more openly and honestly about the battles that Gugulethu continues to face in her 20s. The podcaster fosters a connection with the audience, sharing life lessons and inspiring emotional growth.

South African podcast The Journey Kwantu, hosted by Vusumzi Ngxande, explores and questions matters around African spirituality and identity. On each episode, Vusumzi holds a conversation with a guest where they dig into the most complex issues around African beliefs.

On Wisdom & Wellness with Mpoomy Ledwaba, host and content creator Mpoomy Ledwaba aims to foster connections with her guests and inspire her audience through important conversations that touch on life lessons and individual journeys. 

Convos & Cocktails with Lesego Tlhabi is a podcast hosted by the prominent South African satirist Lesego Tlhabi, best known for her character Coconut Kelz. The focus of Lesego’s podcast is candid conversations that “we, as Black women, want to have . . . but often don’t.”