Tag: dustee jenkins

Spotify Celebrates Women in Music: A Global Spotlight on Talent and Achievement

Spotify is dedicated to amplifying and celebrating the incredible contributions of all artists and creators worldwide. As part of that commitment, on March 6 we teamed up with Billboard to host the first-ever Women in Music Executive Honoree Reception, an intimate gathering in Los Angeles.

The evening served as a pre-celebration for the magazine’s annual Women in Music event on March 29, which recognizes top artists, creators, producers, and executives for their contributions to the industry.

Author Tam Kaur and Spotify Come Together to Talk Self-Love, Authenticity, and Audiobooks

With Audiobooks, Spotify is committed to delivering immersive listening experiences that deepen the connection between authors and listeners. By reimagining audiobook listening, we want to introduce the format to an entirely new audience and turn them into fans. And while it’s still early days, the reaction from authors, publishers, and listeners has been remarkable.

We also understand the importance of supporting authors, and last night, we opened up our London office to host a fireside chat between Spotify Chief Public Affairs Officer Dustee Jenkins and the celebrated U.K. creator, podcaster, and author Tam Kaur.

A renowned self-love and development expert, Tam aims to empower young people through insights and advice on topics like self-worth, confidence, the art of solo dating, and overcoming heartbreak.

Building on the success of her podcast, Self Obsessed, Tam released her debut book this past August. Buy Yourself the Damn Flowers is a comprehensive, in-depth guide for all things self-love, helping listeners be their best selves by demystifying self-care and breaking it down into manageable everyday practices.

As guests arrived and settled in, they enjoyed the sounds of Irish Indonesian Malaysian DJ Tara Kumar, along with drinks and snacks courtesy of London’s Mam Sham, who created a special menu inspired by Tam’s new book. After a quick round of trivia to warm things up—it turns out Tam’s listeners are major Sabrina Carpenter fans—it was time for our featured guests to take the stage.

That’s a Wrap on Cannes Lions 2024! Inside the Awards, Spotify Beach Action, and More

This week, Spotify returned to the South of France for the 2024 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, which recognizes excellence in the world of marketing and advertising. This annual gathering of the biggest brands, coolest creators, and most famous faces is an exciting opportunity to showcase how our platform inspires creativity, connection, and innovation.

This year, we’re thrilled to share that Spotify Advertising took home nine awards for Spreadbeats, our latest B2B marketing campaign that features a first-of-its-kind music video made and distributed entirely in a media plan spreadsheet. The campaign earned one Grand Prix Lion, two Gold Lions, three Silver Lions, and three Bronze Lions across several categories, including Digital Craft, Creative B2B, Creative Data, and more. It was the most shortlisted of all Cannes Lions submissions. Additionally, Spotify won a Bronze Lion in the Creative Effectiveness category for our 2023 Wrapped On-Platform experience, our biggest Wrapped yet.

These wins cap off a jam-packed week for Spotify at Cannes. With it being our 10th year at the festival, we wanted to make sure the Spotify experience was more alive than ever. As Cannes Lions lit up the Croisette, Spotify Beach was at the center of the action, home to inspiring conversations during the day and unmissable musical performances at night. Relive all the festivities and see photos from each day below.

Monday, June 17

We kicked things off with some fascinating conversations with singer-songwriter Shaboozey and PepsiCo International Beverages Chief Marketing Officer Mark Kirkham, who touched on brand partnership and creative content, with a special focus on the relationship between music, sports, and culture.

From there, comedian, content creator, and Therapuss host Jake Shane sat down with Brad Ross, VP of Global Sports and Entertainment Marketing & Partnerships at The Coca-Cola Company, to discuss building a community on Spotify and defining your brand. We capped the conversation off with the exciting announcement that Spotify is bringing daylist—our ever-changing playlist feature—to even more fans in more languages around the world in the coming months. “I love using Spotify to document my life—I add songs kind of like a diary. With daylist, it’s really fun getting playlists that capture what I’m feeling on a random Tuesday afternoon or a Sunday morning,” said Jake. “It’s like a musical diary entry made for me.”

Last but not least, we gathered some of the week’s hottest stars at a scenic villa in the hills for our annual Spotify Soirée. The evening featured an acoustic performance from John Legend, as well as DJ sets from Tinea Taylor and Pearl Thusi. Guests included Jessica Alba, Joe Burrow, Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice of York, Alix Earle, and Sophia Bush, among others.

The U.K. Holds Firm in the Fight for Fair Competition With the DMCC Act, But It’s Not Over Yet

For more than a year, the U.K. government has been working to redefine how the internet works in the U.K., giving consumers greater choice and control over their digital lives and empowering small businesses to have a fair shot at competing with online giants. Having been rightly prioritized as the most important bill to be finalized before the U.K. prepares for a general election, the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers (DMCC) is now law. It promises to revolutionize the U.K. digital landscape, forcing Big Tech companies like Apple to compete fairly for consumers’ business and opening up unprecedented opportunities for creators across the U.K. to thrive.

Done right, the DMCC can have manifold benefits. For consumers, the DMCC makes the digital marketplace more competitive, lowering prices and giving them more choice and control. For businesses and creators, it delivers the opportunities they need to grow, compete, and succeed. And for the U.K. as a whole, it makes the country a more globally competitive and attractive place to do business.

But even with the law now firmly in place, the fight isn’t over. 

As Spotify’s Founder & CEO Daniel Ek points out, “Apple has spent millions—in country after country—trying to circumvent and make a mockery of laws like the DMCC. They’ve already broken rules in the U.S., Netherlands, Japan, South Korea, and Europe. The DMCC has the potential to unlock real competition and growth and Apple must be held accountable in the U.K. because we cannot miss the opportunity to get it right.”

Similar to the DMCC, the E.U.’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) was supposed to end the unfair stifling of innovation that Apple had tried to disguise as security protections. But in response to the law, Apple has purposefully created an alternative to the status quo of the 30% commission fee it charges for in-app purchases. They now force developers to pay Apple a 0.50 fee for every customer download, in addition to a recurring 17% digital goods fee for every purchase made. Under the DMA, developers would now owe Apple millions if their apps were to go viral.

Dustee Jenkins, Spotify’s Chief Public Affairs Officer, said, “We were proud of Europe for leading the way and assumed Apple would have no choice but to comply with the law. But we were wrong—it’s not been enough. This can’t be allowed to happen in the U.K. It would undermine this world-leading piece of legislation, harming consumers and businesses across the country. Learnings have to be taken from Apple’s continued bad behavior around the world and the DMCC has to be implemented quickly and forcefully to break Apple’s stranglehold on the market.”

With the DMCC now enforceable, the U.K. has an Apple-shaped target on its back. For the DMCC to work as those who have designed it intended, the following must also occur:

  • The App Store and iOS should be designated promptly, with this designation being the first focus of the Digital Markets Unit (DMU). Apple themselves have even acknowledged the shortcomings in their App Store to increase competition. App stores are often people’s main gateway to the internet, and the competition regulator has already found that Apple’s anti-competitive behavior is costing U.K. consumers billions.
  • Action should be taken as soon as possible with eyes open to the likelihood that Apple will fight tooth and nail to avoid opening up to competition. The longer this takes, the more this is costing businesses and consumers and threatening the future of U.K. tech innovation.

Importantly, the regulator has political backing to use its powers as robustly as possible to enforce the regulation. 

The DMCC is the first step in giving power back to U.K. consumers. The U.K. now has the opportunity to lead the fight against Apple’s market dominance and show the rest of the world how it’s done.

*Update January 2025: GOV.UK announces SMS investigation into Apple’s mobile ecosystem.

Spotify Brings Entrepreneurs and Trailblazers Together to Talk the Future of Tech in the UK

With its particular combination of talent, ambition, culture, and, of course, world-famous music, the U.K. has been an important piece of the Spotify puzzle since we launched in 2008. Today, as one of our biggest research and development hubs, it’s where we experiment with some of our most exciting new launches and products, including audiobooks in Premium, video-based learning courses, and, most recently, AI Playlist.

Spotify’s success in the U.K. is due in large part to the country’s open, connected, and competitive economy. Exceeding £1 trillion, the U.K.’s technology market is the largest in Europe and the third-largest in the world.

But the country is also at a crossroads, with profound technological, political, and economic changes on the horizon. That’s why Spotify decided to gather industry leaders across the tech, media, and policymaking landscape for an action-packed evening at our London office. Together, we celebrated the entrepreneurial spirit at the heart of the U.K. while exploring how the country remains at the forefront of technological advancement and innovation.

On April 16, we assembled entrepreneurs and trailblazers for a series of candid and thought-provoking conversations alongside a group of influencers, commentators, and policymakers. Dustee Jenkins, Chief Public Affairs Officer at Spotify, hosted the evening.

Jared Leto and Spotify Come Together in NYC to Jam in Honor of Thirty Seconds to Mars’ New Album

You may know multi-hyphenate Jared Leto as the front man of Thirty Seconds to Mars or from his starring roles in WeCrashed and Dallas Buyers Club. Tuesday night, guests at the Spotify-hosted “An Evening with Jared Leto” got to know him as all that and the host of a Spotify Jam session. 

Jared joined Dustee Jenkins, Spotify’s Chief Public Affairs Officer, along with luminaries like angel investor and personality Hannah Bronfman, entertainment host and entrepreneur Zanna Roberts Rassi, former Hearst Chief Content Officer Joanna Coles, actress Willa Fitzgerald, and celebrity chef Kwame Onuwachi, as well as creators like Chris Olsen, Haley Kalil, Antoni Bumba, Victoria Brito, and Edvin Thompson at Zero Bond in New York City for cocktails, light bites, and conversation.The focal point of the evening was to hear Jared talk about the new Thirty Seconds to Mars album, It’s The End of the World But It’s a Beautiful Day.

Spotify and CFDA Get New York Fashion Week Started With Its First-Ever Official Playlist

It’s fashion week in New York, and to kick things off we’ve partnered with the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) to debut the first-ever Official Playlist of New York Fashion Week

This collaboration between Spotify and CFDA celebrates the vibrant creative community in New York City at the intersection of fashion and music, and includes contributions from Khaite, Mara Hoffman, Alice + Olivia, and Caroline Herrera, along with tracks that have inspired designers like ET OCHS, Kim Shui, and STAUD.

“There’s something special about the relationship between music and fashion that comes to life every year during Fashion Week. Whether it’s inspiring collections or soundtracking runway walks, music is the backdrop for so many of fashion’s biggest moments—and we have over 630,000 fashion-related playlists on Spotify to prove it,” said Dustee Jenkins, Chief Public Affairs Officer, Spotify. “That feels especially true here in New York, where fashion is the second-largest industry and where Spotify has its largest global office. We’re so excited to bring all of this magic together in our Official Playlist of New York Fashion Week.”

For those in New York, they’ll be able to easily listen to the sounds inspiring the runway thanks to Spotify’s billboard in Times Square. The billboard, which launches September 9 and runs throughout NYFW, features a QR code to take listeners directly to the playlist.

“Music plays an integral role in the designer’s creative process, culminating in the fashion show,” said Steven Kolb, CEO of CFDA. “The CFDA is excited to partner with Spotify on the Official Playlist of New York Fashion Week, which will bring the excitement of American fashion creativity to a worldwide audience.” 

Mayor Adams celebrates with Spotify and CFDA

New York City Mayor Eric Adams, along with CFDA Chairman Thom Browne and Spotify, hosted a cocktail party Thursday night at his Gracie Mansion residence to kick off NYFW.

Theophilio’s Edvin Thompson, who is a 2023 CVFF finalist and was honored as American Emerging Designer of the Year at the 2021 CFDA Fashion Awards, stepped in as the event’s DJ for the evening. Guests in attendance, which included the likes of Anna Wintour, Lukas Gage, Chris Appleton, Vera Wang, Derek Blasberg, and CFDA CEO Steven Kolb, also had the chance to celebrate the 50th anniversary of hip-hop by viewing photos from Mayor Adams’ personal collection of hip-hop artists that were displayed throughout the space.

Learn the Art of Great Interviews With Alex Cooper

You don’t need to be an investigative reporter by trade to learn how to conduct a masterful interview. This week, attendees at Spotify Beach heard from Alex Cooper, host of Call Her Daddy and an expert podcaster and interviewer, and Dustee Jenkins, Head of Public Affairs at Spotify, on how to disarm your subject and get straight to the heart of the matter. 

Spotify's Chief Public Affairs Officer, Dustee Jenkins and Call Her Daddy Host, Creator and Executive Producer, Alex Cooper pose before The Art of The Interview session at Spotify Beach on June 20, 2023 in Cannes, France.

We asked Alex how she creates space for guests to open up in a way they haven’t anywhere else, how to prepare to navigate sensitive topics, and being ready to pivot.

How do you prep your interviews to navigate sensitive topics?

It all stems from a place of respect and being gracious with my guest’s feelings. I have been interviewed before, and often it feels the interviewer is not listening or is trying to work their angle and agenda. It’s important that my guest feels respected and heard, as when you broach highly sensitive topics you want to be met with compassion as well as someone who genuinely is invested in understanding and connecting with you. 

I treat them as if we are sitting in my living room and we are getting to know each other. It’s important to remember that although many of the people I interview are celebrities, what they are discussing is their reality and their real lived experiences and emotional traumas, so having patience and listening is of the utmost importance. 

Do you have any tricks for pivoting if your interviews get offtrack?

I don’t mind if my guest goes offtrack if they are passionate about what they are discussing. I am usually able to find a natural transition to go from the one thing in their life they got offtrack talking about to the other life experience I wanted to hear about. I would rather go offtrack in my interviews to allow for natural flowing effortless conversations than to have my guest feel constricted to a stiff interview style. Flow is much more important than following a structure I had in my head prior to sitting down for the interview.

Do you prepare differently for video versus audio interviews?

I’ll brush my hair for a video episode—hah—but no, very similar prep. In the beginning, I definitely felt I was a bit more stiff with camera episodes, but now I am very used to cameras surrounding me. 

Dustee Jenkins (left) and Alex Cooper (right) both sit down in chairs on a panel stage at Cannes. There is a light blue backdrop

How do you approach your brand partners with elements like host read ads?

It’s been important that I maintain anonymity in terms of my ability to freely read ads and insert my personality. Ads are a part of the show, and it’s important that the ads are met with the same authenticity that the show provides my audience. I get approval over all ad reads and brand partners, and it’s important nothing is off-brand or contradicts with what I vocally stand for on the show.

Catch all the conversations happening on the ground at Cannes on Newsroom.Spotfy.com/SpotifyBeach2023 and listen to Alex and Dustee’s full conversation on Spotify.

Foo Fighters, Florence + The Machine, A$AP Rocky, Jack Harlow, Trevor Noah, Alex Cooper, Issa Rae, Emma Chamberlain, and More To Join Spotify Beach at Cannes Lions

Next week, Spotify is returning to the South of France for the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, where we’ll transform Spotify Beach into a hub of activity dawn ’til dusk as we celebrate a new way to play. And we’re bringing along some big-name friends to join in the fun.

Our special opening-night soiree will feature an intimate performance by Grammy Award-winning artist H.E.R., as well as a DJ set from the unparalleled Collyer Twins

We’ll be hosting daytime masterclasses and nighttime events beginning Monday, June 19, and continuing through Thursday, June 22, emphasizing our focus on creativity, connection, and innovation. Attendees can look forward to sessions featuring Spotify leaders and guests including Alex Cooper, Issa Rae, Emma Chamberlain, and world-renowned football player Cesc Fàbregas. Author and comedian Trevor Noah will join Spotify CEO and Cofounder Daniel Ek for a conversation on the future of storytelling. Throughout the day, catch DJ Toyin spinning sets.

Then, as night falls on Tuesday, Florence + The Machine and Jack Harlow will take to the stage accompanied by DJs will.i.am and Uncle Waffles. Wednesday is primed for world-class performances from Foo Fighters and A$AP Rocky, and a DJ set from Disclosure. And our house DJ Taylah Elaine will brighten the beach with music throughout it all.  

Spotify Beach itself will feature several interactive experiences, like daily sound bath meditations, an immersive Songs of Summer soundscape, an FC Barcelona play zone, a “Sonic Sips” coffee-and-juice bar, a custom sunglasses gifting station, and much more.  

Read on for a full list of the sessions on the ground, then check back next week here on For the Record for the full takeaway from our novel masterclasses. 

Monday, June 19

Building a brand is more than meets the eye…and ear 

Owning your craft takes dedication, consistency, and commitment—something Spotify’s Taj Alavi, VP, Global Head of Marketing; Loewe’s CMO Charlie Smith; and Anything Goes creator Emma Chamberlain all know well. The trio will share their approaches to what they create; their style around partnerships and projects, brand building, and brand positioning; and how to engage the next generation of streamers.

Top hits and goal-scoring kicks: fandom, football, and media 

We’re hosting a conversation between football legend Cesc Fàbregas, award-winning football Freestyler Pola Gomez, Samsung Europe CMO Benjamin Braun, and Bradford Ross, Coca-Cola’s VP Global Sports and Entertainment Marketing and Partnerships. They’ll dive into the obsessive fan culture surrounding sports and how brands tap into fandoms of all kinds. 

Tuesday, June 20

The cutting edge of creativity and storytelling 

Join Daniel Ek and Trevor Noah at Spotify Beach as they discuss the future of storytelling and the art of navigating different mediums to forge a deeper connection with worldwide audiences. They’ll offer insights on how creators can tell stories in more meaningful ways and effectively leverage new technologies in the ever-evolving media landscape.

The art of the interview 

You don’t need to be an investigative reporter by trade to benefit from learning how to conduct a masterful interview. Things get meta as Spotify’s Chief Public Affairs Officer, Dustee Jenkins, sits down with Alex Cooper, Creator, Host, and Executive Producer of Call Her Daddy, to discuss the art of the interview. Learn how to craft the right questions, disarm your subject, and get straight to the heart of the matter.

Wednesday, June 21

Connecting to the sound of culture 

Spotify’s Global Head of Artist Partnerships, Joe Hadley; Tye Comer, Creative Development and Founder of Spotify’s Outside Voice program; and Erin Styles, Global Head of Ads Business Communications & PR, will spotlight producer-actress-writer Issa Rae; SVP of Marketing at Frito-Lay North America, Tina Mahal; and WACL President Rania Robinson. They’ll discuss the importance of culture-shaping programs that support and amplify diverse voices. This comes as part of Spotfiy’s continued commitment to empowering creators and inspiring our audience to elevate underrepresented communities in their own work.

DJ Mixer

Turn it up with Spotify’s very own Xavier “X” Jernigan, Head of Cultural Partnerships and the voice of AI DJ. We’re rolling up the carpet for an afternoon mixer complete with games, cocktails, mingling, and—maybe—a surprise or two. 

So bookmark For the Record, follow @SpotifyNews and @SpotifyAds on social media, and stay tuned for much more as we discover a new way to play.

Spotify Continues to Ramp Up Platform Safety Efforts with Acquisition of Kinzen

Spotify and Kinzen logos

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Today, Spotify is excited to share that we have acquired Dublin, Ireland-based Kinzen, a global leader in protecting online communities from harmful content. Kinzen’s advanced technology and deep expertise will help us more effectively deliver a safe, enjoyable experience on our platform around the world.
 

Spotify’s current partnership with Kinzen, which began in 2020, has been critical to enhancing our approach to platform safety. The company’s unique technology is particularly suited for podcasting and audio formats, making its value to Spotify clear and unmatched. The technology the Kinzen team brings to Spotify combines machine learning and human expertise—backed by analysis from leading local academics and journalists—to analyze potential harmful content and hate speech in multiple languages and countries. 

“We’ve long had an impactful and collaborative partnership with Kinzen and its exceptional team. Now, working together as one, we’ll be able to even further improve our ability to detect and address harmful content, and importantly, in a way that better considers local context,” said Dustee Jenkins, Spotify’s Global Head of Public Affairs. “This investment expands Spotify’s approach to platform safety, and underscores how seriously we take our commitment to creating a safe and enjoyable experience for creators and users.”

Given the complexity of analyzing audio content in hundreds of languages and dialects, and the challenges in effectively evaluating the nuance and intent of that content, the acquisition of Kinzen will help Spotify better understand the abuse landscape and identify emerging threats on the platform.

“The combination of tools and expert insights is Kinzen’s unique strength that we see as essential to identifying emerging abuse trends in markets and moderating potentially dangerous content at scale,” said Sarah Hoyle, Spotify’s Head of Trust and Safety. “This expansion of our team, combined with the launch of our Safety Advisory Council, demonstrates the proactive approach we’re taking in this important space.”

It’s Time To Act. The Internet Economy Depends on It

Spotify CEO Daniel Ek Speaking at an event in Brussels

In March 2019, Spotify took the bold step of filing a complaint against Apple with the European Commission for anti-competitive behavior and abuse of dominance in the music streaming market. For years, Apple has consistently tilted the playing field in favor of its own services to disadvantage rivals, stifle innovation, and make it harder for companies like Spotify to compete. 

But it’s not just Spotify who’s impacted.

Nearly every consumer now owns a smartphone and uses it as their primary means of accessing services on the internet, which means everyone is impacted, putting the internet economy at risk. 

Fast-forward to today, and the European Commission, while having built its own strong case against Apple over the last few years, still hasn’t brought the case to conclusion. This is especially problematic as we’ve seen Apple seek to circumvent or outright defy regulations in other markets around the world in order to evade meaningful changes to their behavior.  

This is why Spotify CEO Daniel Ek—joined by Global Head of Public Affairs Dustee Jenkins, General Counsel Eve Konstan, and others from our team—traveled to Brussels, the seat of the Commission, for a full day of meetings and events earlier this month. This included time with key Commissioners to ask that they deliver a robust decision against Apple as soon as possible, because the internet moves fast, and every day that passes without any action erodes companies’ ability to innovate on behalf of consumers—not just in Europe, but around the world. Remedies must be levied to drive impact. Otherwise, Apple will have no real incentive to change. 

But the Apple case wasn’t the only issue on our agenda. We shared our thoughts around the remarkable work the Commission has done to advance Europe’s digital economy, and the leadership role it has taken with the recent landmark tech regulations of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and Digital Services Act (DSA). While we applaud these efforts, we don’t see the DMA specifically as a substitute to the case we filed in 2019. Instead, we view it as a much-needed complement and believe that a decision on our case is still key to ensuring significant and lasting change. 

We also spent time with students at Vlerick Business School, where Daniel discussed leadership, the importance of healthy debate, the challenges of continuous innovation, and Spotify’s relentless focus on speed and building culture and resiliency. He also talked about his desire to unleash Europe’s entrepreneurial potential and the role of business in driving meaningful solutions to some of society’s biggest issues. And realizing this is only possible when there is a level playing field. 

The day concluded with a Spotify-hosted reception that featured a fireside chat with Daniel moderated by renowned Brussels-based commentator Shada Islam and a musical performance by award-winning Belgian singer-songwriter and RADAR artist Meskerem Mees. During the conversation, Daniel reaffirmed just how critical it is to keep fair competition at the top of the Commission’s agenda, given the billions of developers and consumers who are at the mercy of gatekeeper platforms like Apple. 

Fair and open platforms enable better consumer experiences and allow developers to innovate, grow, and thrive. Spotify believes we have a duty to ensure that we’re helping to pave pathways to success for start-ups out there just looking for a shot. So we’ll continue to engage on these topics and advocate for an ecosystem in which fair competition is not only encouraged, but guaranteed. 

To learn more, please visit TimeToPlayFair.com