Tag: shanon cook

Go Behind the Scenes With Our New Podcast, ‘Spotify: For the Record’

August 13, 2020

For the past two years, For the Record has shared big Spotify moments with you. Now, we’re taking listeners even deeper behind the scenes with our new podcast, Spotify: For the Record. This new series features interviews with Spotify employees and industry experts as we dive into major moments in music, podcasting and tech. We’ve already seen that what’s happening in the world is reflected on Spotify; with this podcast, we take that one step further as we discuss cultural events, listening trends, the tech behind our platform, and more.

Our first three episodes are already live. In the latest one, we talked to Katy Perry, as well as Ariel Rechtshaid, Wesley Bunch, and Ben Jaffe, to see how they’re staying connected to their fans and their music during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Learn more about our episodes below.

Artists & Creativity During COVID-19 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, artists, producers, and venue owners are looking for—and finding—creative solutions to stay connected with fans. Katy Perry gives us a peek behind the curtain on how she adapted to deliver her new album, Smile, while producer Ariel Rechtshaid reveals what happens when the recording studio is silent. Wesley Bunch, lead singer of the Philadelphia-based indie band, Suburban Living, shares the impact of not being on the road. And we hear from Ben Jaffe, who runs Preservation Hall in New Orleans, on his mission to save the venue and support his fellow jazz musicians.

Podcasts: The Medium of the Moment

Podcasting is fast becoming the medium of the moment, with more than 1.5 million shows now on Spotify—half of which launched this year alone. Household names such as Joe Rogan, Kim Kardashian, and now Michelle Obama are attracting millions of new fans to the already booming podcasting world. Spotify’s commitment to all things audio is driving financial results too. In this episode, hear from CEO Daniel Ek and CFO Paul Vogel as they outline the key roles podcasting is playing in the company’s strategy. 

https://open.spotify.com/episode/12CG1dcTe0QUu1lcbj2Uyf?si=6PbjHacBRiuXgT50byHXsQ

Supporting the Black Community

In this episode, we discuss how cultural moments are often reflected in the music we listen to, zeroing in on the racial justice movement of today. Cohosted by Xavier “X” Jernigan, Head of Cultural Partnerships at Spotify, and Shanon Cook, Spotify’s Culture and Trends Expert, we’ll hear from members of the Spotify team including Safiya Lambie-Knight, Artist & Label Partnerships Lead, Dawn Ostroff, Chief Content Officer, and Cherise Bernard, Senior Recruiter and Head of Spotify’s employee resource group BLK. In this episode, we discuss what we’ve seen on our platform and what Spotify is doing to elevate Black voices and support the Black community, both inside and outside our walls. 

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2j7oFO9YqMEPelug3KTrx3?si=xKCGJiYOSWCuq9SgXX9hsg

Be sure to follow the show so you’re in the loop when new episodes drop. And check out The Spotify News Hub for additional podcasts and playlists showcasing our news and views.

 

The “Podcasts: The Medium of the Moment” and “Supporting the Black Community” episodes are no longer available as of November 2021, however you can get more great stories and news delivered audibly by following our podcasts, Spotify: For the Record, Spotify: Mic Check, and Spotify: Discover This.

Five Ways Music Can Help You Keep the Kids Entertained this Winter

January 15, 2019

If you’re a parent in the grips of cold winter weather, you may be feeling the strain of keeping kids happy, especially when they’re forced to be inside. But there’s no need to pull your hair out just yet—here are five ideas for using music to keep kids entertained when they’re feeling cooped up:

Make a Playlist (or ten)!

From as young as age one, kids tend to be exposed to popular music in some form or another, whether through lively Kidz Bop covers, TV shows, viral videos, or what their parents are listening to. And it doesn’t take long for your little ones to figure out—and express—what they like and don’t like. Building a playlist with your kids is not only a great way to keep up with what they’re into, but it also lets them know that their preferences count. Make an afternoon of creating multiple playlists to suit different occasions—commuting to school, baking, tidying up, dancing, homework—and let your kids drive the song choices.

You may need to dip into various playlists to throw out recommendations and help guide them, and be sure to include your own song picks, especially if the playlist will be streamed for everyone in the household. This is a great way to subtly teach your kids about songs or artists that are iconic or matter to you. Don’t underestimate even the youngest of kids; The Beatles’ “Blackbird” can be interesting to a four-year-old.

Make a Musical

Bring out the budding Andrew Lloyd Webbers and Lin-Manuel Mirandas in your household by having the kids come up with their own musical. Select a group of songs the kids can link together by acting out a scene or two in between tracks.

If your kids have seen Moana twenty-eight times and love it, maybe they’d love to recreate the movie by following the film’s soundtrack (incidentally, the most-streamed songs in Spotify’s popular Disney Hits playlist are Moana songs “You’re Welcome” and “How Far I’ll Go.”) (Tip: Dining chairs pushed together make a great boat.) But it doesn’t have to be a familiar plot; you can also choose four to five random, unrelated songs and challenge them to stitch the tracks together.

Raid the Kitchen; Make Some Noise

We admit this is a noisy one, but it’s fun. Dig out kitchen objects that could work as percussive instruments: pots and pans and wooden spoons, a sealed container filled with rice … you get the idea. Have the kids play around with the different sounds they can make— beating an overturned wooden salad bowl like a bongo is a good one—and when they have the idea, encourage them to play their kitchen instruments along to music. Lean on instrumental pieces for this one: There’s some great African drum music for inspiration, and a track like “Sing, Sing, Sing” from legendary bandleader Benny Goodman is on point. Not only does this (sometimes deafening!) activity help kids identify rhythm and beat, it gives them a sense of what it’s like to actually make music rather than just listen to it.

Paint by Music

Music gets the creative juices flowing, as does painting. So why not pair the two art forms together? Set up a dedicated area and have the kids expressively paint to music. Whether finger painting, splattering Jackson Pollock-style or using a good, old-fashioned paintbrush, let the tunes act as a guide to inform and inspire your kids’ artwork. And if your place winds up looking like a musical festival rolled into town, turn to the “Cleanup Song” to encourage the kids to help tidy up. (Good luck!)   

Throw a Dance Party

Little kids love to dance, so get them to work off some energy or get “the sillies” out with a dance party at home. Start by setting up: move the coffee table out of the way for more space, and set up a snack area. Maybe the kids could even make posters revealing the name or theme of the party, as well as invitations for friends and neighbors. Dress up! Work together on what music everyone will boogie to by making a dance-themed playlist, then crank it. For inspo: The most popular Kidz Bop songs on Spotify are “Shake It Off,” “Uptown Funk,” and “Havana”—all good songs to move to. Playing freeze dance is always a great way to keep kids on their toes. You could also deejay and take song requests from everyone to keep them engaged.

Ready to get started? Check out Spotify’s Sing Along playlist for some kid-friendly tunes that’ll have your little ones belting out in no time.

More than Magic: Behind Our 2018 Songs of Summer Predictions

May 23, 2018

If you’re looking to get a head start on the songs that will rock this summer’s hazy airwaves, there’s no need to consult a crystal ball. We used our own tarot cards, palm lines, constellations, and tea leaves to divine the season’s standouts.

Okay, not quite—but we do have a solid track record of predicting the most listened-to songs of summer, calling out hits like Luis Fonsi, Justin Bieber, and Daddy Yankee’s “Despacito” remix, Drake’s “One Dance” and Calvin Harris’ “Summer”—all songs that have dominated summer streaming.

Magic aside, creating this list of summer crowd-pleasers is no easy task—we’re pulling a very select number of songs from thousands of options. There are plenty of factors to consider across a range of musical categories, so we consult Spotify’s own genre experts. Those genre experts span pop, hip-hop, latin, country, rock, and electronica, and they’re behind some of your favorite playlists, from RapCaviar and Hot Country to Today’s Top Hits. As music experts, they shine a light on exactly what’s trending.

Overall, predicting the Songs of Summer is a full a team effort. We look for:

  • Songs on an upward trajectory: Recent hits played more and more with no sign of slowing down are likely to carry that momentum into the summer.
  • Songs with strong engagement in key Spotify playlists: How well a song is doing in influential playlists (are listeners saving it and not skipping it?) gives us a good indication of hit potential.
  • Songs with strong chart performance: We can see how a track is performing in relation to all others through our charts – if it rises to the top, it will rise with the summer heat.
  • Songs with momentum driving them: If an artist is getting ready to tour, drop a new album, or if the song is highly anticipated, it’s more likely to command playlists.
  • Songs generating buzz: Is it making headlines for being the first of its kind, particularly relevant, or created by an up-and-coming artist? (Think Childish Gambino’s “This Is America.”) Those factors will probably continue to drive its success.
  • Songs that just sound like summer: Is it beach, poolside, or backyard-party-worthy? We know ‘em when we hear ‘em.
  • Songs that our gut tells us to go for: We go with our instincts. Some songs just have that inexplicable summer magic.

Historically, songs that end up being summer hits fall into a few of these categories. Last year, “Despacito – Remix” was the undisputed song of the summer, with more than 786 million streams during the summer months. According to Shanon Cook, Trends Expert at Spotify, “Despacito” was a rare find.

“‘Despacito’ was such an interesting song-of-the-summer story. Not only did the track have a summery – and saucy – reggaeton vibe, but it sustained itself as one of Spotify’s top-streamed global songs for about 10 weeks. And because it originated as a latin music track, ‘Despacito’ brought with it this wonderful cross-cultural narrative that got everyone talking.”

With these considerations in mind, we’ve conjured up this year’s song of the summer predictions, one of which we think will most likely be crowned The One when we reflect back in August (but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.)

See for yourself:

According to Cook, this summer’s leading contenders fit easily into the top hits criteria, from Calvin Harris to Camila Cabello.

“Cardi B’s ‘I Like It’ screams summer jam, and it’s hard to overlook Calvin Harris’ ‘One Kiss’ as the dance-pop track that will be ubiquitous from now until August. Both are doing really well on our global chart at the moment. The brand new Camila Cabello-Pharrell Williams collaboration ‘Sangria Wine’ could really take off, and no doubt Drake will be soundtracking our summers with ‘Nice for What’ or a new release in the coming weeks.”

So get out your flip-flops, put on those sunglasses, and start summer early with our 2018 Songs of Summer playlist.