The studio was named Studio 4 and it was the official Spotify podcast studio
It’s never easy receiving a call that you’re being laid off, but that’s what happened to the employees at Studio 4. A former employee told The Verge that there were between 10 and 15 employees that worked at the studio, and they all got news that the studio was going away. An unknown amount of people were laid off while others were reassigned to other positions. Those who were laid off were directed to the Spotify job board to find more work. Those employees have until January 17 to get everything wrapped up. While this is bad news, the company is not leaving its employees high and dry. Those who were laid off are going to be receiving a two-month severance package. Since they were pointed to a Spotify job board, it means that they’re all welcome to apply to other jobs within the company.
Why did the company do this?
Spotify didn’t release any statements on why this went down; however, the Verge was able to get its hands on the note that was sent to the employees. It says that the company did this to “move faster and make more significant progress and facilitate more effective collaboration across our organization.” Since this is straight from the company, we know that it’s heavily sugar-coated, but it’s all that we have to go on. From what it says, it almost sounds like the studio wasn’t bringing in much money, so the company had to cut it loose. That’s only speculation. There is a myriad of possible reasons why Spotify did this. We’re seeing some changes and additions come to the company as it boosts its focus on podcasting. Spotify shutting down Studio 4 could just be a move the company deems necessary to move forward.
In Other Spotify News: Spotify added Call-to-Action cards for podcasts
Podcasters typically have ad breaks during their podcasts, but there isn’t often a way for people to be directed to the actual product or service that’s being advertised. Because of this, Spotify added Call-to-Action cards. During the ad break, the creator can create a card that will pop up during the ad break. This way the user can go straight to the product’s page.
