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May 14, 2024:
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One of the first shows from Max Cutler's PAVE Studios, Murder: True Crime Stories is new today from Crime House. A true crime show investigating the death of an intern in Washington DC, it's hosted on Megaphone; and its name is classic Parcast.
May 2, 2024:
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Jon Cohen is starting a new position as Senior Director of Talent at PAVE Studios, Max Cutler’s new company. Cohen had worked with Cutler at Parcast.
April 17, 2024:
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Parcast founder Max Cutler has announced the launch of a new media company, Pave Studios. “Positioned across video, audio, books and entertainment”, the release appears careful not to use the word “podcast” (though the video does).
March 1, 2024:
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Yesterday evening, Gimlet, Parcast and Ringer Unions appeared to have failed to have reached a deal with Spotify management. Ringer Union claims 86% of their members are ready to walk out, while 100% of Gimlet’s team are.
February 23, 2024:
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Max Cutler, the founder of Parcast, has written a LinkedIn post about podcasting’s apparent shift to video, and praising YouTube’s podcast experience.
January 10, 2024:
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Ex of Spotify and Parcast, Max Cutler has written his podcast and industry predictions for 2024. “Layoffs and restructuring freed up talent eager to make their mark. Some of these brilliant minds will launch startups with the potential to be truly disruptive.”
October 11, 2023:
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And in 2020 John Dinkel wrote how Parcast chose its show names.
June 26, 2023:
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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.
June 6, 2023:
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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.
March 23, 2023:
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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.
February 24, 2023:
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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.)
February 22, 2023:
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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.
February 10, 2023:
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"First-Look Deals Emerge In Podcasting" says Deadline, reporting that "first-look deals - common in TV and film - are coming to podcasting" in a story about Campside Media signing three first-look deals. They're hardly new to our industry, though: among others, Podnews has covered first-look deals between Sky and Tortoise, Audible and First Produce, SiriusXM and Audio Up, Kudos and What's The Story?, UCP Media and iHeart, Parcast and Noiser, and Goldfinch and Stakhanov.
January 30, 2023:
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Available: Until recently, Joel Callen was the lead writer/showrunner on Parcast's Serial Killers and Female Criminals. "I've got over a decade's experience as a writer, and am looking for a full-time writing/editing position."
October 14, 2022:
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The spotlight is focusing on Spotify's podcasting business. Skye Pillsbury has published "an oral history of Gimlet's slow demise" after interviewing five current and former Gimlet staffers. Ariel Shapiro takes a look at Spotify’s practice of making its podcasts exclusive, and also notes that The Ringer didn't make any layoffs. Ashley Carman suggests that Spotify is refining its strategy.
October 10, 2022:
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The Gimlet Union and Parcast Union have tweeted a statement about the 38 layoffs across Spotify. They say that some shows lost as much as three-quarters of their audience when going exclusive; and that employees were given as little as an hour to close out their work and leave. Parcast Union has tweeted some of its members who are now available for hire.
October 7, 2022:
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Spotify is cancelling eleven of its original shows, says The Hollywood Reporter. Those cancelled represent less than 2% of Spotify's more than 500 original podcasts; but it's likely to result in "less than 5% of Spotify's staff on original podcasts" being laid off. If you're hiring, Connor Sampson has volunteered to connect you. Spotify didn't respond to an invitation to comment.
September 14, 2022:
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Spotify is the top podcast network in the US based on reach, according to new data from Edison Research. The data measures total listeners to shows from each podcast publisher for the 12 months ending June 30 2022. Spotify's numbers include Spotify Originals, as well as shows from The Ringer, Gimlet, Parcast and others. iHeartRadio remains in third place, behind SXM Media.
July 13, 2022:
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Max Cutler has published the book Cults: Inside the World's Most Notorious Groups and Understanding the People Who Joined Them, based on the Spotify/Parcast original podcast Cults. The book has already received critical praise across industry trades; tonight he's in conversation with Crime Junkie's Ashley Flowers at Spotify's LA Campus.
June 8, 2022:
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Spotify's Parcast premiered its latest new series Healing with David Kessler, a new podcast exclusively on Spotify. Host David Kessler is an international best-selling author of six books.
May 13, 2022:
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Parcast's Max Cutler is being promoted to Head of Talk Creator Content & Partnerships at Spotify - a similar role by name as Michael Mignano recently had. (His title is Head of New Content Initiatives at Spotify on his Linkedin). Spotify wants to increase the overall number of creators from 11m to 50m, according to Deadline.
April 21, 2022:
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The nominations have been announced for the CrimeCon CLUE Awards. Podcast nominations are Body Bags (CrimeOnline and iHeartPodcasts), Crime Show (Spotify's Gimlet), Disappearances (Spotify's Parcast), My Life of Crime (CBS News Radio), and Stolen: The Search for Jermain (Spotify's Gimlet). The awards will take place on Saturday Apr 30 in the Paris Las Vegas Hotel, in the library, with a lead pipe.
April 20, 2022:
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Parcast has ratified its first union contract with the Writers Guild of America, East, meaning payrises for all employees as well as diversity commitments. They reached the agreement after staff threatened to strike.
April 5, 2022:
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The Parcast Union has threatened to strike, reports Bloomberg in a paid article, claiming no agreement has been reached with management. Parcast is owned by Spotify; we reported their stalled union negotiations last month.
March 7, 2022:
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Sixteen months after being recognised, the Parcast Union is still negotiating its first contract with the Spotify-owned company. The company is also said to have rejected a proposal designed to encourage diversity in hiring.
January 31, 2022:
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More significantly, podcaster Brené Brown announced she will not be releasing any new podcasts: she joined Spotify exclusively in Jan 2021. Another exclusive Spotify podcaster, Archewell, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's foundation, released a statement saying they started to express concerns to Spotify in April last year. In May, Harry expressed his concerns about vaccine misinformation on the Armchair Expert podcast. This may explain, in part, their apparent reluctance to release new material.
January 12, 2022:
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Spotify has shut down its original podcasting studio, known internally as Studio 4. 15 people will be either moved to other roles or made redundant. Described as a "junk drawer" by one staffer, the division produced the shows that weren't produced by Gimlet, Parcast or The Ringer (which Spotify purchased later). Shows don't appear to be cancelled.
December 10, 2021:
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At iHeartRadio, podcast producers, editors, researchers, writers and hosts are unionising with the Writers Guild of America, East. The iHeart Podcast Union was launched yesterday; the website contains many concerns about working conditions. Saying that they "have been encouraged to embrace the dynamism of start-up culture without any of the associated benefits", the union says "iHeartMedia's overall compensation and benefits standards are wholly insufficient when compared to the greater podcast and scripted audio market". The union has support from around 70% of employees, we're told. The union hopes that iHeart will voluntarily recognise it; it's the latest unionising activity in the podcast space after Gimlet, Parcast, The Ringer, and others.
July 21, 2021:
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Spotify's Parcast is reported to have signed a first-look deal with UK podcast producer Noiser.
July 14, 2021:
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Parcast has released their 100th show for non-US markets. The first, in November 2019, was an adaptation of Cults for the German market, Sekten & Kulte - Im Namen des Bösen; the latest is Horoscope Today: Stars Edition for Australia and New Zealand.
June 10, 2021:
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Ashley Flowers is launching a new true crime podcast with Spotify's Parcast. International Infamy will premiere on June 15, exploring high-profile cases from around the world.
May 4, 2021:
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Impostors: The Spy is Spotify's newest original show from Parcast Studios. It's the story of ex-CIA spy and FOX News commentator Wayne Simmons, told by the reporter that broke the story.
December 24, 2020:
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Parcast's Unexplained Mysteries focuses on a mysterious Christmas Eve tragedy in West Virginia.
December 15, 2020:
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Union members at Spotify's Gimlet, Parcast and The Ringer stopped work for two hours on Friday protesting the slow pace of agreeing a contract with the company.
October 9, 2020:
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Spotify has voluntarily recognised the Parcast Union. The organisation will collaborate with unions at Ringer and Gimlet. (Spotify Studios are not unionised).
September 24, 2020:
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Spotify/Parcast has announced a new partnership with Brené Brown. Her current show Unlocking Us will become a Spotify exclusive from January; Dare to Lead is a new exclusive podcast from Spotify, "a mix of solo episodes and conversations with change catalysts, culture shifters, and as many troublemakers as possible", that launches next month. The writer and thought-leader has also collaborated on a Yacht Rock playlist.
September 14, 2020:
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Spotify's Parcast launches Incredible Feats today - a daily show profiling amazing achievements made by people from all over the world; hosted by Dan Cummins. A Spotify Original, it's available everywhere.
September 3, 2020:
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Spotify-owned Parcast is unionizing, reports The Verge. Spotify has voluntarily recognised Gimlet, and is negotiating with The Ringer's union.
June 18, 2020:
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Kim Kardashian West has signed an exclusive deal with Spotify, report the WSJ ($). The Verge reports she'll do a show with Parcast on criminal justice reform; no terms were given.
February 4, 2020:
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Fan of true crime? Fan of TV game shows? Want to inexplicably put these two hitherto un-related genres together? Killer Knowledge is a new podcast that claims it's the first of its kind in podcasting. "Each week, a new episode will be released that is a deep dive into a different shocking topic from history, such has the Manson Family, Jonestown Massacre, Jimmy Hoffa and more. Two contestants will go head-to-head to answer multiple choice questions on the topic at hand." (Parcast)
January 10, 2020:
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Launching simultaneously in the US, Brazil and Mexico, Parcast has released a podcast about secret societies, called Secret Societies. It joins a show about mythology called Mythology, a series about con artists called Con Artists, and episodes about serial killers called Serial Killers. In case you missed it, LaunchPod Media's John Dinkel says this is not an accident.
January 7, 2020:
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Naming your next podcast? John Dinkel, CEO and Co-Founder of LaunchPod Media, writes for Podnews today, saying that Parcast is the most powerful podcast agency in the world for one simple reason.
November 7, 2019:
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JetBlue, a US airline, has signed a deal with Spotify for podcasts in their in-flight entertainment system. As the airline’s exclusive podcast partner, the agreement will bring podcasts from Anchor, Gimlet, Parcast and Spotify Studios to seatback screens.
October 3, 2019:
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Parcast podcasts are participating in a crossover event, Parcast Presents: Halloween, which is a collection of new episodes of Parcast favourites all about spooky stories and urban legends.
September 20, 2019:
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Sports podcasts are almost as popular as true crime podcasts. So... what would happen if you managed to produce... both? Sports Criminals highlights professional athletes who thought they could get away with anything, including blackmail, theft, prostitution and even murder. The first few episodes focus on Oscar Pistorius. (Parcast / Megaphone)
August 20, 2019:
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It's like The Daily, only for fans of murder and thievery! Parcast is launching Today in True Crime. The show starts in mid September. "Here's what else you need-to-kill-today". (Megaphone)
July 23, 2019:
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Parcast, now a part of Spotify, has launched Summer of 69, a compilation of some of the company's podcasts organised around 1969's summer period.
April 30, 2019:
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Spotify paid €50m (US$55m) for Parcast, their financial results say. More than 50,000 shows have been submitted through their podcast portal - and there are 250,000 podcasts in their system overall (the differences being Anchor's catalogue, presumably, as well as automated API-driven submissions from partner hosts like Libsyn or Omny Studio). Apple has over 700,000.
April 25, 2019:
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Three more publishers have pulled their content off Luminary. Mikey Fowler, EP of Podcasting for Barstool Sports (8th currrently in Podtrac), tells us that they have requested all of their RSS feeds be removed from Luminary, which would mean a total of 26 shows will be unavailable. Endeavor Audio podcasts have been withdrawn from the service, and the Joe Rogan Experience is also removed - that's been replaced with another characteristically snippy message. The subscription podcast app launched earlier this week with high-profile podcasts from Spotify, Gimlet Media, Parcast and the NYT's The Daily being unavailable.
April 3, 2019:
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Spotify's acquisitions of Anchor, Gimlet and Parcast are analysed by Meghan Keaney Anderson from HubSpot.
March 28, 2019:
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Spotify has published new podcast terms and conditions. It'll take 40 minutes to read. Meanwhile, the Financial Times reports on Spotify's recent purchase of podcast production company Parcast: "one person close to the negotiation said that Spotify is paying more than $100m in cash and earn-outs to buy Parcast. The price equates to an enormous multiple on Parcast’s limited revenues, this person added."
March 27, 2019:
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As Podnews was sending yesterday, Spotify announced it will buy Parcast, a podcast production house. Spotify purchased Gimlet and Anchor earlier this year. Meanwhile, Gimlet management has "effectively refused to voluntarily recognise" their proposed union, according to the union's twitter feed.
January 17, 2019:
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Parcast have announced a new slate of weekly podcasts, and an expansion of their fiction podcast Mind's Eye. The press release also claims 200% increases in downloads in 2018, and the company now boasts 18 writers and producers.
November 15, 2018:
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Forbes has published their 30 under 30 list in media. In the list are Max Cutler, the founder of Parcast Network (here's a piece about him in June), and the three founders of Betches Media.
May 23, 2018:
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Parcast debut Great Women of Business, stories of business savvy women who battled sexism all the way to the executive suite.
April 17, 2018:
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The New York Times write about Parcast, who they call a "little known podcast network". "The company’s revenue in the first quarter of 2018 was 95 percent of what it had earned through the entirety of 2017".