Tag: Elizabeth Nieto

Dispatches From Our 2021 Equity & Impact Report: Equity

April 4, 2022

We always say that Spotiy reflects culture—but we are also shaped by it. And that means it’s important for us to ensure that both our platform and our company reflect the very best of the culture for the good of our listeners, employees, and planet. We do this through employee resource groups and mental health offerings, sustainability initiatives, and the representation of a diverse set of voices on our platform—as well as much more. 

We take stock of all this every year in our annual Equity & Impact Report. There’s a lot to read, so we broke it out into a few key takeaways from some of our leaders who spend their days ensuring our purpose translates into actions. 

Read on for a discussion with Senior Director of Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Travis Robinson and VP, Global Head of Equity and Impact Elizabeth Nieto on equity at Spotify in 2021. You can also read about our impact work throughout the year. 

In the 2021 Equity & Impact Report, we say that one part of our mission is to create positive impact in the communities we touch. What are some examples of Spotify fulfilling that mission in 2021?

Travis: We’ve been on this journey for a while, and I’m excited to see the progress we’re making toward our mission on making that impact. When I think about the impact we have on our communities, internally and externally, I know we are also impacting the critical industry actors—being those in tech, media, creators, or artists. 

When it comes to workforce representation, we saw positive progress forward in our internal workforce representation of Spotifiers from underrepresented communities. This goes beyond U.S. race and ethnicity, but also gender representation in a variety of locations and disciplines, such as women in technology. This has been a consistent effort of our team across inclusive hiring and diversity recruiting efforts.  

In 2021, our cross-functional working groups that focus on DIB (diversity, inclusion, and  belonging) within their specific business areas made positive strides. In our marketing organization, the Freemium Marketing Equity Initiative (FMEI) began the work of training all U.S. marketers in inclusive storytelling. Their core focus is reducing bias and stereotypes and eliminating microaggressions through our marketing campaigns. In 2022, we will be expanding this effort with our content organization while expanding focus on creator diversity. In addition, the work the FMEI team did showed an increase in marketing spend with Black-owned or operated creative agencies.  

One final example of the internal impact is through the road map created by our Racial Equity Coalition. Every year they develop and implement our BLK Workforce Development Conference, which is focused on providing a unique experience for our Black employees across the world. It emphasizes conversations on professional development, industry engagement on the amplification for Black creators, and the opportunities collectively we can focus on to improve the Black experience in the workplace. In 2022, we are looking forward to going deeper with a specialized workforce development conference for Black employees in Europe.

How did we make strides to make Spotify a more equitable company for our band members in 2021?  

Elizabeth: As Travis mentioned, we’ve made strides in workforce representation by intentionally focusing on the hiring process. We developed an inclusive interview training comprehensive program for interviewers. The 16-module series is based on the expertise of behavioral change specialists from MindGym, a group dedicated to psychology-based organizational transformation. It provides a foundational knowledge on what inclusive hiring means, the recruitment process (with an emphasis on inclusion), and how to create a more inclusive selection process. 

In the last year, we also introduced Inclusive Hiring Talks in the U.S. to address racial disparity issues and engage in conversations around what it means to be a Spotifier in the U.S. With a focus on aligning people on shared experiences, Inclusive Hiring Talks helped us understand why inclusivity is important and why all candidates are worthy of consideration.

We also designed and implemented Raising the Volume, our first Spotify-branded virtual recruiting conference. Raising the Volume is geared toward women and nonbinary professionals in audio, media, and technology. This conference was designed to inspire, teach, motivate, and attract talent to Spotify with the hope that attendees would leave feeling empowered to raise their voices and make bold moves.

How did we make strides to make Spotify a more equitable company for creators in 2021?  

Elizabeth: In May, we unveiled Frequency, a global initiative and holistic destination for celebrating Black art, entertainment, creativity, culture, and community both on and off platform. Frequency marks an extension of Spotify’s ongoing commitment to and investment in Black voices. Through the rollout of new content, cultural partnerships, and an ambassador program, Frequency aims to further connect the Black community to upcoming and established Black creators. 

We also launched the intertwined“Raising the Frequency Ambassador program, which offers a $50,000 scholarship to Black college students aspiring to pursue careers in music and tech. The program also provides donation matches of $25,000 to select community organizations and a songwriting camp to connect artists, producers, and songwriters. 

And finally, we have seen the work of equity and increased opportunities for people of color through efforts in our Spotify Talk Studios organization. Through the work of our SoundUp team, Behind the Mic was launched in 2021 to expand opportunities to members of underserved communities aspiring to careers as podcast producers, sound engineers, and other behind-the-scenes roles in podcasting.  

While we are continuing to build stronger community and belonging for all Spotifiers, we are proud of the progress in diversity, inclusion, and belonging and the many teams across Spotify that are committed and collaborating with us.  

Read the full 2022 Equity & Impact Report here. You can hear more from our leaders on our work in impact.

Dispatches From Our 2021 Equity & Impact Report: Impact

April 4, 2022

We always say that Spotify reflects culture—but we are also shaped by it. And that means it’s important for us to ensure that both our platform and our company reflect the very best of the culture for the good of our listeners, employees, and planet. We do this through employee resource groups and mental health offerings, sustainability initiatives, and the representation of a diverse set of voices on our platform—as well as much more. 

We take stock of all this every year in our annual Equity & Impact Report. There’s a lot to read, so we broke it out into a few key takeaways from some of our leaders who spend their days ensuring our passion translates into purpose. 

Read on for a discussion with Social Impact Lead Casey Acierno; Sustainability Manager Ebba Grythberg; and VP, Global Head of Equity and Impact Elizabeth Nieto on impact at Spotify in 2021. You can also read about our equity work throughout the year. 

As a global company with hundreds of millions of users, Spotify is positioned to create real change through its platform. How did Spotify use the platform as a tool to create positive change last year? 

Casey: We strongly believe that reaching our audience where their needs are is one of the most powerful ways we at Spotify can drive real impact. That was the driver behind our COVID vaccination campaign last year where we identified the opportunity to provide our listeners with accurate information. Over the course of late 2020 and 2021, we launched a global information hub with up-to date news on COVID and vaccination; integrated information into over 50 podcasts worldwide with original content, host reads, and PSAs on vaccination; and ran a campaign reminding music lovers that the best way to bring live music back was to get vaccinated, by leveraging in-app messaging. 

Where are you most excited to continue raising awareness of important issues in 2022? 

Ebba: We’re excited about finding new, innovative ways of using our platform to raise awareness on the climate crisis and make sure that we amplify the voices of the people that are most impacted by it. We want to bring awareness to what’s happening and the severity of it, but at the same time, provide hope and highlight all the interesting solutions out there. With our platform, we have the opportunity to promote and curate content based in climate science, like the Spotify Original podcast How to Save a Planet and the Climate Action Hub, and we look forward to developing this further in 2022. We are also excited to explore new audio formats, using storytelling to engage our listeners on climate issues. 

Casey: In 2022, we’re excited to continue to scale our work globally and ensure we’re making a worldwide impact. Beyond working with the Sustainability team on encouraging our audience to take action on the climate crisis, we’ll also be continuing to shine a spotlight on historically marginalized communities around the world through our celebrations of cultural moments like International Women’s Day and Pride. We’re also looking forward to broadening our civic engagement work to provide our listeners with nonpartisan information and make it easier to vote by engaging in the U.S. midterm elections, as well as other countries around the world with elections this year.

The report also highlights Spotify’s commitment to reaching net-zero emissions within the next decade. What will Spotify do in 2022 to further progress toward this important goal?

Ebba: In 2022 we will continue to develop our pathway to net zero, driving reduction efforts across the company. As the majority of our emissions are coming from our value chain, collaboration with our suppliers and partners is key to achieve change, both when it comes to working with existing suppliers and choosing new suppliers that share our ambitions. In addition to reducing our emissions—and equally important—we will continue to leverage our platform to raise awareness on climate change, showcase different perspectives, and amplify voices of the most affected. 

2021 continued to be a difficult year for many people around the world. How has Spotify supported our employees and listeners regarding mental health during this time? 

Elizabeth: Since we started our Heart & Soul mental health initiative in 2018, our goal has always been to normalize the conversation and reduce stigma around mental health. Our aim is to create a stigma-free environment where we look after ourselves and each other and where it’s OK to not be OK. When COVID-19 hit, Spotify had a robust mental health support system in place. Our Heart & Soul Ambassadors across the globe could quickly mobilize around efforts to specifically address the anxiety people felt about COVID and having to adjust to work from home from one day to the other.  

Our Heart & Soul Ambassadors, who alongside their day jobs have helped us to plan and drive initiatives around mental health, have recently become Mental health First Aiders through a training program that teaches participants how to notice and support an individual who may be struggling with their mental health. They are able to have supportive conversations, listen nonjudgmentally, and guide Spotifiers toward the right support. 

In 2021, we offered a Wellness Week in early November to help Spotifiers recharge, focus on themselves, spend time with loved ones, and do something that brings them joy. 

Casey: This year, we brought World Mental Health Day to our listeners as well, encouraging them as well as our employees to “take a beat” and listen to themselves. A special edition of the Wellness Hub featured special playlists, video content, and mental health resources.

With our broad sphere of influence around the world, Spotify has a responsibility to continue our mission to be a force for good. Where do you see opportunities to continue to invest in these endeavors in the coming years? 

Elizabeth: As a global company, we see ourselves as a citizen of the world with a responsibility to make the planet and the communities that we serve and live in a better place—where creators can share their art and listeners enjoy music, information, and real connections, on and off platform. We are driven by our values. The work the Equity and Impact team does straddles our commitment to our employees, the listeners, and creators around the world. I am so proud of how the three teams came together in 2021, leveraging our different skills and raising the bar in our work. 

We have very bold goals for 2022 and beyond, supported by the commitment of our most senior leaders who believe in the positive impact that we can bring to the world. As a practice, Equity and Impact continues to evolve and we are having a much more global approach to our strategy in both DIB and Social Impact. In the case of Sustainability, we are excited to report that Spotify as a whole is committed to climate action. Just last month, we hosted a Hack Week focused on “making the planet cooler” with more than 2,400 participants and 208 hacks (and you can read about four of them here, here, here, and here). We are excited to report the results in the 2022 E&I Report. 

Read the full 2022 Equity & Impact Report here. You can hear more from our leaders on our work in equity.

Spotify’s Progress Toward Racial Equity: Reflections, Commitments, and Updates for the Year Ahead From Elizabeth Nieto and Spotify’s Equity and Impact Team

February 28, 2022

Each year, as Spotify celebrates Black History Month, we are offered an opportunity to take stock of how we are doing as a company when it comes to our work in the pursuit of racial equity. This February marks my first as Spotify’s Global Head of Equity & Impact, and it comes at a time when the company has faced new challenges as we learn and grow and the landscape evolves around us.

Making real and sustained progress has never been easy. Spotify understands the need for hard work, true reflection, and real accountability and we view our anti-racism efforts as an ongoing journey as we strive to live our values, both internally and externally. We are committed to fighting systemic racism and doubling down as this work advances. And while we still have plenty to do, we are making progress. That’s why, at each step of the way, we are looking to partners, employees, and creators to help guide our actions for the long term. 

We also understand the need to regularly communicate the progress we’ve made and identify actions that will build upon it in the years ahead. As we close out Black History Month in the U.S., we recognize the need to do more to combat racism around the world. 

So today, members of the Equity and Impact team—that’s me, Elizabeth Nieto, alongside Travis Robinson, Global Head of Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging, and Christopher Kenny, Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging Lead, Racial Equity Strategy—are sharing updates of both work we’ve done and work that’s underway across our global markets in the pursuit of racial equity. 

This is but a snapshot of our focus areas in our ongoing commitment to fostering an anti-racist culture at Spotify. And while we know we are not perfect, we remain unwavering in our approach and commitment to making meaningful change and progress as a company. 

With gratitude,

Elizabeth, Travis, and Christopher 

Deepening dynamic relationships with racial equity partners

We continue to collaborate with our external racial equity partners to inform how we can best leverage our brand and platform to mitigate systemic racism. Those conversations will inform our strategies for the year ahead and beyond. As one example, we support the healing and growth of our Spotify community through our partnership with Brooklyn Minds, a mental health organization. Brooklyn Minds facilitates sessions for employees who’ve been impacted by racial trauma. We also provide individualized support through our employee assistance program.

Focusing on giving to organizations with measured impact for the Black community

As we shared last April, Spotify’s Racial Equity Donations & Giving Program has committed $10 million—including the matching of $3 million from Spotify employee donations around the world—to over 300 organizations. The remaining $7 million has been donated to more than 15 organizations dedicated to inspiring, connecting, and elevating the next generation of Black voices and creators. This will be an annual commitment through our Racial Equity Donations & Giving Program. We also recently announced the creation of 28 scholarships to Black HBCU students, in partnership with UNCF (the United Negro College Fund).

Formalizing Spotify’s Creator Investment Fund

Over the last several years, Spotifiers have built initiatives to identify, support, nurture, amplify, and celebrate the many voices of creators who deserve to be heard. Much more must be done to further this existing body of work, which is where our recently announced $100 Million Creator Investment Fund comes in. It’s important that we continue to create new avenues of support to champion artists, songwriters, and podcast creators from diverse backgrounds. Spotify can help them build their own businesses by establishing passionate fan bases and substantially growing their reach.

There’s great excitement for this work, with many ideas and questions about next steps we must take. While it’s critical to move swiftly, we also understand it will take time to get this work right. Spotifiers from teams including Music, Podcasting, and Equity & Impact are co-developing plans and working closely alongside our creator and industry partners for input. We’ll share early plans with our ERGs (employee resource groups) for their input and further refinement.

We have identified an initial list of the existing programs and opportunities where we think these funds can be put to work quickly, including adding incremental support to the ongoing work of Frequency, Sound Up, EQUAL, and Pride, among others. Additionally, we will dedicate talent and resources to help lead this global effort. We will work with internal teams and outside organizations to establish new programs focused on areas such as studio space, creator tools, marketing and PR support, coaching, and mentorship.

Expanding and scaling our current Black creator and consumer engagement brands

Last May, when Spotify launched Frequency—our global initiative and holistic destination for celebrating Black art, entertainment, creativity, culture, and community both on- and off-platform—we did so with a mission to create a space that represents the wide spectrum of Black artistry. Since then, listeners have tuned into Frequency music playlists like Ripple Effect and House Party and learned from the Heard You podcast playlist. We’re committed to celebrating and uplifting Black culture, creativity, and community year-round, with special emphasis on the month of February in honor of Black History Month in the U.S. This year, we’ve created a space to celebrate the multidimensionality of Black listeners, artists, and creators to truly encompass the breadth of Black creativity. 

We recognize the need to do a better job of cascading these stories to a broader audience and will continue to scale our approach to our work of promoting Black stories and experiences. For example, we’ll amplify the great Black creators who are sharing stories that resonate with the community, like the Spotify original Who We Be TALKS_ from the U.K.

2020 Equity & Impact Report and 2021 restructuring

Our 2020 Sustainability, Equity & Impact Report charted the meaningful progress we’ve made through our cross-functional Spotify Racial Equity Coalition, alignment to our BLK 5-Star strategy, and expansion of the work of Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging in a variety of ways. But it was only a first step in measuring our work and impact.

So in 2021 we restructured our organization to bring together three existing teams: Social Impact; Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging; and Sustainability. We did this because we believe in the power of our people, their stories, and the impact we have as a platform to imagine and deliver a sustainable future that is welcoming for all in a world that’s centered on justice, equity, and environmental sustainability. We’re seeing greater synergy and collaboration as a unified approach across our three groups. The cohesion of the team is reflected in our Sustainability, Equity & Impact report. 

Continuing anti-racism education and inclusive storytelling training internally

We launched inclusive storytelling training and education within Spotify’s Marketing, Music, and Podcasting Creator teams in 2021 and continue to conduct key diversity, equity, and inclusion  sessions monthly. Within our Studios organization, efforts are underway to establish greater creator representation and also partner with anti-racism practitioners to train and educate all employees. We plan to relaunch our formal anti-racism training for employees this year.

Expanding our focus on inclusive hiring and workforce development

While we have seen progress in our Black employee representation in the U.S. over the last four years (3.7% in 2017 to 9% by end of 2021), we are working on driving the same level of advancement toward diverse representation in our leadership ranks. In late 2021, we launched an inclusive hiring training course for all interviewers and hiring teams. Topics covered within this training are associated with anti-racism, microaggressions, bias, and other relevant diversity, equity, and inclusion conversations. In deep partnership with our Talent Acquisition team, the Inclusive Hiring team has also curated related sourcing and diversity recruiting partnerships that focus on greater visibility and identifying better ways of attracting talent to Spotify from underrepresented communities.

In 2022, we’ve been working hard to expand our inclusive hiring goals for racial diversity in the U.S. but have also begun the process of identifying areas of improvement in ethnic diversity in key markets globally. For instance, we are working to identify greater ways to increase Black, Asian and minority ethnic representation in our U.K. workforce. We will launch a workforce development conference for our Black Spotifiers across EMEA. In addition, in a few weeks we will launch our first-ever Global Belonging Week for all Spotifiers. This will feature global diversity, equity, and inclusion content, training and education for all band members to learn and also provide for localized “pass the mic” sessions where employees in specific offices will discuss topics such as anti-racism, intersectionality, and meaningful change.