Tag: Search Engine Sex

Spotify Opens Doors for More Underrepresented Podcasters Through New Sound Up Programs

March 31, 2021

Diversity has long been a weak point for podcasting. Yet in order for this golden age of audio to truly shine, it has to include all of us. That’s why, several years ago, Spotify created Sound Up, a global program that gives underrepresented podcasters the tools to boost their platforms and build their own shows. 

You may already listen to some of these beloved shows, perhaps getting your science fix from Dope Labs by U.S. grant recipient Titi Shodiya and cohost Zakiya Whatley or exploring topics you’ve been too shy to look up yourself on Search Engine Sex by Indigenous Australian creator Rowdie Walden. Most recently, plenty of listeners flocked to play You Heard Me Write from U.S. participant Kacie Willis, propelling the creative new format to the 17th slot on Spotify’s Trending Podcasts USA chart.

And there’s plenty more where those came from. A few weeks ago during Spotify Stream On, our Sound Up Global Lead, Natalie Tulloch, announced that in 2021, we’ll be growing our program from 6 to 14 countries—enabling us to support an additional 140+ emerging creators this year alone. 

“The bigger the Sound Up alumni group grows, the more powerful we become,” Sound Up alum and Dope Labs cohost Titi said. 

The new programs include a Latinx U.S. program focused on creating Spanish-language or multilingual podcasts for an ever-growing Spanish-speaking U.S. audience, female creators in India, and lower-income youth from large urban centers in Argentina. Sound Up will also launch in Mexico, Spain, and Italy later this year. 2021 will mark its third year in Germany as well.

But these new programs aren’t the only news for podcasters to get excited about. Spotify also wants to offer opportunities and support to members of underserved communities aspiring to careers as podcast producers, sound engineers, and other behind-the-scenes roles in podcasting. So today, we’re also announcing Behind the Mic, a new apprenticeship program coming later this year to support aspiring Black podcast producers. 

The year-long paid apprenticeship will be led by Behind The Mic Lead Christabel Nsiah-Buadi, an award-winning radio producer, podcaster, and writer. She will oversee the three Black producers chosen for the program. They will get to enjoy a rotational program among show teams and producorial roles, as well as attend a weekly virtual class to refine skills and get exposure to the business and industry. Finally, they’ll each create, produce, and edit a podcast about their experience in the program. This year, two apprentices will be placed: one at Gimlet Studios in New York and another at Spotify Studios in Los Angeles. After the rotation, they will become permanent Spotify employees. 

“I am so thrilled that we will be able to support a yearlong education program and support more creators globally,” says Natalie. “We hope to expand the numbers of participants in the Behind the Mic program and the studios they’re able to work in. This is just the beginning.” 

Speaking of expansion, we’ll also be rolling out a version of Behind the Mic in Australia to Indigenous and First Nations producers in the coming months. But ahead of that, the Sound Up program in its original form is also returning to Australia in 2021. 

Aspiring podcasters who identify as First Nations (Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander) are invited to apply for the four-week virtual podcasting program to be held from May 31 to – June 25, 2021. The Sound Up 2021 program will be facilitated by Travis De Vries and Brooke Scobie from Awesome Black. 

Do you have a great idea for a podcast? Apply now. No experience necessary. 

In ‘Search Engine Sex’ Podcast, Rowdie Walden Wants to Answer Your Questions

June 17, 2020

In 2018, Rowdie Walden signed up for Spotify’s Sound Up Australia workshop hoping to bring his idea—answering the internet’s most-searched-for questions about sex and relationships—to the platform. The weeklong mentoring session for Indigenous Australians resulted in Search Engine Sex, Australia’s first Spotify Original podcast, which does exactly that.

From the signs of a healthy relationship to preventing STIs, each week Rowdie wants to take the questions that are often considered taboo and bring them into an honest conversation with the help of a rotating cast of experts and, of course, search engine analytics.

For the Record caught up with Rowdie just ahead of the podcast launch.

What can listeners expect from your podcast?

I can tell you what not to expect. If you’re looking for an academic, education-focused sex, health, and well-being podcast, this is not it. Search Engine Sex addresses the questions that have been in the back of your mind. You can expect to have a laugh and hear some thought-provoking conversations with incredible people. We’ve got everyone from sexologists to ex-bachelor contestants, so hopefully you’ll be surprised by the people you’ll hear from.

I also think you can expect some good tactical tips on a range of things. When it comes to talking about sex, it’s key to find an accessible channel for people. If you are from a religious or cultural background that doesn’t allow you to talk about sex, we want you to both feel comfortable listening to this podcast and also find it beneficial. It’s not smutty, but it’s not boring. If I had to put it in a category, I’d say it’s “infotainment.”

Search Engine Sex comes to us in part by way of Spotify’s Sound Up Australia, which invited Indigenous Australians to join an intensive podcasting workshop. Why was this experience meaningful to you?

There aren’t a lot of mainstream Indigenous-focused media outlets in Australia, and I think Spotify’s Sound Up has helped fill that gap. It was kind of surreal to be in a room full of other Indigenous people who had completely different ideas and different takes on what a call for Indigenous podcasters represented. They all came with very important stories to tell. 

It is so unprecedented for the oldest storytelling culture in the world to have a massive platform, and now Spotify has helped create that. It’s such a refreshing moment in the history of Australia media, where the door is open for you, as an Indigenous Australian, to tell your story. I think this also speaks to the diversity of the Spotify user—it’s a platform that reaches everyone, with something for everyone, no matter your sex, culture, religion, or anything else you identify with.

Why is it important to bring Indigenous voices into audio experiences?

There’s the cliché idea of representation that comes to mind: If you can’t see yourself, you can’t be it. You could probably list on one hand the amount of mainstream Indigenous stories that have made it into pop culture. This experience is all about breaking down the barrier of where a stereotypical Indigenous voice belongs versus actually where Indigenous voices can be.

Why do you think Spotify is the right partner for Search Engine Sex?

For a podcaster, Spotify is aspirational. To have the chance to work with and be endorsed by such a powerhouse company is incredible. The audience that they have through music is exactly the demographic I see for this podcast, so it was kind of a no-brainer. They’re giving people like me the keys for success. I honestly don’t think this exists anywhere else. I am still very touched that such a mammoth company has taken interest in this little idea about internet analytics and sex.

Speaking of which, and to close—why do you think it’s important to have open conversations about relationships and sexual health?

I think it’s important to have conversations around sex that talk to the breadth of what sex is, so that it then becomes part of pop culture and something we openly talk about. Sex is great and bad. It’s embarrassing and humiliating and sticky and messy and also really lovely. So, that breadth of how we talk about sex is more important than just talking about sex as a topic. Sex and relationships take many forms, and we want to explore this. That’s what we’re aiming to do.

Take a listen to Search Engine Sex here.

From Three New Podcasts to Sound Up 2020, Here’s What’s New on the Podcast Front in Australia

February 27, 2020

With podcast listening on the rise, there’s all the more reason to be excited about what’s coming out of Australia. On February 27, we unveiled a slate of original and exclusive content, as well as the return of Spotify’s Sound Up Australia, our five-day residential podcasting workshop that helps to elevate and amplify First Nations’ voices. 

At Spotify Australia HQ, we announced three new podcasts: Spotify original sex and relationship podcast Search Engine Sex, hosted by Sound Up alumni Rowdie Walden; the second season of VICE Extremes, hosted by Julian Morgans; and the weekly youth news podcast Generation Betoota. This lineup marks the first of many anticipated announcements to come out of Australia.

“Our goal is to become the number one audio platform in the world, providing the best in audio content—customized and accessible, on demand everywhere,” said Cecilia Qvist, Spotify’s Global Head of Markets. “The role our global markets play in this expansion is pivotal and we look forward to making many more announcements in this space.” 

According to Edison Research and Triton Digital (2019), the number of weekly Australian podcast listeners increased by 50% over the last three years, an exciting indicator of steady growth in the world of podcasts. To celebrate the launch of these shows, here’s what Rachel Corbett, head of podcasts at “Mamamia”; Clancy Overell, editor and host of “The Betoota Advocate”; Julian Morgans; and Rowdie Walden have to say about the growth of podcasts and the need for more indigenous voices.

When did you start to notice an uptick in podcast listening in Australia?

Julian: Podcasting seemed to go mainstream around four to five years ago. Remember when Serial became a big deal? I think that was a turning point.

Clancy: The first time I noticed a boost in podcast listening was almost 10 years ago, when Ricky Gervais and Karl Pilkington were making waves all the way to rural Australia. From that point I feel like everyone has liked the idea of podcasts.

Why do you think more Aussies are tuning into podcasts now than ever?

Julian: I just think public awareness has hit critical mass. For a while I used to tell friends about podcasts, and they’d be like, “How do you listen to these things?” That doesn’t happen anymore. Also, you can listen to a podcast while doing something else. That’s a big plus.

Rachel: You don’t have to have your bum on the couch to follow a true crime story or hear the latest news. You can be walking your dog, doing the shopping or driving your car. I think this, coupled with the continued improvement in audio quality, has made taking time to listen to a podcast feel like self-care; and when people feel like consuming your content is a “treat,” that keeps them coming back.

How important are Indigenous voices to audio experiences?

Rowdie: Podcasting is such a fast-growing industry that it’s important we keep the push for diversity and inclusion in this space as well. It’s incredibly white, and as the oldest storytellers, it’s important we have representation in this space. While Search Engine Sex isn’t what you’d think of when you think “Indigenous podcast,” it’s important to show that we can exist in other spaces. Black voices can be mainstream.

Learn more about how Spotify is continuing to amplify First Nations’ voices through Sound Up Australia. 

Spotify’s Sound Up Australia—Amplifying First Nations Voices for a Second Year

February 27, 2020

Update as of May 10, 2021: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Sound Up AU program as described below did not occur in 2020. In 2021, we invited Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander podcasters to sign up for The Sound Up 2021 program, which will be facilitated by our new partners Travis De Vries and Brooke Scobie from Awesome Black. Learn more about the 2021 program here.

For Indigenous communities, stories have long been passed down by word of mouth. Podcasting, a much more recent invention, can take the words of storytellers even further. Through Spotify’s Sound Up Australia podcast accelerator program, we’re helping to empower First Nations individuals in Australia to tell their stories using podcasting—and amplifying them across the world. 

Returning for the second year, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists, writers, creators, and podcasters are encouraged to apply to our Sound Up accelerator program, a five-day residential podcasting workshop to be held in Sydney from May 11 to 15. Applicants don’t need to have any previous podcasting experience to apply, just something to say, a passion for the medium, and an eagerness to bring a podcast idea to life. 

“First Australians have been passing down their knowledge, culture and history from generation-to-generation through storytelling for tens of thousands of years,” says Natalie Tulloch, Spotify Sound Up Lead. “Spotify wants to harness the power of storytelling and bring it to the next generation through podcasting.”

From the pool of applicants, 10 people will be selected to attend the residential workshop, which will be facilitated by Marlee Silva, podcaster and co-founder of Tiddas 4 Tiddas, and Rekha Murthy, podcast expert. Participants will learn about the art of podcasting, receive mentoring and practical experience, and meet with podcasting and radio greats who also identify as First Nations people. At the end of the week, three finalists will be awarded a cash grant and all participants will be given equipment and software to produce their podcasts.

Sound Up Australia in 2018 awarded four grants for podcast production. One recipient, Rowdie Walden, used it to create Search Engine Sex, the ultimate sex and relationship podcast, and Spotify Australia’s first Spotify Original investment. 

“Sound Up is an incredible opportunity because it’s so rare in the media industry that you get to sit with the platform, the commissioning editors, and the managing director and develop your idea from the ground up,” says Rowdie. “It gives space to minority groups who otherwise wouldn’t get a foot in the door. Podcasting is such a fast-growing industry that it’s important we keep the push for diversity and inclusion in this space as well.” 

Aspiring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander podcasters can apply for this year’s Sound Up program here from May 11 – 15 by March 15. Travel and accommodation will be covered for those living outside of Sydney.