Tag: Nordics

Ready, Set, Go: New Swedish Releases for Your Podcast and Music Queue

September 14, 2022

Head shots of the different creators are combined in a collage style on a graphic orange background

Creators in Sweden have been busy crafting new podcasts and recording music tracks. This fall, we have a full slate of new content for fans and followers to check out as they look to fill their Spotify queues with the latest hits. 

“In Sweden, we actively work to develop the local culture and help creatives reach their audiences, regardless of their ambitions or definition of success. It feels truly amazing to see Swedish artists and podcasters have their breakthroughs and bring their careers to new levels,” explained Johan Seidefors, Nordic Content Lead at Spotify. “Spotify’s fall is looking great, delivering exciting releases from both new and established artists.”

So without further ado, we’ve rounded up below all the new content to keep watch for:

Spotify and Accenture Collaborate To Offer Spotify Premium As an Employee Perk

May 18, 2022

The "Spotify for Work" logo in mint on a lavender background

Music and podcasts aren’t just for entertainment—they’re great for focusing, unwinding, and learning, too. With our new offering, “Spotify for Work,” a partner proposition that allows companies to offer Spotify Premium as an employee perk, employers of all types have the opportunity to offer their employees the power of audio to listen to while concentrating at work, working out, cooking dinner, and everything in between.  

“We know employers are always looking to offer competitive benefits to attract and retain top talent and provide additional value and experiences to reward their employees. That’s where ‘Spotify for Work’ comes in—it’s a modern benefit that has potential to build a stronger sense of community at every company,” says Marc Hazan, Vice President of Freemium Partnerships and Business Development.

To kick things off, global professional services firm Accenture is rolling out the new offering for their employees across Sweden, Latvia, and Lithuania. We asked Jan Jendeby, Managing Director at Accenture, a few questions on why he’s looking forward to bringing Spotify Premium to Accenture employees. 

How did your collaboration with Spotify to offer “Spotify for Work” for Accenture employees come about?

We are always looking for new ways to be an attractive employer. When the “Spotify for Work” proposition came about, we saw it as an interesting and relevant offer with multiple benefits for our people, so we explored whether it would be possible to become one of Spotify’s first collaborators.

We see a big potential in “Spotify for Work” on a global scale. It’s a great way to give employees a desired service so they can enjoy all the audio content available on the platform.

Where does Spotify Premium fit in alongside your other offerings?

It’s a new and attractive perk that can be used during work, after work, and while commuting. Our employees can use the service for various reasons such as to better focus, learn, or simply unwind. “Spotify for Work” is a good complement to the other offerings available to our employees. We expect it will resonate with many of our employees across various demographics and roles in Sweden and the Baltics.

Explain the value for employers in providing employee perks like this one. 

In today’s quest for talent, all aspects of what we can offer to our employees, and potential candidates, are important. We believe that “Spotify for Work” is a compelling offering that will resonate with our employees and is well worth the modest investment by Accenture. 

What excites you about this collaboration?

It is very exciting to be the first company to pilot this new offering. In this case, we are not only the first client or buyer of this service, but are also supporting the innovation and development of the new offering by sharing ongoing feedback. We see “Spotify for Work” as a great way for Spotify to reach even more users and offer companies an attractive employee perk.

What’s on your heavy audio rotation right now?

Music: Silk Sonic, Billie Eilish, Veronica Maggio, Marvin Gaye, Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Podcasts: Accenture AI Leaders Podcast, Framgångspodden.

This first-of-its-kind collaboration with Accenture is just the beginning. 

Equalizer Project, Now in Its Fourth Year, Makes Strides in Increasing Female Representation in Music

October 27, 2020

In 2017, Spotify launched the Equalizer Project to highlight the underrepresentation of female and non-binary creators in the Nordic music industry—and provide them with the knowledge and inspiration they need to level the playing field. Since then, Equalizer has supported numerous Nordic creators, including Sarah Dawn Finer, Petra Marklund, Sabina Ddumba, Silvana Imam, and Janice, through networking meetings, producer camps, and more.

Initiatives like Equalizer are still much needed: Behind the 50 most played songs on Spotify in Sweden in 2019, only 4.1% of the producers were women. Among the songwriters, only 20% were women. This shows a marked increase from 2018, when only 0.8% of producers and 10% of songwriters were women, and from 2017, when none of the producers were women—but there remains significant ground to be gained.

“It feels more important than ever to continue working with Equalizer when the year has brought such extensive challenges for the entire music industry, says Jenny Hermanson, Nordic MD, Spotify. “Although the statistics show a small step in the right direction, with more women represented as songwriters and producers behind the most-played songs, gender equality is an issue that must constantly be addressed.”

This year, we’ve continued Equalizer by creating a totally virtual program that will continue to give music creators knowledge and inspiration. From new videos that teach music production to a digital inspiration conversation with British hitmaker Charli XCX, here’s what participants have to look forward to:

Equalizer Project landing page

To make all things Equalizer accessible in one place, we’ve created a new landing page, spotify.com/equalizer. Head there for information about the project, including the networking sessions, producer camps, dinners, and Way Out West Festival Talks we’ve put on so far, and how Nordic creators can apply for Equalizer’s upcoming events.