Spotify’s Sound Up Returns

Spotify’s Sound Up programme is returning for its third year to support aspiring podcasters from underrepresented communities to break into the industry and amplify their voices.

This year’s programme will support Black women and non-binary people in the UK and Ireland, and is adapting to the global coronavirus pandemic. Twenty selected participants will receive computers, podcasting equipment and wifi access, along with other tools to ensure successful completion of the first four-week virtual course this fall. Afterward, participants will take what they’ve learned to create a podcast trailer, which will be submitted for participation in the second phase. From there, ten participants will travel to in-person training in 2021 to further develop their show.

The 2020 Sound Up submission period opens as Spotify releases research conducted among 1,000 Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic women in the UK, the findings of which include that 74% feel that BAME women are underrepresented in podcasting.

Courses like Sound Up continue to be important in elevating underrepresented voices in the podcast world, as the research also found that 50% say there is too much stereotyping of BAME women in podcasting. Spotify looks to combat the belief by 49% of respondents that there is a lack of strong BAME female voices in podcasting to look up to and serve as inspiration by staffing the educators and mentors of this year’s training with podcasters from the Black community.

The UK and Irish programme is open to Black women and non-binary people interested in sharing their stories through podcasting, even if they have no experience with the medium. Twelve of Spotify’s Sound Up participants have since launched their own shows, including Sangeeta Pillai of Masala Podcast.

Applications are open now at spotify.com/SoundUp through 4th August at 11.59 BST.

A previous version of this story erroneously stated the closing of application was 4th September.