Spotify shuts down its in-house original podcast studio

Spotify has been investing heavily in the podcast industry recently as the company has acquired multiple studios in recent years. However, for some reason, Spotify is now shutting down its in-house original podcast studio known as Studio 4.

As reported by The Verge on Tuesday, Spotify has told employees working at Studio 4 that it will be closed after January 21. Spotify produces original shows like Dissect and Chapo: Kingpin on Trial in Studio 4. While this studio is not the only podcast studio owned by the company, it was the first in-house studio created before major studio acquisitions.

According to the report, the affected employees were surprised by the announcement. Some of them were reassigned to other positions, while others were laid off with the option of applying for another job at Spotify.

The company declined to comment on why it is shutting down Studio 4, but it said in an internal memo that the decision was made to help the company “move faster and make more significant progress and facilitate more effective collaboration across our organization.” One of the employees said that the news is “insulting” to those who work there.

Other employees complain that Spotify treated Studio 4 as a “junk drawer” for projects that didn’t fit with the other studios acquired by the company.

It’s unclear what exactly will happen to all the Spotify shows produced at Studio 4, but it seems that not all of them will be scrapped. The official Twitter account for the Dissect Podcast has stated that the podcast is not being canceled and that the show will continue as usual on Spotify.

Last year, Spotify announced paid podcast subscriptions following the introduction of Apple Podcasts subscriptions. Spotify’s podcast platform also surpassed Apple Podcasts in listener numbers in the United States. Of course, the company will continue to produce original podcasts through the other acquired studios.