Anyone has the ability to think of a great podcast idea-but not everyone has the means, knowledge, or connections to bring it to life. That's where Spotify's Sound Up podcast education program comes in: Our goal is to empower the next generation of podcasters through education, workshops, and support, as well as create a space for new voices, stories, and perspectives in podcasting. And it's already making an impact: By the end of 2020, Sound Up will have served 160 participants in six countries.
Back in June, we announced the addition of Brazilian and Swedish programs, in addition to offerings for the U.S., U.K. and Ireland, Australia, and Germany. We also opened up applications for the third cohort of women of color in the U.S. who want to gain the skills and connections to bring their great podcasting ideas to life.
This year, Sound Up U.S. was conducted over a four-week virtual course in which 20 outstanding participants who were selected from a competitive batch of applications learned podcast engineering skills, tips for pitching their ideas, and more. Their ideas ran the gamut from historical fiction and fantasy, to innovative music shows, motherhood, women's sexual health, musicals, and social justice. The program was facilitated by Rekha Murthy, a podcast strategist and our long-term partner on the program; and Maria Murriel, cofounder of Pizza Shark Productions.
All 20 participants had eight weeks to deliver a trailer and podcast pitch to a panel of judges for review. Now, going into phase two, 10 participants (and their ideas) have been chosen for a one-week intensive program in 2021. However, the full class will continue to have the support of the Sound Up community for their projects going forward, as well as access to ongoing opportunities for education, classes, and networking.
The second phase of the program will be even more focused, with more one-to-one workshop support. After the week comes to an end, each participant will have two months to complete a 20- to 30-minute pilot episode, and potentially see their idea come to life.
Get to know the 10 participants who will be moving forward into the next phase of Sound Up U.S.
Krystal Cruz
Programs like Spotify's Sound Up are essential to making a change in terms of minority representation in media. Spotify uses their platform to hold up the creatives needing a boost and inspire them to make content unapologetically. It is no longer enough for vessels of media to only call for a change, but instead they need to actually feed the change to happen. Fueling the agents of change is exactly what Sound Up does. Programs like Sound Up make it possible to give the tools to communities to tell their stories and confidently take up space in the podcasting landscape. Opportunities like these reassure aspiring writers, producers, and hosts that they belong in any space where media is being created.
Nicole Bassolino
Technical editing skills aside, Sound Up has taught me how to refine a podcast idea. When I applied to Sound Up, my pitch was fairly general-I had a vague idea of what I wanted the show to be about, but beyond that, not much. I didn't have a brief memorable sentence, an elevator pitch, or an image of who my listeners might be. From generating pseudo profiles of my ideal audience to thinking about content strategy and answering important questions like Why this podcast? Why now? Why me?' I've come out of the Sound Up program with a much stronger sense of direction and show identity.
Shayla B. Coleman
The power of community cannot be understated. Being around and interacting with others who are doing all they can to breathe life into the things they care about alongside you, and who want to see you succeed, is so uniquely energizing. Knowing you're only a message/email/phone call/video chat away from someone who's gone through it, going through it, rooting for you, willing to remind you you're not crazy, is that extra hidden fuel reserve you can tap into when you're running on E.
Winnie Kemp
Creating and writing my own fiction podcast always felt like a goal that was far out of reach because of external circumstances (job, kids, etc.) and internal blocks (lack of confidence, feeling like I did not know enough about the podcast industry). Sound Up gave me the structure, the knowledge, and the community to become a more confident creator and invest in myself. I'm 100% sure I would be sitting at home, still stuck in the idea phase, without this program.
Caroline Selia
From learning how to develop my show's main thesis to learning the intricacies of sound design, Sound Up has taught me so much. I feel like I learned how to be an audio engineer, content creator, and podcast host in a way I didn't even know was possible. Every workshop and session brought so much detail and insight into a process that felt so mysterious. And it felt even more meaningful to gain most of this insight from some of the most amazing women in the business. I will always thank Spotify's Sound Up for making me a microphone snob to spot any sound inconsistency in any podcast I listen to for the rest of my life!
Rene Rawls
Programs like Spotify's Sound Up are important because they give creative artists like myself the YES . . . AND' we need. YES . . . we hear and honor your unique voice. AND . . . we're going to give you the resources needed to support your vision. Programs like this set artists up for success.
Rowena Chang
I am so grateful for this program for helping me discover my voice. Although there is a lot of chatter in the world, we all still have stories worth sharing! The tools, guidance, and encouragement provided by the entire Sound Up team and program empowered me to take the mic-literally-and speak up.
Olayinka Sarayi
I learned
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
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...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
02/07/2026
Screen Australia backs audience-led filmmaking with new insight-driven initiativ...
02/07/2026
Screen Australia refines guidelines for Narrative Content Development and Docume...
02/07/2026
Maxon Autograph: Introduction to working with Tables
Simon Ubsdell July 1, 2026
0 Comments
An overview of Autograph's ridiculously powerful tables...
02/07/2026
Boston Conservatory's Soir e Breaks Records to Fund Student Scholarships The event achieved 127 percent of its fundraising goal in an evening celebrating ...
02/07/2026
How Adam Rosenwach Pivoted from Music to Med Tech Without Missing a Beat What do the rehearsal room and the boardroom have in common? More than you might thin...
01/07/2026
Broadcast Management Group (BMG) has announced the appointment of Kathy Samuels ...
01/07/2026
Shade has announced Custom Objects and Automations, a platform expansion releasing June 29, 2026, that adds database and workflow automation capabilities direct...
01/07/2026
FOR-A America has announced the addition of Jaz Wray and Fernando Cruz to its U.S. sales team. Both report to Ernie Leon, Senior VP and Head of Sales and Strate...
01/07/2026
NBC Sports will air all 15 MLB games nationally on Sunday, July 5, across NBC, P...
01/07/2026
Clear-Com has announced a wireless communications upgrade for Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune, deploying FreeSpeak II and FreeSpeak Icon systems across both prod...
01/07/2026
England's performance team will use Sony's STATSports APEX GPS tracking system to monitor player physical data in real time during FIFA World Cup 2026 m...
01/07/2026
Adder Technology has announced the appointment of Neil Hillier as Chief Executive Officer, effective July 1, 2026. Hillier succeeds Adrian Dickens, who transiti...
01/07/2026
Bitcentral, Inc. has announced a strategic transaction creating two separate companies. The Production and Playout business will continue as Bitcentral, now own...
01/07/2026
DAZN has announced results from DAZN48, its creator initiative for the FIFA World Cup 2026. Launched in April 2026, the program received thousands of applicatio...
01/07/2026
Sarah Rose, VP, global services, Daktronics (NASDAQ: DAKT), will be inducted into the Information Display and Entertainment Association (IDEA) Hall of Fame at t...
01/07/2026
Gravity Media and the World Economic Forum's production team provided broadc...
01/07/2026
Insight Productions has announced the launch of Insight Storm, a 53-foot mobile broadcast unit built for esports production. The truck is built around a Ross Vi...
01/07/2026
ESPN has announced several content initiatives marking America's 250th anniversary, as part of The Walt Disney Company's Disney Celebrates America pro...
01/07/2026
Eleven production kits, REMI workflows, and cloud distribution bring 40 World Cu...
01/07/2026
The conference also discussed the opportunities offered an industry that is endu...
01/07/2026
The Mountain West Conference has announced the launch of MW , a direct-to-consumer streaming platform powered by Kiswe. The platform will carry live Mountain We...
01/07/2026
New AI Assistant, Multi-channel Audio, ARA2 improvements & more
Tracktion's DAW software has just received its latest major update, gaining a selection ...
01/07/2026
Stammering, stuttering, strangulated tones
The Crow Hill Company's latest creation promises to be the most original sound set they've produced to d...
01/07/2026
Exclusive run of limited-edition modelling pedals
Sweetwater and Andertons M...
01/07/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is pleased to announce that the ca...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Manfrotto Introduces UNCOVER, the new premium camera bag collection for modern h...
01/07/2026
Blackmagic Design Powers Houston Tamil Sangam Literacy Competition
Brie Clayton July 1, 2026
0 Comments
Volunteers use ATEM Mini Pro, Blackmagic Desig...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
PlayBox Technology has published State of Broadcast Infrastructure 2026, an in-depth industry research report examining the technologies, operational challenges...
01/07/2026
LONDON, UK, 1 JULY Jigsaw24 has appointed Alan Henry as Head of Sales for Media and Entertainment, reinforcing its continued investment in helping broadcaster...
01/07/2026
Content Vault, the patent-pending secure content distribution platform protecting high-value media from disclosures, theft and unauthorised access, today announ...
01/07/2026
Bitcentral, Inc. a leading provider of enterprise software and digital media solutions for news, sports and entertainment broadcasters, as well as streaming pla...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Groundbreaking First Nations Screen Business Accelerator launched through nation...
01/07/2026
Chyron Launches the All-New Chyron Academy: A Reimagined, Hands-On Learning Expe...
01/07/2026
Amplium Captures Kawasaki Brave Thunders Game with Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersiv...
01/07/2026
Boris FX Optics Expands Plugin Support to Apple Photos, Capture One, and Affinit...
Anyone has the ability to think of a great podcast idea-but not everyone has the means, knowledge, or connections to bring it to life. That's where Spotify's Sound Up podcast education program comes in: Our goal is to empower the next generation of podcasters through education, workshops, and support, as well as create a space for new voices, stories, and perspectives in podcasting. And it's already making an impact: By the end of 2020, Sound Up will have served 160 participants in six countries. 
