Spotify digs in on podcasts and opens new Hollywood studios

Just down the thoroughfare from Roc Nation, SiriusXM and Sony Music, Spotify is joining Hollywood’s Sycamore media territory with a brand-new podcast studio.

The new, invitation-only abstraction volition beryllium the company’s 2nd workplace determination successful Los Angeles and volition cater mostly to video podcasts.

When Spotify moved into its field successful the Arts District successful 2021, podcasting was chiefly an audio experience, and the DTLA studios reflected that. But arsenic the listening format began to germinate into a ocular one, Roman Wasenmüller, Spotify’s vice president of podcast and video, said the institution needed to revamp and grow its facilities to conscionable the increasing demand.

The Arts District studios volition stay unfastened and absorption connected audio contented portion the caller Hollywood determination volition supply a “video-first environment.” The astir 11,000-square-foot abstraction includes 5 antithetic workplace areas that tin accommodate a assortment of setups, including cozier interrogation settings and immense signaling spaces for large groups. And dissimilar different rentable studios astir L.A., the abstraction volition beryllium staffed by Spotify employees, who tin assistance nutrient the show.

“It was conscionable wide to america that we request much facilities than we had before, but besides astatine the aforesaid time, we conscionable request to fig retired what the close setup would beryllium truthful that we tin win successful this caller satellite of podcasting,” said Wasenmüller.

The Hollywood determination volition partially relation arsenic a homebase for the Ringer, an L.A.-based media marque focused connected sports and popular culture. The institution was founded by sportswriter Bill Simmons and was bought by Spotify successful 2020.

Recently, Spotify announced that respective of the Ringer’s video podcasts volition commencement streaming connected Netflix successful aboriginal 2026. Shows similar “The Rewatchables,” “Ringer-Verse” and “The Hottest Take” volition soon beryllium recorded astatine the caller outpost.

These studios won’t beryllium exclusive to the Ringer. Wasenmüller said the abstraction provides the accidental for creators of each kinds to big interviews and guests portion they are successful Los Angeles.

Traveling portion podcasting has ever been a situation for Chris Williamson, the big of the self-improvement and doctrine podcast “Modern Wisdom.” The 37-year-old recalls struggling alongside his shaper to marque filming imaginable successful assorted Airbnbs and warehouses.

“There’s been a fig of times wherever I’m passing done L.A. and I’ve desperately needed a spot to grounds with someone. This caller abstraction would person been perfect. I would person made a batch of usage of it,” said Williamson. “It’s conscionable different denotation that [Spotify is] putting their wealth wherever the priorities are. If I’m successful town, I ideate that I’ll beryllium dropping into [the studios] regularly.”

Williamson is simply a subordinate of the Spotify Partner Program, which is besides seeing a sizable expansion, arsenic the level continues to put successful the podcasting industry. The monetization programme was launched past year, and it allows creators to straight monetize their contented connected the streaming level with ads and gross from video podcasts. Spaces similar the caller Spotify Sycamore Studios are besides disposable exclusively to members of the Spotify Partner Program. Since its introduction, monthly podcast depletion connected the level has astir doubled.

As a subordinate of the programme since it began, Williamson said he’s seen a important summation successful revenue, adding that helium was capable to marque much than 7 figures successful 2025, with an mean of six figures monthly.

“It was similar a quality centipede wherever Spotify paid america to enactment much video connected Spotify, which meant that we got bigger connected Spotify and that meant they paid america much money,” said Williamson. “It was this benignant of self-reinforcing circuit, and it helped.”

Over the past 5 years, the institution estimates that it has generated much than $10 cardinal successful gross from the increasing podcast industry. There are astir 7 cardinal podcast titles disposable for streaming, with immoderate of the company’s astir fashionable shows including Amy Poehler’s “Good Hang” and “The Joe Rogan Experience.” Though Spotify has continued to put successful podcasts, it has not been immune to volatility successful the business. The company’s podcast part has antecedently undergone restructuring, meaning layoffs, cutting backmost shows and dissolving antecedently purchased accumulation companies similar Gimlet.

Founded successful 2006, Spotify has go the world’s astir fashionable audio streaming subscription work with implicit 713 cardinal users. The streamer, based successful Sweden, is disposable successful much than 180 markets and has a room of implicit 100 cardinal tracks and 350,000 audiobooks. Spotify shares closed astatine $571 connected Tuesday, down 3.7%.

“Podcasts are present perfectly successful main culture. When we started successful podcasting, it was a precise niche medium,” said Wasenmüller. “But present you look astatine wherever it is [today] and podcasting is simply a main mean crossed each large platforms similar Netflix and YouTube. Even the [Golden] Globes are having a podcast class for the archetypal time. There’s thing large happening. To a definite extent, it’s the aboriginal of entertainment.”