Spotify is axing 11 unique podcasts

Spotify is canceling 11 of its unique podcasts from in-house studios Gimlet and Parcast. Among the many reveals ending are The best way to Save a Planet, Crime Present, and Medical Murders, based on Spotify spokesperson Gray Munford.

Different reveals that may finish over the following month or so embrace Each Little Factor from Gimlet and Feminine Criminals, Crimes of Ardour, Dictator, Mythology, Haunted Locations, and City Legends from Parcast. Parcast’s Horoscope At this time will wrap up within the second quarter of 2023. Lower than 5 % of Spotify’s employees on unique podcasts shall be laid off or reassigned to new reveals, based on Munford. The Ringer and Spotify Studios won’t be affected.

The information comes within the wake of great staffing adjustments at Spotify. Gimlet managing director Lydia Polgreen left the studio this summer time, and Parcast founder Max Cutler was promoted to move of creator content material and partnerships within the spring. Each Parcast and Gimlet fall underneath the purview of Julie McNamara, who joined as head of speak studios final yr.

Amid the chaos of the cuts, Spotify despatched a memo to staffers saying new heads of the 2 studios. Nicole Beemsterboer, who joined Spotify in March as head of reports and information for Gimlet after 15 years at NPR, will substitute Polgreen as managing director. Liliana Kim will lead Parcast after three years as the final supervisor of APM Studios.

With Spotify leaning on glitzy programming like Batman: Unburied and Meghan Markle’s podcast, Archetypes, it’s simple to overlook that Gimlet and Parcast have been key in forming the inspiration of Spotify’s podcast enterprise.

True-crime-focused Parcast has managed to carry out nicely for Spotify. Six of its reveals rank in Spotify’s prime 100, together with Serial Killers, Chilly Circumstances, and Conspiracy Theories. The lower reveals look like amongst its lower-performing programming.

Gimlet has fallen on harder occasions. The studio’s greatest present, Reply All, imploded final yr after former Gimlet staffers accused co-host PJ Vogt and producer Sruthi Pinnamaneni of fostering a poisonous surroundings, ensuing of their departure. The present ended with a whimper earlier this yr. In the meantime, Gimlet solely has one present rating in Spotify’s prime 100 — The Journal, a collaboration with The Wall Avenue Journal.

Even so, How To Save a Planet’s cancellation comes as a selected shock. The local weather change present has been nicely acquired and is hosted by Gimlet’s now-biggest star, co-founder and former Planet Cash co-host Alex Blumberg. Blumberg has not made a public assertion for the reason that cancellation was introduced.

Kendra Pierre-Louis, a senior reporter for The best way to Save a Planet, tweeted Thursday evening that she was let go as a part of the cuts: “Would possibly gorge on that pumpkin waffle with sweet corn syrup day-after-day this month.” Truthfully, an excellent response to such a shitty scenario.

Replace October sixth, 5:45PM: This put up has been modified to mirror new info relating to management at Gimlet and Parcast.