Spotify Launches Songwriter Pages

By Dino-Ray Ramos

Laura Monks and Tom Lewis have been upped to co-managing directors, Decca Records Group, Decca president Rebecca Allen announced Feb. 21, along with a wave of other promotions at the company. Both will continue reporting to Allen.

Charlie Jones, a veteran producer who has worked extensively on the Lollapalooza and the Austin City Limits festivals, is today officially launching his new venture, Four Leaf Productions, which is described as “a new company built on a foundation of creating live experiences that bring people together for a purpose.”

Rachel Whitney, formerly of YouTube, is joining Spotify as the Head of Editorial for Nashville, she announced in a social media post (which recently has become a method of the streaming giant announcing new employees).  A source close to the situation points out that the company now has two female executives at the helm of its Nashville office — Whitney joins head of artist & label services Brittany Schaffer, who signed on with the company in December of 2017.

Celine Dion stopped by NYC's famed Electric Lady Studios to record her Spotify Singles, which released on Wednesday (Feb. 26).The legend performed her own version of Chris Isaak's 1989 hit, "Wicked Game," complete with her characteristically rich vocals.

Spotify has overhauled its New Music Friday playlist, bringing a fresh design to a playlist that features more than 3.5 million followers in the U.S. and 8 million followers globally, the streaming service tells Billboard.

Podcast veteran Paul Bae has inked a multi-series deal with Spotify.The co-creator of fiction series The Black Tapes has two new fiction projects in development for the streaming platform.In Amanda Chi and the Ghost Sessions, he will tell the story of a Korean-Indian girl who moves to a new school and is initiated into a secret society that finds the town's ghosts and expels them.

Browse Spotify’s section for featured music podcasts, and at first you’ll find what you’d probably expect. Last week, the top five slots were filled by two familiar NPR shows, a hip-hop talk show hosted by perennial shit-starter Joe Budden, a glossy true-crime-style look at the rise and fall of Tekashi 6ix9ine, and a podcast offering song-by-song breakdowns of various popular albums.

Spotify has revealed that the first-ever Spotify Awards will be held in Mexico City on March 5.

Resident Advisor (RA) has struck a partnership with Spotify that should help get party-goers off their devices and onto the dancefloor. In an arrangement unveiled this morning, Resident Advisor’s event discovery platform will be integrated with Spotify’s service, which boasts more than 270 million active users across 79 markets.

Dundee popstar Be Charlotte is set to launch the first ever all-female songwriting camp in Scotland.

By Anthony D'Alessandro

John Legend’s “All of Me” is proving to be a timeless track as Spotify names the 2013 hit its top love song.

Spotify will pay as much as $195 million to acquire Bill Simmons' The Ringer, the company disclosed Wednesday in a regulatory filing.The Stockholm-based audio streaming giant said that the price to purchase the sports and pop culture company will total between 130 million euros and 180 million euros ($141 million to $195 million, based on the current exchange rate), a portion of which will be deferred.

Spotify disclosed that it will pay upwards of $196 million for The Ringer, the podcast and media company founded by Bill Simmons.

By Anthony D'Alessandro

Spotify is spotlighting the songwriter community with the introduction of a new beta.On Wednesday (Feb.