Parcast
Owned by: Spotify
Latest news
- Jun 26: Former head of Spotify's Parcast, Max Cutler, spoke to Foundr magazine about what's next in podcasting. He appears to gently criticise Spotify; suggesting that it's a mistake to go after Hollywood talent, and discussing the slowness of decisions at the company. Shows that are "resourceful" rather than entertaining are what's next, he suggests.
- Jun 6: Spotify is to cut 200 jobs from its podcasting division. The company says that's 2% of Spotify's global workforce; but these are substantial cuts to the podcast division. While Spotify couldn't tell us how many staff work in podcasting overall, various reports suggest Gimlet has around 125 employees, Parcast has about 40, and The Ringer about 120.
- Mar 23: After announcing $100mn for a 'creator diversity fund' in February 2022, Spotify has only spent 10% of that amount, says a report from Bloomberg (syndicated). Spotify's Parcast Union has also highlighted that less than 5% of an internal diversity budget announced almost a year ago has been spent.
- Feb 24: Outgoing Spotify/Parcast exec Max Cutler has posted his predictions for the industry as a whole on LinkedIn. (The piece was highlighted to us by a PR consultant, who we think is personally retained by Cutler.)
- Feb 22: In another high-profile management change, Max Cutler is to leave Spotify. The founder of Parcast, he was Head of Audio Talk Shows and Partnerships, reported to oversee Joe Rogan's contract among others. He'd posted positive thoughts on the industry recently. There'll be more reorganisation as a result - Julie McNamara will now supervise licensed exclusives, and Bryan Thoensen will oversee third-party content partnerships. Bill Simmons will have more of a focus on podcast monetisation.
Data credits: Podnews newsletter