Tag: USC Annenberg

4 Ways Spotify Is Expanding Our NextGen Audio Program This Fall

November 28, 2023

At Spotify, we empower and amplify the voices of underrepresented creators by carving out spaces for new stories and perspectives to be shared and heard. NextGen, funded by Spotify’s Creator Equity Fund, is our ongoing program designed to infuse, activate, and grow podcast culture on college campuses. It supplies students across the U.S. with the audio skills they need to pursue their dreams. 

Since partnering with our first HBCU—Spelman College in Atlanta—and announcing an audio-first NextGen curriculum and weeklong Spotify Labs Creator Program at our first NextGen Creator Day at Spelman, we’ve been working diligently alongside our partners to empower and support the next generation of Black audio creators. 

But there’s still more to do. And we’re excited to highlight a few upcoming initiatives.

Renovating Spelman’s Podcast Studio 

Spotify Studios refurbished and modernized Spelman College’s existing on-campus podcast studio, fully outfitting the space with state-of-the-art podcasting and video recording equipment and personalized design touches. We also provided portable audio equipment for students and faculty to utilize in the field. The newly renovated studio and mobile equipment will serve as focal points for hosting guest speakers and collaborative projects. We’re excited for students to use the space to create a variety of content, following in the footsteps of their original podcast, Emmett Till: The Cultural Afterlife of an American Boy.

Unveiling Our New NextGen x HBCU Partner Schools: Hampton University and North Carolina A&T State University 

The Spotify Creator Equity Fund has committed over $100K in scholarship funding for students at both Hampton University’s Scripps Howard School of Journalism And Communications and North Carolina A&T State University’s ACEJMC-accredited Department of Journalism and Mass Communication. 

To kick things off at Hampton, we partnered with the Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communications to bring Spotify’s Opening Act Roadshow to campus for a one-day internship informational session. This event offered Hampton students exposure to Spotify thought leaders—Kristin Jarrett, Lead, Equity & Impact and Creator Equity; LaShanti Jenkins, Global Head of Early Career Pipeline Team; and Briana Younger, Editorial Lead, Hip Hop—as well as skill-building workshops and networking opportunities. Students also saw firsthand what a career path in the tech and audio industries would look like, and they participated in a live playlist challenge. In the spring, we’ll also be selecting scholarship winners from the school, donating audio equipment to the campus, and working closely with faculty to support students in their content creation. 

Stay tuned for more on our NextGen Audio initiatives at both schools throughout the 2023-2024 academic calendar year!

Collaborating with Howard University and Nikole Hannah-Jones

We recently partnered with professor and Pulitzer prize-winning New York Times journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones to bring a podcast narrative course based on the 1619 Project to Howard University during the 2023 fall semester. As students worked with Hannah-Jones to transform their narrative essays into a podcast that will be available on our platform, Spotify experts taught them about audio production. We also donated audio and recording equipment for students to use to create a three-episode podcast series that explores Black culture and influence and the legacies of slavery in America. We will be hosting a listening party for students in January 2024. 

Continuing our work with USC Annenberg

This year, NextGen’s collaboration with the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, including the USC Charlotta Bass Journalism & Justice Lab, will focus efforts toward open dialogue and career development for aspiring podcast creators from marginalized backgrounds. Throughout the fall, we’ve been providing USC students the opportunity to hear from top audio creator Edwin Covarrubias of Scary Stories, Wondery podcast producer and LA Times writer Dave Schilling, and author and What A Day host Tre’vell Anderson. We’ve also provided students access to Spotify executives—Creator Partner Manager Amber Watkins; Production Operations Lead Michelle Kitchen; Senior Program Ops Manager Nichole Henderson; and Community Development Lead Christabel Nsiah-Buadi. 

On Thursday, November 9, we welcomed 30 USC Annenberg students with a passion for audio storytelling to a Careers in Podcasting day at Spotify’s Los Angeles office to learn more about what a career path in audio looks like in 2023 and beyond.

Dr. Stacy Smith of USC Annenberg Calls on All of Us To Address the Gender Gap in Music

February 1, 2023

Dr. Stacy Smith

Each year, the team at the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative (AII), led by Dr. Stacy Smith, takes a look at the numbers of women in music—both behind the scenes and on the charts. The result is an annual study we are proud to underwrite. Together, we recognize there is so much more to be done when it comes to the inclusion of women and nonbinary creators within the music industry. 

Amplifying underrepresented voices is at the core of our work at Spotify. Over the past few years, we’ve launched several initiatives like Frequency, NextGen, SoundUp, and GLOW, each of which promotes a diverse roster of artists, songwriters, and podcasters on our platform. Our global EQUAL music program, which is dedicated to promoting and elevating women artists around the world, has enabled us to support over 700 women in 35 countries since March 2021.

Our work is informed by our partners at the USC AII, and particularly, Dr. Stacy Smith. As the founder of the USC AII—the leading global think tank studying issues of inequality in entertainment—Dr. Smith is the foremost disrupter of inequality in the entertainment industry. She’s also a founding member of our Safety Advisory Council.

The report outlines why women need to help and be supportive of other women through mentorship programs, amplification opportunities, and other confidence-building activities. This is the fourth consecutive year Spotify has funded the study, and we’re committed to continuing to learn and understand, and to work toward a more equitable industry. But don’t just take it from us—read on for Dr. Smith’s observations and recommendations.

How would you define representation?

In light of the research we do, representation focuses on prevalence as well as the nature of how groups are presented in the media. For music, specifically, we are examining who receives access and opportunity to specific key positions.

Your research examines inclusion of gender, race/ethnicity, the LGBTQIA+ community, people with disabilities, and mental health in storytelling across film, TV, and digital platforms. What do you see across the board when these groups are not represented, or are underrepresented? 

We see storytelling that fails to depict the reality of the world where we all live. We are missing critical stories and points of view from dynamic and vibrant communities. A lot of our work has shown negative tropes and stereotypes still occur far too frequently when it comes to gender, race/ethnicity, the LGBTIQ+ community, people with disabilities, and mental health.

The Annenberg Inclusion Study, which Spotify partners on, relates to women in the music industry. What are the encouraging trends you’re seeing? What more needs to be done? 

There is only one encouraging trend: The percentage of women artists increased in 2022 in comparison to 2021. That said, it is still abysmally low.  

People need to hire women songwriters, producers, and engineers. That’s it. Until that happens, the numbers will not change. Ultimately, what is needed to create change is for labels to sign, promote, market, and hire women and gender nonconforming people from all backgrounds as artists, songwriters, and producers.

Is there anything notable in the latest gender in music report that you’d like to call out?

The Recording Academy’s efforts on women in the mix have made absolutely no difference in the lives of women producers or engineers. The solution isn’t gimmicks or publicity grabs. It is people understanding that women songwriters and producers have talent but they are not given the same access and opportunity as their male peers.

What would you like to see Spotify doing more of? Less of?

Spotify, along with all the industry, can showcase the work of talented women songwriters and producers to facilitate opportunities. Making sure that listeners can experience songs written and produced by women—and performed by women, too.

Listen to women at full volume on our global EQUAL playlist.

Spotify France and shesaid.so Partner To Create Online Directory of Women, Trans, and Nonbinary Music Professionals

May 27, 2022

Spotify has been taking steps to increase the number of women and nonbinary individuals in the music industry for years. From our Equalizer project in the Nordics to our collaborative study with USC Annenberg in the U.S. and our EQUAL program elevating talented women musicians around the world, there’s no shortage of initiatives aimed at creating better gender equity in the industry. But it’s not enough, and much more still must be done. 

Yesterday, at the Nuits Sonores in Lyon, France, Spotify and shesaid.so announced Majeur.e.s., the first inclusive online directory of professional women, trans, and nonbinary individuals within the music industry in France. This directory aims to accelerate change in a music industry that is still deeply unequal.

“As the leading streaming platform, we have a responsibility and a role to play in order to build a more egalitarian music industry,” says Julie Beherec, Artist and Label Partnerships Manager at Spotify France. “Beyond the support we give to women artists through our EQUAL program, we deemed it necessary and in fact urgent to give more space to women and minorities within the music industry by making their profiles more visible when they’re so often overlooked. Which is why we’re extremely proud to support this initiative by helping create and develop the Majeur.e.s. Directory.” 

The site majeures.org functions as a database that will allow professionals within the music industry to find and hire experienced individuals. With this inclusive online directory of women, trans, and nonbinary music professionals in France, there’s a streamlined, clear way to find the technician any production needs. This complimentary tool comes a year after the launch of the EQUAL program in France and numerous other countries around the world, and as Spotify France tackles gender discrimination in collaboration with shesaid.so and other NGOs locally. 

“The music industry is in constant evolution, and it’s of the utmost importance that we accompany its actors with the adequate tools,” says Claire Morel, President of shesaid.so France. “It’s majeures.org’s role. Majeur.e.s. is truly an accelerator of equality.”

Check out majeures.org to find a directory of women, trans, and nonbinary music professionals. Then stream our EQUAL France playlist for a taste of the talent there. 

USC Annenberg’s ‘Inclusion in the Recording Studio?’ Study Finds That More Work Toward Gender Equity Is Needed

March 31, 2022

Women in music hold many roles—they are singers and songwriters, producers and engineers. They must overcome age-old barriers to put their artistry and creativity to work and make their voices heard among fans worldwide. And yet despite decades of progress, women are still vastly underrepresented on the top music charts.  

The 2022 study “Inclusion in the Recording Studio?”, the fifth annual report on the music industry from Dr. Stacy L. Smith and the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, details the numerical realities of this inequality. The report, which was funded by Spotify again this year, provides a comprehensive industry update on inclusion—and shows that much more needs to be done. 

Spotify has been working hard on creating spaces and opportunities for women with on-platform campaigns such as EQUAL. But as we’ve seen clearly, the results are not good enough.

“To rise to a challenge, the industry must first understand it. This is why the efforts of Stacy Smith, Karla Hernandez, and the entire team behind the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative are critical,” said Dawn Ostroff, Chief Content & Advertising Officer, Spotify. “These results underscore the need for action. We are committed to continuing to support this important research, to elevating women who can, in turn, create opportunities for women, and to making meaningful progress to improve equity across the world of music.“

Read on below, or head straight to the report.

Artists of color are increasing on the charts

The study explores the intersection of gender and race/ethnicity for artists. In contrast to the lack of women artists, artists from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups represented over half of 2021’s artists. But Dr. Smith explains, “Although the data reveal an increase for women of color, these findings indicate that there is more work to be done.”

Women songwriters and producers remain outnumbered 

“Inclusion in the Recording Studio?” didn’t only look at front women but also at those behind the scenes, and it found that women songwriters and producers remain outnumbered. Overall, across a total of 1,522 producing credits in the 10-year sample, 97.2% were men and 2.8% were women. 

A nod toward nominees

The study assessed every nominee at the Grammys® that received recognition in the categories of Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Best New Artist, and Producer of the Year for the same time frame. It found that women were more likely to be nominated for Best New Artist (44.4%) and Song of the Year (28.8%). On the other hand, they represented the lowest percentage of nominees in the Album of the Year (9.7%) and Producer of the Year (1.9%) categories. 

“Uplifting women in music is crucial, as it allows women to grow in their careers and opens the doors for younger women aspiring to work in this industry,” said Karla Hernandez, the study’s lead author. “This is especially true for women of color, who are often excluded from prestigious institutions and career recognition. We must see women’s work showcased and nominated, giving them space in writing rooms and studios. By actively working toward inclusion, we can bring forth a new wave of talent and creativity.”

There’s much more to be done, and the report also recommends changes to increase the number of women as artists, songwriters, and producers and provides solutions for sustaining growth for underrepresented artists. Read the rest of the data, as well as the recommendations, in the full report.

Spotify’s EQUAL Festival Brings Together Outstanding Colombian Voices in an All-Female Lineup

March 17, 2022

Over the past year, Spotify has brought the voices of talented women artists from around the world together through EQUAL—an on-platform initiative aimed at reducing the gender disparity in the music industry. Next month, this initiative will reach the stage for the first time with Spotify’s new EQUAL Festival in Colombia. 

Throughout the month of April, across seven performances, Spotify will bring together 13 outstanding women in music in Colombia at El Teatro in Bogotá. These women represent a great diversity of genres and sounds—and together, their monthly listeners on the platform equal more than 3.4 million. The headliners—Goyo, Paola Jara, Lido Pimienta, Andrea Echeverri, Farina, Elsa y Elmar, Ventino, Karen Lizarazo, Juliana Velásquez, Nidia Góngora, María Cristina Plata, Bad Milk, and Las Villa—are coming together in conjunction with Spotify to make a statement for gender equality at full volume.

According to the Spotify-sponsored USC Annenberg study on the representation of women in the music industry, only one in five artists on the charts is a woman. This knowledge has driven our commitment to generating more impactful opportunities for women artists.

“To begin to change this disparity, we must expand the work of creative women and create more opportunities for emerging artists. That is the reason for the EQUAL global initiative,” says Mia Nygren, Managing Director for Spotify in Latin America. “We want to do our part: We know that when we empower artists, more people listen, and that music shapes the future. We are excited to bring the EQUAL playlist to a live experience for the first time, hand in hand with a spectacular lineup.”

Hear from some of the artists—and see which dates they’re performing—below.

April 1: Goyo / Elsa y Elmar

“The best thing about being a woman in the industry right now is that we can use our platform to say a lot of things with our female voice, building a path for all women,” says Goyo, voice of legendary band ChocQuibTown, who will be performing her solo project at the festival. “I have always felt proud to use my platform as an Afro-Latin woman and thus continue the legacy of many artists like Celia Cruz who have opened doors for us.”

“Being a woman and a musician is walking on a rocky path, but one that has already been traveled by women before, especially women who were not willing to occupy the roles pigeonholed for their gender. Now we can be ourselves,” says Elsa Carvajal, known under the name of her multi-award-winning “spiritual pop” or indie folk project, Elsa y Elmar. “In my career, at no time have I had to divert my message or my music to fulfill a role. I feel proud to make my music.”

April 6: Ventino / Juliana Velásquez

“We return to the stage for the EQUAL Festival. We are proud to be women in the industry, breaking the stereotype that women cannot work together to achieve our goals,” say the members of the pop group Ventino.

“We can dismantle preconceptions such as the fact that our voice does not have as much repercussion as that of men,” says pop singer-songwriter Juliana Velasquez. “You only have to look at the lists to see that there are many women who have a lot to say in all genres, from indie to pop to urban. That vulnerable image has changed a lot, and we can go out and sing things that make us feel uncomfortable, represent us, and make us feel powerful.” 

April 8: Karen Lizarazo / Las Villa

“We are very excited to announce that this is the first time we will perform in Bogotá as part of the EQUAL Festival,” say twin sisters Laura and Lucia, who form the urban pop duo Las Villa. “For us as women, it is very important to be part of this movement and continue opening the way for other girls who come after us.”

April 20: Paola Jara

“I am proud to be able to represent women in this first edition of the Equal Festival and of course my genre, the popular music of Colombia,” says Paola Jara, who is considered one of the greatest in Colombian folk singing, earning respect in a genre dominated by male artists.

April 22: Lido Pimienta / Nidia Góngora

“The best thing about being a woman artist is that through music we can break stereotypes, transform, and educate. We get the chance to bring love and joy to many people,” says Nidia Góngora, an Afro-Colombian singer-songwriter from Timbiquí and ambassador of the characteristic marimba music of the Colombian Pacific coast.

April 27: Andrea Echeverri / Maria Cristina Plata

“We are expanding awareness, and spaces are being conquered thanks to today’s feminist movements. I see that songs I wrote 25 years ago like ‘Cosita Seria’—which speaks about harassment and gender violence—are being validated and make more sense because they are perfect for everything that is happening,” says Andrea Echeverri, founder and voice of the legendary rock band Aterciopelados. 

April 29: Farina / Bad Milk

“Women today have a platform and the means to make our point of view prevail,” says Medellín-born singer-songwriter Manuelita García of Bad Milk. “We come from a country that has always been marked by gender violence and where women in the music industry have been overshadowed. I feel proud to represent women and give them a voice that many artists used to do with me.”

Get more information and buy tickets to the festival here. And in the meantime, enjoy the sounds of these artists with the EQUAL Colombia playlist.

El Festival EQUAL de Spotify reúne a destacadas voces colombianas en un cartel exclusivamente femenino

March 17, 2022

Durante el año pasado, Spotify reunió las voces de mujeres artistas talentosas de todo el mundo a través de EQUAL, una iniciativa en la plataforma destinada a reducir la disparidad de género en la industria de la música. El próximo mes, esta iniciativa subirá al escenario por primera vez con el nuevo Festival EQUAL de Spotify en Colombia.

A lo largo del mes de abril, Spotify reunirá a 13 mujeres destacadas de la música en Colombia a través de siete funciones en El Teatro de Bogotá. Estas mujeres representan una gran diversidad de géneros y sonidos, y juntas, sus oyentes mensuales en la plataforma suman más de 3,4 millones. Las artistas en el cartel —Goyo, Paola Jara, Lido Pimienta, Andrea Echeverri, Farina, Elsa y Elmar, Ventino, Karen Lizarazo, Juliana Velásquez, Nidia Góngora, María Cristina Plata, Bad Milk, y Las Villa se unen a Spotify para hacer una declaración a favor de la igualdad de género a todo volumen.

Según el estudio Annenberg de la USC sobre la representación de las mujeres en la industria de la música patrocinado por Spotify, solo una de cada cinco artistas en las listas es una mujer. Este conocimiento ha impulsado nuestro compromiso de generar oportunidades para las mujeres artistas.

“Para comenzar a cambiar esta disparidad, debemos expandir el trabajo de las mujeres creativas y crear más oportunidades para los artistas emergentes. Esa es la razón de la iniciativa global EQUAL”, dice Mia Nygren, Managing Director de Spotify en América Latina. “Queremos hacer nuestra parte: sabemos que cuando empoderamos a los artistas, más personas escuchan y esa música da forma al futuro. Estamos emocionados de llevar la playlist EQUAL a una experiencia en vivo por primera vez, de la mano de una alineación espectacular”.

Escucha a algunas de las artistas, y ve en qué fechas se presentarán, a continuación.

1 de abril: Goyo y Elsa y Elmar

“Lo mejor de ser mujer en la industria en este momento es que podemos usar nuestra plataforma para decir muchas cosas con nuestra voz femenina, construyendo un camino para todas las mujeres”, dice Goyo, voz de la legendaria banda ChocQuibTown, quien presentará su proyecto en solitario en el festival. “Siempre me he sentido orgullosa de usar mi plataforma como mujer afrolatina, y así continuar con el legado de muchos artistas como Celia Cruz que nos han abierto puertas”.

“Ser mujer y músico es caminar por un camino pedregoso, pero que ya ha sido transitado por mujeres antes, especialmente por mujeres que no estaban dispuestas a ocupar los roles encasillados a su género. Ahora podemos ser nosotras mismas”, dice Elsa Carvajal, conocida con el nombre de Elsa y Elmar, un multipremiado proyecto de “pop espiritual” o indie folk. “En mi carrera en ningún momento he tenido que desviar mi mensaje o mi música para cumplir un rol. Me siento orgullosa de hacer mi música”.

6 de abril: Ventino y Juliana Velásquez

“Volvemos a los escenarios para el festival EQUAL. Estamos orgullosas de ser mujeres en la industria, rompiendo el estereotipo de que las mujeres no podemos trabajar juntas para lograr nuestras metas”, dijeron las integrantes del grupo pop Ventino.

“Podemos desmontar preconceptos como que nuestra voz no tiene tanta repercusión como la de los hombres”, dice la cantautora pop Juliana Velásquez. “Solo hay que mirar las listas para ver que hay muchas mujeres que tienen mucho que decir en todos los géneros, desde el indie al pop, pasando por el urbano. Ha cambiado mucho esa imagen vulnerable y podemos salir a cantar cosas que nos incomodan, nos representan y nos hacen sentir poderosas”.

8 de abril: Karen Lizarazo / Las Villas

“Estamos muy emocionadas de anunciar que esta es la primera vez que nos presentaremos en Bogotá como parte del Festival EQUAL”, dicen las hermanas mellizas Laura y Lucia, quienes forman el dúo de pop urbano Las Villa. “Para nosotras como mujeres es muy importante ser parte de este movimiento y seguir abriendo camino a otras niñas que vengan después de nosotras”.

20 de abril: Paola Jara

“Estoy orgullosa de poder representar a la mujer en esta primera edición del Festival Equal y por supuesto mi género, la música popular de Colombia”, dice Paola Jara, quien es considerada una de las más grandes de la música popular colombiana, ganándose el respeto en un género dominado por artistas masculinos.

22 de abril: Lido Pimienta / Nidia Góngora

“Lo mejor de ser mujer artista es que a través de la música podemos romper estereotipos, transformar y educar. Tenemos la oportunidad de llevar amor y alegría a muchas personas”, dice Nidia Góngora, cantautora afrocolombiana de Timbiquí y embajadora de la música de marimba característica de la costa pacífica colombiana.

27 de abril: Andrea Echeverri / María Cristina Plata

“Estamos ampliando las conciencias y se están conquistando espacios gracias a los movimientos feministas de hoy. Veo que canciones que escribí hace 25 años como “Cosita Seria”, que habla de acoso y violencia de género, se están validando y tienen más sentido porque son perfectas para todo lo que está pasando”, dice Andrea Echeverri, fundadora y voz de la la legendaria banda de rock Aterciopelados.

April 29: Farina / Bad Milk

“Las mujeres hoy tenemos una plataforma y los medios para hacer prevalecer nuestro punto de vista”, dice la cantautora nacida en Medellín Manuelita García, de Bad Milk. “Venimos de un país que siempre ha estado marcado por la violencia de género y donde la mujer en la industria de la música se ha visto opacada. Me siento orgullosa de representar a las mujeres y darles una voz como antes muchas artistas lo hicieron conmigo”.

Obtén más información y compra entradas para el festival aquí. Y mientras tanto, disfruta de los sonidos de estos artistas con la playlist de EQUAL Colombia.