In 2021, we launched EQUAL, a program designed to address an industry reality that persists: Women artists, songwriters, and producers too often face fewer opportunities, less visibility, and unequal access throughout their careers. What began as a dedicated space on Spotify to amplify women’s voices has grown into something bigger: a global community that shows up in cities, on stages, in studios, and across culture, connecting artists to fans and opening doors both on and off the platform.
Now, five years in, EQUAL isn’t just marking an anniversary; it’s building on momentum. As part of this milestone, Spotify is introducing Spotify EQUAL: The Podcast, a new artist-led video podcast that extends EQUAL’s mission into deeper storytelling and cultural conversations.
Produced by Spotify Studios and The Ringer, EQUAL: The Podcast creates a new space for women artists to share their stories. Hosted by music journalist Kim Taylor Bennett, the five-episode series will feature EQUAL ambassadors Juliana, Zolita, Angela Torres, Silvana Estrada, and Orla Gartland. These artists’ perspectives reflect the breadth of women shaping music today.
“It’s really important to create spaces not only for empowering women, but also to question how things are,” said Silvana Estrada on EQUAL: The Podcast. “I think it’s important to ask questions… to not believe that this [the music industry] is what it is and there’s no way to change it. I think we need to remember that we are here to change it, and these spaces [like EQUAL] are exactly for that.”
“Over the past five years, EQUAL has grown from a space on our platform into a global community where women connect, create, and rise together,” said Bel Aztiria, Lead, Global Music Programs at Spotify. “EQUAL: The Podcast is one way we’re marking this milestone, but this isn’t just a celebration—it’s a continued commitment to the movement we’ve been building and to ensuring more women’s voices are heard everywhere.”
From a space on platform to a global community
Since launching, EQUAL has expanded across more than 40 markets worldwide, supporting over 1,400 ambassadors through editorial support, marketing opportunities, and sustained visibility, while EQUAL artists have seen more than 50 billion editorial streams on Spotify in total.
On average, artists featured in the program received more than 1.1 million editorial streams in their first month. And around 59% of EQUAL ambassadors’ listeners come from outside their home country, reflecting EQUAL’s ability to connect artists with audiences beyond their local scenes.
Over the years, EQUAL has expanded beyond our platform to stages, studios, and communities—showing up at festivals in places like Colombia, Argentina, Spain, and France, as well as at major sports moments, panels, award ceremonies, and more. It’s also become a resource for learning, offering women tools and knowledge tailored to their location and career journey.
At the center of the program are EQUAL ambassadors, hand-picked by our partnership and editorial teams around the world, who reflect the diversity of women shaping music today. The ambassador program is designed not only to increase visibility but to foster lasting connections between artists and fans through Spotify’s editorial, storytelling, and community-building experiences.
How we’re marking the milestone
Five years in, our work is far from finished. EQUAL will continue to show up year-round, on and off platform, with global moments focused on expanding visibility and opportunities for women in music, and with storytelling that brings fans closer to those artists.
In March, Spotify will bring EQUAL Days to Bogotá, Buenos Aires, São Paulo, and Mexico City. EQUAL Days are the program’s flagship in-person gathering, designed to bring women in audio together to connect, learn, build community, and collaborate. Throughout the year, EQUAL Days will also take place in Mumbai, New York, Paris, Johannesburg, and Berlin, continuing to strengthen a global network of women artists and creators. In Los Angeles, we will return with the Created By Women Summit, elevating the female songwriters and producers defining today’s sound while advancing collective action toward a more equitable music ecosystem.
Spotify will also be making donations to organizations we’ve long collaborated with, including MEWEM, HEVA Fund, Girls Rock Camp Aotearoa, We Are Moving the Needle, and other NGOs in more than 10 countries, continuing EQUAL’s long-standing commitment to supporting women throughout the music industry and beyond.
Celebrate EQUAL’s five-year anniversary by checking out the EQUAL hub, including international playlists, the podcast and more.
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