
Today the conversation gets a little more lively as we launch the first episode of Spotify Talks in Pakistan.
Spotify Talks is a quarterly series of hour-long conversations hosted here that give Pakistani listeners the inside scoop on what's going on in the local entertainment, music, and tech scenes. From how to keep the music industry growing to the latest trends in advertising, discussions each episode will feature a diverse panel of industry leaders, tastemakers, and creators.
The first season kicks off with a bang as the host, actress and VJ Anoushey Ashraf, brings together artists and EQUAL Ambassadors Natasha Baig, Momina Mustehsan, and Zoha Zuberi along with Spotify Music Manager Rutaba Yaqub for a lively discussion on the ups and downs that come with being a woman in the music industry.
For the Record sat down with Rutaba Yaqub-Spotify's Music Manager for Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan-to learn more about what listeners can expect from Spotify Talks.
Why are you launching Spotify Talks? Culture is close to our heart at Spotify-and by culture, we're talking about Pakistan's rich music scene, its talented creators, and the fans who make it possible for artists to reach new heights every day. Spotify Talks is all about that.
Through Spotify Talks, we are leveraging our platform to bring together key industry players, tastemakers, and experts to have conversations about the latest movements across music, technology, and entertainment in Pakistan. Each episode of the digital series will cover a new topic, and we hope that our viewers leave feeling inspired by the amazing stories our guests will share.
What should we expect from Spotify Talks? You can expect candid and engaging conversations among experts with varying backgrounds. Each episode touches on hard-hitting topics important to Pakistan, such as women in music, piracy, cultivating local talent, the latest trends in advertising, authenticity in the digital age, and more.
Our first episode is a celebration of women in music, reflecting on their triumphs and challenges and looking at how EQUAL Pakistan contributed to the discovery of women's voices around the globe.
What have been the major milestones for EQUAL Pakistan in the last six months? On International Women's Day this year, we launched the EQUAL Pakistan playlist to highlight the importance of equity for women in music. It is already challenging to pursue a career in music in Pakistan, let alone embark on this journey as a woman where platforms never existed to amplify the music careers of Pakistani women.
Every year on Women's Day in March, we hear a lot of noise about giving equal rights to women, but this noise is time-bound. Therefore, keeping this in mind, our goal is to make that noise throughout the year, giving the opportunity to all women in music from singers to producers.
Since the launch of EQUAL Pakistan six months ago, the program's dedicated playlist has seen a 63% increase in streams by listeners in Pakistan. And fans from all over the globe are streaming Pakistani women artists at full volume, from the U.S. and Saudi Arabia to Canada.
We are proud to say that women artists added to the EQUAL Pakistan playlist are about 20 times more likely to be discovered by new fans.
What are your hopes for Pakistani women artists in years to come? We hope that Pakistani women artists keep creating music and have their work seen and heard-not just in Pakistan, but all over the globe. Seeing more women in music will motivate more women to pursue careers in the field, without hesitation.
As Pakistan's music industry continues to evolve, providing a nurturing environment for women artists and supporting them will be crucial. We have plenty of phenomenal talent coming out of the country, and with EQUAL, we will continue inspiring and encouraging our listeners to play their music at full volume.
This is just the beginning.
See what everybody's talking about by tuning in to the EQUAL Pakistan playlist:
Europe Stories
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
22/07/2026
Library now available in Engine Player
Another of Eduardo Tarilonte's popular sample libraries has just been moved over to Engine Audio's Engine Pla...
22/07/2026
All-in-one mic & DSP interface overhauled
Cloudvocal have just refreshed the design of their all-in-one mic, audio interface and DSP processor, introducing ...
22/07/2026
The final boss of the lost dual-op-amp circuit
Electro-Harmonix have just introduced the Deluxe Big Muff Pi 2, which they say offers their latest take on t...
22/07/2026
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
22/07/2026
A poisoned spy, a secret war, and a small English city contaminated by a deadly chemical weapon. Available on Sky Documentaries from 4 AugustWednesday 22 July 2...
22/07/2026
Audio at Parity: Comscore Launches Transcript-Level Targeting and Measurement wi...
22/07/2026
Arvato Systems and Lobster Enter into a Partnership and Combine the Integration Platform and Managed Services
Flexible integration solutions for cloud, hybrid...
22/07/2026
RT REPORTS NET SURPLUS OF 22.5 MILLION IN 2025...
22/07/2026
In the Opinion of the Censor airs Monday 27 July at 9.35pm on RT One and RT Player
In the Opinion of the Censor looks at how films for theatrical release wer...
21/07/2026
New research involving a cross-section of Mongolias independent media landscape finds enthusiasm for AI as a tool to improve efficiency, sustainability and resi...
21/07/2026
High-end analogue channel strip boasts plug-in recall
Originally revealed as a prototype back at NAMM 2024, the Channex Studio channel strip represented a b...
21/07/2026
Relies on same DSP as plug-in range
Musik Hack's line-up has been influenced heavily by founder Stan Greene's work as a mixing engineer, and their M...
21/07/2026
Official collaboration with boutique builder Dirty Boy Pedals
Warm Audio have just announced the launch of a new guitar pedal range created in collaboration...
21/07/2026
Rohde & Schwarz showcases broad range of EMC test solutions at EMC SIPI 2026 in ...
21/07/2026
X-Rite Pantone and NIFT Partner to Build Color Management Skills for India's...
21/07/2026
Harmonics cOS Virtualized Broadband Platform and Pearl Remote OLTs Enable Flexible PON Migration, While SeaStar Optical Node Powers Cost-Effective Multi-Gigabit...
21/07/2026
160 hours of Irish storytelling for 2026
KIN and The Walsh Sisters return
RT has today unveiled its most ambitious drama slate ever, with a record-breakin...
20/07/2026
Product range now readily available in the UK
Graph Tech Guitar Labs have just announced the launch of a new UK Online Store that makes it quicker and easie...
20/07/2026
Popular headset gains active noise cancellation
The Maxwell headet was Audeze's first foray into the gaming world, and thanks to its Dolby Atmos compati...
20/07/2026
Monday 20 July 2026
Sky brings free global roaming to millions of loyal custome...
20/07/2026
Red Seat Ventures Announces Introduction of Premium Creator and Podcast Communit...
20/07/2026
FIFA World Cup Final sets new RT Player record as the most-streamed single event in the platform's history
Over 1 million viewers watched live on RT 2 as ...
19/07/2026
Channel strip plug-in gets upgraded
Acustica Audio's vintage-inspired channel strip plug-in has just been treated to an update that expands its tonal ra...
18/07/2026
Captures nine sought-after Fender amps
IK Multimedia's latest TONEX expansion captures a selection of nine rare Brown Panel' Fender amps that were ...
18/07/2026
Latest batch ships alongside firmware update
Since being unveiled at Superbooth 2025, Frap Tools' debut polysynth has been met with widespread praise, a...
17/07/2026
Full engine access with reduced soundset
Sonuscore have steadily been introducing a selection of reduced-cost and free versions of their flagship products r...
17/07/2026
Two new special-edition models revealed
Over the past week, Arturia have launched special-edition versions of both their premium MIDI controller and stage p...
17/07/2026
Original founder now back at the helm
In a message posted on his personal social media accounts, Dirk Ulrich has announced that both Plugin Alliance and Bra...
17/07/2026
From intimate acoustic settings to large-scale festival stages, her focus has remained constant: preserving the true natural voice of the violin in every perfor...
17/07/2026
New and returning series, live festival broadcasts, powerful documentaries and major sporting moments headline RT Radio 1's summer schedule
RT Radio 1 is...
17/07/2026
Up For The Match - Live From Croke Park this Saturday at 8pm on RT One and RT ...
17/07/2026
RT Commercial has today announced DiscoverIreland.ie, as sponsor of The Traitor...
16/07/2026
Media organisations with tested plans for new products, services or revenue models can now apply for grants of up to 30,000 through the Business Innovation Syn...
16/07/2026
A new benchmark in bass enhancement
Described as a new benchmark in bass enhancement , Baby Audio's latest release has been designed to augment the lo...
16/07/2026
Popular library rebuilt in new Orbita Engine
Other Worlds Evolved is the latest of Zero G's sample libraries to be treated to a ground-up rebuild using ...
16/07/2026
Created in collaboration with A. G. Cook
The newest addition to Native Instruments' software collection introduces a new synth created by A. G. Cook, a ...
16/07/2026
Rohde & Schwarz supplies conformance test systems to Marquistech for India's...
16/07/2026
Modern broadcast facilities are no longer confined to a single control room. Production teams are spread across multiple workstations, machine rooms, studios, c...
16/07/2026
Whether you're operating a single control room or managing metering across an entire broadcast facility, having the right information in the right place is ...
16/07/2026
San Jose, CA - July 16, 2026 - Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced a $25,000...
16/07/2026
Modern broadcast facilities are no longer confined to a single control room. Production teams are spread across multiple workstations, machine rooms, studios, c...
16/07/2026
Fox Corporation Executives to Discuss Fourth Quarter and Full Fiscal Year 2026 F...
16/07/2026
More interfaces now compatible with Focusrite Control 2 Your Focusrite interface might now be compatible with a public beta support of Focusrite Control 2. If...
16/07/2026
Together the semi-finals had a combined reach of 1.98 million unique individuals...
15/07/2026
Launched alongside new FreqSoft installer
Designed to bridge the gap between hardware and software, Freqport's FreqInOut FO1 unit provides a simple way ...