Tag: bel aztiria

On International Women’s Day, Spotify Celebrates the Impact of Three Years of EQUAL

March 8, 2024

Spotify is dedicated to fostering gender equity in the music industry and beyond. As part of that commitment, we launched our EQUAL Global Music Program in 2021 to amplify and celebrate the work of women creators around the world. Since then, EQUAL has shined a spotlight on women in audio through global partnerships, activations, new content experiences, and on- and off-platform support.

Today, in honor of International Women’s Day, we’re taking a look at how the program has impacted artists around the world.

“We’re incredibly proud of EQUAL’s impact and reach in elevating the careers of artists globally over the last three years,” said Bel Aztiria, Lead, Social and Equity Music Programs at Spotify. “Since its inception, our mission to foster equity for the diverse voices of women in audio has resonated in studios and communities and on stages worldwide. We’re honored to continue collaborating with iconic and emerging artists this year and highlighting women audiobook and podcast creators in our EQUAL hub.”

“On International Women’s Day, we recognize the historical significance and continue championing audio content created by women. We’re committed to elevating the voices and contributions of women all year round.”

EQUAL by the numbers

Through EQUAL, Spotify empowers women creators and gives them a place to share their content with the world year-round. On Spotify, listeners in more than 180 markets can find the EQUAL hub, a space dedicated to this content.

The work is far from done, but we have a lot to be proud of as we continue on this journey. To date, Spotify has added more than 6,900 women artists to EQUAL playlists and supported over 1,000 ambassadors in their home countries and beyond through editorial, partnerships, and marketing.

EQUAL artists received 1.3 billion editorial streams within their first month of joining the program. In total, the EQUAL hub has generated over 31 billion editorial streams across 1 billion listening hours.

In 2023 alone, more than 14.8 million artist discoveries were made through EQUAL playlists, and EQUAL artists received over 11,800 total editorial playlist adds.

EQUAL here, there, and everywhere

With so much incredible talent to highlight and celebrate, EQUAL continues to evolve and expand. Today, the program has a presence in studios, on stages, and in communities around the world.

In 2023, Spotify hosted 15 EQUAL activations—from Buenos Aires to Tokyo, Paris to Sydney, and beyond. These initiatives include our very own EQUAL festivals (30,000 total attendees and counting!), panels, networking and educational opportunities for artists, original content recording, and participation at key industry events such as SXSW and the Grammy Awards.

This year, Mexico’s EQUAL Day aims to inspire the next generation of Mexican female creators with a day of various panels and keynotes with top-tier artists and creators, and a Spotify Masterclass for emerging artists. 

“We are keeping the same spirit that made last year’s EQUAL Day so inspiring and relevant, but still bringing something new, like shining a light on women ‘behind the scenes’ and presenting a live performance lineup that shows how powerful and diverse these women are. All of this is part of our continued effort to give more visibility to women artists and creators, and having this physical space to connect and be inspired by each other is so important and necessary.” — Moni Saldaña, Artists and Label Partnerships Manager, Spotify Mexico.

EQUAL also continues to amplify its mission globally through partnerships with organizations like UN Women and Calling All Crows, which champion gender equality and support women creators.

The bigger picture

While there is so much more to be done to close the gender gap in music, a positive shift is unfolding, which underscores the importance of initiatives like EQUAL in driving industry change.

For the fifth consecutive year, Spotify has partnered with the team at the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative (AII) on an annual study of women in music. Published in January 2024, the latest findings demonstrate that women’s participation in the industry has improved across many metrics, with notable increases in women artists’ and songwriters’ representation.

New playlists and a refreshed hub

Celebrate International Women’s Day with Spotify by heading to the EQUAL hub. There, you’ll find our flagship EQUAL Global playlist, which includes Playlist Stories featuring our ambassadors and women artists worldwide. You’ll also find local playlists cocurated by ambassadors, brand-new podcast playlists, and an audiobook shelf (available in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia).

Spotify EQUAL Presents the All Things Go Creator Summit to Inspire Action Through Music

September 29, 2023

Fans flock to music festivals to see dozens of their favorite artists in one go, embrace their fandom as a pack, and celebrate the power of music. But to this day, there stands a gender equity issue: organizers unveil lineup after lineup with a consistent lack of women headliners and acts. 

So in 2018, All Things Go, the DC-based music festival, partnered with singer-songwriter Maggie Rogers to co-curate a women-led lineup. The festival has only grown since, doubling attendance year after year. This weekend, 32 artists—including Lana Del Rey, Maggie Rogers, boygenius, Carly Rae Jepsen, Mt. Joy, MUNA, Arlo Parks, and more—will perform across multiple stages at the iconic Merriweather Post Pavilion. And as fans count down the hours to the sold-out two-day experience, All Things Go’s organizers are getting ready to kick off their biggest, most impactful weekend yet. 

Spotify is also joining in with the chorus of voices calling for gender equity in music. As the festival’s digital-streaming partner and sponsor of the All Things Go Creator Summit 2023 Presented by Spotify EQUAL, held the Friday before the festival, we’ll host panels and programming featuring some of the most notable voices in music, entertainment, and journalism. 

“Fans have always said that our festival feels like their ultimate playlist, so when we had the opportunity to partner with Spotify EQUAL, it was a no-brainer given the diverse group of artists that the EQUAL ecosystem empowers through equity in the audio sphere and celebrating women’s contributions in music,” says All Things Go cofounder Stephen Vallimarescu.

“We built the Creator Summit as a place for festival fans to connect and get inspired via a sneak peak behind the curtain of music, technology, activism, and entrepreneurship, with engaging panel discussions featuring some of those industries’ brightest stars alongside ATG festival artists. I’m so pleased this is the fifth consecutive year we’ve been able to host it,” adds cofounder Will Suter. “There’s a lot of great speakers and information in store.” 

Harmonizing Equity

NYLON Editor-in-Chief Lauren McCarthy will moderate a dynamic conversation that celebrates the multifaceted roles of women in the music industry. The panel brings together streaming visionaries like Spotify Rock & Alternative Artist Partnerships manager and Global Chair of Education for Women in Music Chissy Nkemere and Spotify Global Music Programs Social & Equity Lead Bel Aztiria. It also includes non-profit and equity work pioneers like Amplify Her Voice founder Kristina London and Cities Without Houses Head of Memberships Autumn Merritt. Together, they’ll explore how women are reshaping the landscape, from the creative process to the business strategies that drive the industry forward.

These panelists are industry professionals who are constantly creating new opportunities and designing diverse spaces for women’s voices and talents to be recognized across the music industry. Join them for a discussion on empowerment in male-dominated business spaces, the importance of the mentor-mentee relationship, the streaming-equity evolution, and the role women play in creating electrifying live-music experiences. 

“At Spotify, we wholeheartedly acknowledge the importance of lifting women’s voices within the music industry,” says Bel Aztira. “Our wish is that panel attendees depart with a deeper appreciation of Spotify’s EQUAL initiative and its mission, as well as knowing that each person can play a role in fostering positive change through active listening. The Creator Summit sets an inspiring tone for what promises to be an unforgettable weekend, and I am humbled to share the stage with so many industry trailblazers.”

Inspiring Action Through Music

The second panel will see U.S. Congressman Maxwell Frost moderate a conversation between Calling All Crows founder Sybil Gallagher, Spotify Social Impact Media Responsibility Lead Casey Acierno, The Ally Coalition Director of Operations and Community Engagement Geoffrey Morrissey, and Meet Me @ The Altar vocalist Edith Victoria. These visionary voices from different corners of music and activism will discuss how music can be a transformative tool for democracy and advocacy. 

“After our panel, I hope attendees walk away recognizing that impact has always been a critical part of music,” says Casey Acierno. “Artists have played a key role in the major social movements of our time—not only as the soundtrack, but as leaders that inspire action.”

Together, they’ll explore the influence of music in catalyzing positive change, driving social impact, helping with collaboration and coalition-building, providing LGBTQIA+ representation, and positioning artists as advocates. 

“I also hope that attendees walk away recognizing that we can demand better from the live-music spaces that we’re in,” Casey adds. “We’re proud to partner with organizations like Calling All Crows and The Ally Coalition, who are leading the charge in making the music industry safer and more inclusive. By learning more about their work, music fans can find out how they themselves can build a stronger community and support the most marginalized among us.”

Can’t attend in person? Stream the All Things Go 2023 Official Playlist.

Spotify rockea el fin de semana con el Festival EQUAL en Buenos Aires

September 19, 2023

concert performance at Festival EQUAL

En Argentina la semana pasada se reunieron artistas, podcasters, fanáticos y luminarias de la industria en el muy esperado Festival EQUAL de Spotify para celebrar la creatividad y el talento que las mujeres aportan a la escena de la música y los podcasts. El evento es una extensión de nuestro programa EQUAL, cuyo objetivo es contribuir a la equidad de género en la industria musical amplificando y celebrando el trabajo de las creadoras de todo el mundo.

Comenzamos el festival con un evento de dos días en el C Complejo Art Media, que incluyó paneles y presentaciones específicamente dirigidos a mujeres creadoras y artistas, y concluyó con un concierto con entradas agotadas como ningún otro.

Eventos lanzamiento con industria y creadores

“Con el Festival EQUAL, Spotify ha encontrado una oportunidad para mostrarle al país y al mundo lo que los artistas argentinos están generando en la industria”, destacó Bel Aztiria, Global Head EQUAL para Spotify, antes de los paneles y presentaciones.. 

“Lo que comenzó como una idea en aquel entonces es hoy una realidad. Nos emociona saber que Spotify está a punto de celebrar un hito sin precedentes en el país al reunir a más de 20.000 personas en un solo lugar con un único objetivo común: celebrar el talento de las mujeres argentinas” remarcó Carolina Martin, Artists & Label Partnerships Spotify Cono Sur

Los asistentes escucharon un panel moderado por Carolina y Bel que contó con Barbi Recanati, Sivina Moreno, Juliana Gattas, y Julieta Laso como speakers. Las mujeres compartieron sus sentimientos, ideas y perspectivas sobre el recorrido de las mujeres en la industria local.

Spotify también celebró un Festival de Podcast EQUAL para creadores de podcasts para que las mujeres pudieran compartir sus conocimientos sobre cómo desarrollar carreras de podcasting y promocionar los avances que han logrado en la industria. En el escenario, las creadoras de ConchaPodcast recibieron a Moria Casán hablando sobre el lanzamiento de su podcast Spotify Original, La One.

En otra sesión, Momi Giardina, Mica Vazquez, Marti Benza, y Martu Ortiz, creadoras de LUZU TV, uno de los principales canales de streaming en Argentina, hablaron sobre cómo celebrar el empoderamiento femenino y cuáles son las oportunidades para seguir dando visibilidad a las mujeres en su industria.

Para cerrar el día, Jacinta de Oromí, creadora del podcast TIPO, Marian Soler, creadora del  podcast Cebando Flores, and Buera, creadora del podcast ¿estás?, subieron al escenario para compartir sus tips y recomendaciones para la creación de contenido.

Spotify Rocks the Weekend With the Festival EQUAL in Buenos Aires

September 19, 2023

Last week in Argentina, artists, podcasters, fans, and industry luminaries came together for Spotify’s highly anticipated Festival EQUAL to celebrate the creativity and talent that women bring to the music and podcast scenes. The event is an extension of our EQUAL program, which aims to contribute to gender equity in the music industry by amplifying and celebrating the work of women creators around the world. 

We kicked off the festival with a two-day event at the C Complejo Art Media venue that included panels and presentations specifically geared toward women creators and artists and concluded with a sold-out concert unlike any other.

Kicking off with industry events for creators

“With the Festival EQUAL, Spotify has found an opportunity to show the country and the world what Argentine artists are generating in the industry,” Bel Aztiria, Global Head, EQUAL for Spotify, noted ahead of the panels and presentations. 

“What started as an early idea back then is today a reality. We are excited to know that Spotify is about to celebrate an unprecedented milestone in the country by bringing together more than 20,000 people in one place with a single common goal: to celebrate the talent of Argentine women,” remarked Carolina Martin, Artists & Label Partnerships, Spotify Southern Cone.

Attendees listened to a panel moderated by Carolina and Bel that included Barbi Recanati, Silvina Moreno, Juliana Gattas, and Julieta Laso as speakers. The women shared their feelings, ideas, and perspectives on the journey of women in local industry.

Spotify also held an EQUAL Podcast Festival for podcast creators so that women could share wisdom on building podcasting careers and tout advancements they’ve made in the industry. Onstage, the creators of ConchaPodcast hosted Moria Casán to discuss the launch of her Spotify Original podcast, La One.

In another session, Momi Giardina, Mica Vazquez, Marti Benza, and Martu Ortiz, creators from top-streaming Argentinian channel LUZU TV, talked about celebrating women empowerment and what the opportunities are to keep women visible in their industry. 

To close the day, Jacinta de Oromí, creator of the podcast TIPO; Marian Soler, creator of the podcast Cebando Flores; and Buera, creator of the podcast ¿estás?; took the stage to share their tips and recommendations for creating content.

EQUAL Teams Up With Football’s Top Stars for an All-Women’s Playlist Dedicated to the Beautiful Game

July 12, 2023

As football fans everywhere turn their attention to the action in Australia and New Zealand for the World Cup, Spotify is here to celebrate the biggest global party of 2023.

For the first time ever, players are celebrating their sport together with EQUAL’s THE PLAYERS—our all-women football playlist that’s built by the world’s most-adored players.

“We love to bring together the worlds of music and sports,” Taj Alavi, Spotify’s VP, Global Head of Marketing, remarked. “THE PLAYERS playlist is so exciting because it involves incredible female athletes from around the world and extends our commitment to shine a spotlight on women in music.”

EQUAL, now in its third year, is our global program dedicated to highlighting women creators, celebrating their contributions, and cultivating opportunities to foster gender equity. 

“There are a lot of similarities amongst the World Cup athletes and EQUAL artists; the greatest being that they all wish to experience greater equity while pursuing their passions,” explained Bel Aztiria, Spotify’s EQUAL Music Lead. “THE PLAYERS offers a new destination for soccer and music fans alike to gather and celebrate football’s return to the global stage.”

Curated by nearly 40 players—including 27 who are representing their home nations in the tournament—across 15 countries, the playlist includes selections from Alex Morgan (USA), Crystal Dunn (USA), Jess Carter (England), Laura Giuliani (Italy), Asisat Oshoala (Nigeria), Lina Magull (Germany), Remy Siemsen (Australia), Meikayla Moore (New Zealand), and Ashley Lawrence (Canada). Featuring more than 120 tracks by women artists, THE PLAYERS is a true representation of women’s football around the world. 

“Growing up I always wondered what my favorite athletes listened to while preparing for a major competition,” Ashley Lawrence said. “It’s so cool to be able to collaborate on a playlist with female athletes across the globe spanning all levels. This initiative is showing the importance of highlighting the achievements of women both in sport and music.”

EQUAL Marks Two Years of Celebrating Women Artists And Spotify Announces the Next EQUAL FEST

April 28, 2023

From Japan to Argentina, Malaysia to the U.K., women artists, engineers, and producers continue to be vastly underrepresented in the music industry. But there’s incredible talent worldwide that must be highlighted and celebrated. So in 2020 Spotify launched EQUAL, an always-on global program to drive equity for women in music. EQUAL represents our commitment to amplifying the voices of women musicians and creators locally, regionally, and internationally. 

The more fans listen to women, the more opportunities that are created so that women can enter the industry. Through our suite of EQUAL playlists and marketing tools, we provide women with more space on and off our platform to share their work; at the same time, we’re giving fans the chance to remember that by listening, they too are taking action.

“EQUAL is about the power of raising voices together to drive equity in music and standing together to fight for a common goal that has no borders—it’s about acknowledging the difficulties and celebrating each other all year round,” says Bel Aztiria, Equity Global Music Programs Lead at Spotify. “It is much more than a program: EQUAL represents a mission and a community that stands together.” 

Celebrating two years of EQUAL

Two years later, the work is far from done, but we have a lot to be proud of as we continue on this journey. Our EQUAL artists have collectively wracked up millions of streams and advanced other women creators in the process. 

“On platform, in the studio, onstage, and on billboards, more women are having their voices heard, no matter where they come from and no matter at what stage of their career they are,” says Bel. “Beyond global support, EQUAL honors this as its mission with the deepest respect for each local culture. Since our inception, we have launched 40 local EQUAL programs. Thanks to these programs, we’ve been able to host the first-ever EQUAL Festival with an all-women lineup in Colombia, offer studio residencies in the U.S., and invite women to our offices in France to participate in mentorship opportunities; and we’ve seen sorority and artistry prevail every time we come together.”

Catch some of EQUAL’s notable stats.

EQUAL Fest resumes this September in Spain

Last April, we held the first-ever EQUAL Fest in Bogotá, Colombia. Thirteen outstanding women musicians, each representing a variety of genres, took to the stage at El Teatro throughout the month. The headliners—Goyo, Paola Jara, Lido Pimienta, Andrea Echeverri, Farina, Elsa y Elmar, Ventino, Karen Lizarazo, Juliana Velásquez, Nidia Góngora, María Cristina Plata, Bad Milk, and Las Villa—collectively represented over 3.4 million monthly listeners as made a statement for gender equality in music on stage. 

“Being a part of the first EQUAL Fest was really an honor,” Elsa y Elmar, a singer-songwriter who creates synth-pop music with a folk flair, wrote to For the Record. “I am a woman musician from Colombia, but most of my music is done in Mexico City. So being considered as one of the first Colombian women to inaugurate this festival made me feel proud of my journey and actually very thankful for the support that Spotify has given me.” 

“As women, it can be a bit harder—if not much harder,” she noted. “So, it’s really a space for empowerment, it’s a space for acknowledging our place in the music industry, and it just feels really special. Sometimes music made from a woman’s perspective is different: It’s sentimental, it’s special, it has a different value than other music. So creating a space for that, where people know what they’re going to get, is just a very, very valuable thing.” 

On September 22, we’ll bring EQUAL back for a full-volume, all-women set of performances at EQUAL FEST held at the Wizink Center in Madrid, Spain. We’re excited to share that Argentinian Spanish singer, songwriter, and dancer Nathy Peluso will headline alongside several other established and developing Spanish and Latin women artists. 

“There are so many women artists, and we are claiming our space and visibility,” says Nathy. “That’s why I’m happy to be a part of EQUAL and to continue to build fairer spaces. It’s an honor to perform at EQUAL FEST with so many incredible women.”

More must be done to put women artists front and center, and with Spotify EQUAL Fest in Madrid we’re turning up the volume on women and reminding everyone that they can be part of a more equal world. 

Tickets will be available soon—so stay tuned for more details. 

“We’re so proud of what EQUAL has achieved in its first two years: through our editorial, marketing, and partnership capabilities, we have celebrated and uplifted the voices of thousands of women artists on and off the platform, and our ambassador program has celebrated almost 800 women artists from over 50 countries,” Bel noted. 

And there’s much more to come. 

Stream our flagship EQUAL playlist below.

Spotify Debuts GLOW, an Equity Program for LGBTQIA+ Creators

January 24, 2023

Glow header

The LGBTQIA+ community has greatly influenced music, and both music and culture have long been moved by the community in return. As more and more artists feel empowered to share their authentic selves onstage and off, the power and influence of queer creators grow as guiding forces across culture.

Today, Spotify introduces GLOW, a new global music program celebrating and amplifying LGBTQIA+ artists and creators. It’s our latest initiative to support people of this historically marginalized community of voices and reassert our commitment to equity in audio. It ensures that queer creators, and their contributions to music and culture, are heard and honored year-round.  

Putting LGBTQIA+ artists front and center

GLOW is supported by an on- and off-platform ecosystem where LGBTQIA+ artists and users are authentically represented and meaningfully included. 

All in, GLOW will streamline and heighten the support Spotify has provided through our annual global Pride activations. It will be available in 50+ markets across Europe, India, Asia, Africa, North America, Latin America, the Nordics, and Southeast Asia. 

To launch, we’re hosting LGBTQIA+ artists and songwriters at the Spotify At Mateo office in LA, including jesse saint john, who has written for Britney Spears, Lizzo, and Kim Petras; JHart, who has written for Troye Sivan, 5SOS, and Little Mix; Ilsey, who has written for Panic! at the Disco, Miley Cyrus, Mark Ronson, and Harry Styles); and INK, who has written for Beyoncé, Leon Bridges, and Lil Nas X. The attendees will participate in three days of writing sessions aimed at celebrating and inspiring collaboration among creators in the LGBTQIA+ community. 

We recognize the power of our platform to elevate, uplift, and spotlight voices that have been historically marginalized, and we’re committed to using it to drive cultural change. GLOW is supported by Spotify’s Creator Equity Fund as the latest part of our ongoing commitment to fostering equity in the audio space. By providing equitable resources to queer artists on a global level, GLOW is another way we’re working to create greater equity, empathy, and representation for the LGBTQIA+ community. We work closely with our partners at GLAAD and others to ensure GLOW best represents LGBTQIA+ artists and listeners in authentic and meaningful ways.

Meet the team behind GLOW

The backbone of GLOW is Spotify employees who are passionate about music, artist empowerment, and above all else, their queer community. 

Lisa Ritchey, she/her, Manager, Artist Partnership Team

Lisa Ritchey

What is your role in bringing GLOW to life?

I am a manager on our newly formed Artist Partnerships Team, but I’ve been in this type of role for the past three years. I currently work across pop, dance, and indie, finding ways that we can bring Spotify into the entirety of an artist’s career outside of a record cycle—touring, festivals, merchandise, integrating artists into campaigns within those genres and our playlists—finding new and creative ways to partner together with artists. 

I’ve worked on Spotify’s Pride campaign for the past three years. I came in and was very, very passionate about LGBTQIA+ artists and how we can better serve that community and the fan base. After working on Pride, I started working on what would be an evergreen program very similar to Frequency or EQUAL with a colleague (the Head of Rock on our Editorial Team, Laura Ohls). We started working on this probably two years ago and in that time, the team has grown exponentially, become more robust, and received a lot of support company-wide.

Why is GLOW important to you?

I, along with the majority of the community, am very weary and skeptical of corporatized Pride. If a company is going to show up in June, they have to show up throughout the year. Where this program is amazing is that its sole purpose is to support the community on- and off-platform year-round. The way that we are showing up in this program also feels different—we’re supporting these artists because of who they are holistically. These are artists who are doing incredible things and they just so happen to be queer.

Who are some queer artists or cultural icons who have inspired you?

In the ’90s it was hard to find robust queer representation, and you had icons like Elton John and George Michael, so when The xx showed up and I found out that Romy and Oliver from The xx were both queer, it kinda blew my mind and it was the first time that I felt seen. St. Vincent was pretty huge for me and really made me understand myself more in college. Frank Ocean—truly, his tumblr coming-out letter, I want to get it framed and put it up in my house because that was so huge not only to me, but to music and culture in general—I think that was around the time that I was truly figuring myself out, so it meant a lot.

And the beautiful thing that we’re seeing now is just, more. The floodgates have opened and we have so many artists to choose from. 

 

Cahleb Derry, he/him, Associate Manager, Music Marketing

Cahleb Derry

What would you say is the ethos of GLOW?

We always go back to this commitment to amplify LGBTQIA+ artists. So while there’s a lot of other flashy aspects of GLOW, and there’s billboards and there’s editorial support, behind all of that, the question we go back to is, ‘How do we tangibly influence the resources that LGBTQIA+ artists have?’ We know in the industry that there are hurdles that marginalized artists face in creating and putting out music that other artists don’t face. 

We know that a lot of artists only get hit up in June during Pride to do campaigns. And then July 1 hits and there’s no work to be found again. Performative support wittles down an artist to their identity. If you only ask artists to activate during Pride, you ask them to give this boxed-in, performative version of themselves. For some artists, their identity is crucial to their work, right? It drives their writing, their artistry. For other artists, they’re just artists who happen to be LGBTQIA+ and they still should receive the support that LGBTQIA+ artists need. And we know that we, at Spotify, have a responsibility as the largest music audio platform in the world to fill in these gaps.

Why is GLOW important to you?

I am gay, so as someone who’s in the community, this program means so much to me. For example, Sam Smith, one of our 11 launch artists, their sophomore album, The Thrill Of It All, was my coming-out album and it saved my life in so many ways. I know firsthand how important LGBTQIA+ artists are for representation, but also for validation, and it just means a lot to see a company like Spotify really doing the amplification work. And to be helping lead the charge? I kind of have to pinch myself a lot and realize like, yeah, this isn’t just a campaign.

LGBTQIA+ culture is the culture. LGBTQIA+ artists, since the beginning of time, have shaped  some of the biggest genres that we have—from disco to jazz to pop—and unfortunately, with the way our industry functions, artists aren’t given the proper tribute, support, or platform that matches the effect and impact of LGBTQIA+ artists’ contributions. 

How does music empower queer communities? 

To me, it’s survival. Literally, “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor being a gay anthem is an example, but it’s about connecting people, and it’s about safe space. We know that in New York and Chicago and Detroit and LA, the ballroom space was where Black and Latine queer folks who were shunned were able to go and shine. And music was the soundtrack to this. Even when queer culture and queer people were relegated to basements, to spaces deemed “unused” or in “disarray,” music kept those spaces alive.

Music is how I made sense of my emotions growing up. It gave me language to describe how I felt and gave me validation to feel confident in those emotions. Music is the soundtrack to our lives and to our survival, and it’s the soundtrack to our joy. Music is this creative playground where you’re allowed to imagine anything. Music is the most tangible thing we have to imagine queer futures that are happier and brighter and better and freer. 

Bel Aztiria, she/her, Equity Global Music Programs Lead

Bel A

What is your role in bringing GLOW to life?

I lead our Equity Global Music Programs, such as GLOW and EQUAL. I am in charge of bringing our equity principles to life within Spotify’s 360 programs, which elevate and celebrate artists for who they are, around the world. I lead the go-to-market strategy through ideation, launch, and adoption. My role is focused on the vision of contributing to a music industry where everyone is fairly represented and included for who they are, and wherever they are from. 

Within GLOW, my role is to take the program from ideation to launch and beyond, setting the overall strategy towards the mission of celebrating and elevating LGBTQIA+ creators and serving users all year round and beyond cultural moments. By bringing together my expertise in equity programs and in international strategy and in music, I have the privilege of being the connector of experts in over 20 different company functions and music representatives for the 50+ countries where GLOW is live, to ensure that this program utilizes Spotify’s resources as best as possible to serve the community and honor its immense contribution to music and culture. 

Why is GLOW important to you?

I grew up in a small town in rural Argentina, where I didn’t have any positive examples of people being accepted, included, and celebrated for who they were. I migrated at a young age, which exposed me to more expansive experiences around sexual orientation and identity, but also to a new way of feeling different, of living within another culture. When I started working in music, which was always my passion, I had more positive experiences of inclusion through seeing colleagues from the community thrive and be inspired by the music itself, and I made it my mission to contribute to a world where we can all feel included and valued for who we are.

Today, I feel safe to be who I am in most places I inhabit, and I have the chance to put my experience, resources, and skills back in service, for more people to hopefully feel included and represented, too. To me, GLOW represents the opportunity and privilege to work within a company that is well positioned to drive social change, where people are passionate about equity and gather to take steps in that direction.

What do you see as the future of the program?

I know we live in a world that is far away from equity for all of us, that the issue is bigger than music, and that we can’t do it alone. But I also believe in the power of music, and I hope that GLOW can inspire and uplift more of our voices to the narrative, contributing to a future world where people are free to be.

Tune into GLOW to hear the latest, hottest songs coming from LGBTQIA+ artists around the world.