Sony Music Enters Into Podcast Venture

Leading podcast developers Adam Davidson and Laura Mayer and Sony Music Entertainment have announced a new joint venture that will find and develop original podcast talent and programming.

Adam Davidson

Davidson is the co-founder of NPR’s “Planet Money” and an award-winning contributor to “This American Life,” and Mayer is a top podcast and public radio producer formerly of Stitcher, Panoply Media, and WNYC among others.

The joint venture will create and distribute original scripted and unscripted programming across multiple podcast genres and subject matters. Based in Brooklyn, NY, Davidson and Mayer will lead the yet-to-be-named company and focus on cultivating dynamic talent and unique storytelling using Sony Music’s expertise in content creation and supporting new technologies for monetization.

Laura Mayer

Commenting on the deal, Davidson and Mayer stated, “It is a thrilling time to be in podcasting with major media and tech companies paying increasing attention to the industry as it quickly grows. Sony Music so impressed us with their focus on supporting artists and the creative process. They understand what it takes to attract the best people and create the conditions where they can do their best work.”

Rob Stringer, CEO, Sony Music Entertainment said, “Adam Davidson and Laura Mayer are acclaimed, visionary journalists and leaders in the podcasting industry and they share our creator-first approach to content development. We want to enhance opportunities for talented storytellers in this rapidly evolving audio entertainment segment. This partnership will help creators grow their brands and share their work with global audiences across a variety of services and platforms.”

There are more than half a million active podcast shows now in existence and, according to Edison Research, the number of Americans spending time listening to podcasts more than doubled over the last four years. With this increased activity, the need for services and solutions that can nurture and advance creativity, develop brands and maximize connections between content creators and audiences continues to grow.