Spotify invites First Nations Australians to apply to podcasting programme
Spotify’s podcast accelerator program Sound Up is inviting aspiring podcasters who identify as First Nations to apply for a four week virtual podcasting programme, run 31 May 2021 to 25 June 2021.
The announcement:
First Nations Australians have been passing down their knowledge, culture and history from generation-to-generation through storytelling for tens of thousands of years, with podcasting now a platform to now take that storytelling to the world through Spotify, allowing for these stories to be shared and heard by all.
Podcasts have always been about amplifying diverse voices, and giving a platform for sharing and storytelling in a way that is opening listener’s minds to new worlds and new ways of thinking. Spotify is committed to ensuring, during the golden age of audio, diversity continues to shine through.
Several years ago, Spotify created Sound Up— a podcast accelerator program that empowers minority groups to tell their stories through podcasting. In Australia, Sound Up is returning for its second year, with aspiring podcasters who identify as First Nations (Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander) invited to apply from March 31, 2021 for a four week virtual podcasting programme to be held from May 31, 2021 – June 25, 2021.
Applicants don’t need to have any previous podcasting experience to apply for the Sound Up program, just a voice, a passion for the medium, and an eagerness to bring a podcast idea to life. From the pool of applicants, ten aspiring creators will be invited to virtual sessions of reflection, learning, creative development, mentoring, and networking facilitated by Travis De Vries and Brooke Scobie from Awesome Black.
Previous Sound Up winner and host of Spotify Original podcast Search Engine Sex, Rowdie Walden knows first-hand the opportunity available through Sound Up.
“Sound Up is a rare opportunity for mob to create a podcast alongside Spotify. Podcasting is such an incredibly fast growing medium, and as the oldest storytellers, I can’t wait to see shows come out of Sound Up 2021. It’s about time the world heard more of our stories.”
Source: Hill+Knowlton Strategies media release
