Spotify’s EQUAL initiative is marking five years by launching a video podcast and expanding global events to support women in music.
The new series, EQUAL: The Podcast, is produced by Spotify Studios and The Ringer and hosted by music journalist Kim Taylor Bennett.
Across five episodes, it features EQUAL ambassadors Juliana, Zolita, Angela Torres, Silvana Estrada, and Orla Gartland, offering insights into the challenges and opportunities women face in the music industry today.
Silvana Estrada said: “It’s important to ask questions… to not believe that this [the music industry] is what it is and there’s no way to change it. We are here to change it, and these spaces [like EQUAL] are exactly for that.”
Since its launch in 2021, EQUAL has grown from a platform initiative into a global community, expanding into over 40 markets and supporting more than 1,400 ambassadors.
Artists in the programme have collectively achieved over 50 billion editorial streams on Spotify, with ambassadors typically reaching 1.1 million editorial streams in their first month.
Around 59% of listeners come from outside their home country, reflecting EQUAL’s international reach.
The programme extends beyond Spotify, appearing at festivals in Colombia, Argentina, Spain, and France, as well as panels, award ceremonies, and sports moments.
EQUAL Days in Bogotá, Buenos Aires, São Paulo, and Mexico City will bring women in audio together to connect, learn, and collaborate.
Later events are planned in Mumbai, New York, Paris, Johannesburg, and Berlin, alongside the Created By Women Summit in Los Angeles.
Bel Aztiria, Lead, Global Music Programs at Spotify, said: “EQUAL: The Podcast is one way we’re marking this milestone, but this isn’t just a celebration – it’s a continued commitment to the movement we’ve been building and to ensuring more women’s voices are heard everywhere.”
Spotify will also continue donations to organisations including MEWEM, HEVA Fund, Girls Rock Camp Aotearoa, and We Are Moving the Needle, supporting women throughout the music industry and beyond.
