CA-SPOTIFY/HIGHER-GROUND
6.6.2019 18:11:10 CEST | Business Wire | Press release
President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama’s production company, Higher Ground, today announced a partnership with Spotify (NYSE: SPOT) to produce podcasts exclusive to the platform. The Obamas formed Higher Ground to produce powerful stories to entertain, inform and inspire, and to lift up new, diverse voices in the entertainment industry. Spotify, which recently surpassed 100 million Premium subscribers and has more than 217 million monthly active users, will distribute the podcasts to audiences across the globe.
Under the Higher Ground partnership, President and Mrs. Obama will develop, produce, and lend their voices to select podcasts, connecting them to listeners around the world on wide-ranging topics. The multi-year agreement will be with Higher Ground Audio, an expansion of the Higher Ground production company that will oversee the move into podcasts.
When President and Mrs. Obama launched Higher Ground in 2018 with an initial partnership with Netflix, their goal was to create compelling content that entertains and inspires viewers. Recognizing that content is consumed in many forms, this new partnership will give them the ability to expand the conversation, educating and engaging Spotify’s diverse and extensive audience.
“We’ve always believed in the value of entertaining, thought-provoking conversation,” President Obama said. “It helps us build connections with each other and open ourselves up to new ideas. We’re excited about Higher Ground Audio because podcasts offer an extraordinary opportunity to foster productive dialogue, make people smile and make people think, and, hopefully, bring us all a little closer together.”
“We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to amplify voices that are too often ignored or silenced altogether, and through Spotify, we can share those stories with the world,” Michelle Obama said. “Our hope is that through compelling, inspirational storytelling, Higher Ground Audio will not only produce engaging podcasts, but help people connect emotionally and open up their minds—and their hearts.”
“President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama are two of the world’s most important voices and it is a privilege to be working with them to identify and share stories that will inspire our global audience, which looks to Spotify for unique, breakthrough content,” said Spotify Chief Content Officer, Dawn Ostroff. “Connecting people with original and thoughtful creators — especially those with the ability to highlight underrepresented and indispensable narratives — is at the core of our mission and we are thrilled that not only will the Obamas be producing content, but that they will be lending their voices to this effort."
About Higher Ground
Higher Ground is a production company formed by President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama dedicated to producing powerful stories to entertain, inform and inspire, and to lifting up new, diverse voices in the entertainment industry. Higher Ground Productions has a multi-year deal with Netflix to produce a wide range of scripted, unscripted and documentary-style series, as well as feature-length narrative and documentary films. Higher Ground Audio has a multi-year deal with Spotify to produce a diverse slate of original podcasts.
About Spotify
Spotify transformed music listening forever when we launched in 2008. Our mission is to unlock the potential of human creativity by giving a million creative artists the opportunity to live off their art and billions of fans the opportunity to enjoy and be inspired by these creators. Everything we do is driven by our love for music.
Discover, manage, and share over 50 million tracks for free, or upgrade to Spotify Premium to access exclusive features including offline mode, improved sound quality, Spotify Connect and ad-free listening.
Today, we are the world’s most popular audio streaming subscription service with a community of more than 217 million users, including 100 million Spotify Premium subscribers, across 79 markets.
For more information, images, or to contact the press team, please head over to our press page at https://newsroom.spotify.com/ .
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190606005636/en/
Contact:
Public Relations for Spotify: Dustee Jenkins - press@spotify.com
Media Contacts for Higher Ground: FRANK PR - 646.861.0843 Clare Anne Darragh - clareanne@frankpublicity.com Lina Plath - lina@frankpublicity.com
About Business Wire
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Xsolla Partners With Cyprus Game Makers Association (CYGMA) as the Island Emerges as a Game Development Hub23.3.2026 14:00:00 CET | Press release
Strategic Partnership Equips Cyprus-Based Developers With the Commerce Infrastructure to Compete Globally Xsolla, a global video game commerce company that helps developers launch, grow, and monetize their games, today announced a strategic partnership with the Cyprus Game Makers Association (CYGMA). The collaboration will provide creators and studios within the CYGMA network with hands-on support, industry expertise, and access to world-class commerce tools, helping Cyprus-based studios bring their titles to players worldwide. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260323570679/en/ Graphic: Xsolla The partnership comes as Cyprus continues to attract game development talent, fueled by favorable business conditions and a growing creative community. Through its collaboration with CYGMA, Xsolla aims to accelerate momentum and expand opportunities for developers by removing commerce and distribution barriers that often p
Exein Unveils Next-Generation Runtime Security to Protect the AI-Native World23.3.2026 14:00:00 CET | Press release
Photon blocks cyberattacks before execution across physical AI and IoT, autonomous AI agents and cloud and edge infrastructure Kernel-level prevention sets a new standard beyond traditional user-space detection Builds on Exein’s position as the world’s largest runtime security provider, protecting over two billion devices Exein, the global leader in runtime cybersecurity, today unveiled Photon, a preemptive breakthrough solution that blocks cyberattacks at the point of execution. Designed for the AI-native world - where digital and physical systems are now inseparable - Photon marks a fundamental shift in how critical infrastructure protects itself. Unlike traditional cybersecurity solutions that detect threats after compromise - typically operating in user space and relying on a cloud network - Exein’s Photon operates directly inside the kernel, preventing malicious execution paths before they can run. By blocking attacks before the point of execution, the technology dramatically redu
Manhattan Associates’ 2026 Unified Commerce Benchmark Reveals the High Price of Standing Still in Retail23.3.2026 13:30:00 CET | Press release
Leaders achieve up to 2X revenue growth, but only 7% of retailers are true unified commerce leaders Manhattan Associates Inc. (NASDAQ: MANH), today announced the findings of its 2026 Global Unified Commerce Benchmark for Specialty Retail, the industry’s most comprehensive assessment of how well retailers connect digital and physical experiences to drive growth, profitability and loyalty. Conducted by Incisiv, a leading retail research firm, the Benchmark is based on real-world purchases and returns. It analyzes more than 400 specialty retailers across EMEA, LATAM and North America on 330 capabilities spanning four key experience areas: Shopping, Checkout, Fulfillment, and Service. The 2026 Benchmark reveals that while the industry has made steady progress in unified commerce maturity since 2023 when it was first launched, only 7% of retailers have achieved true unified commerce leadership while 33% are still stuck in the Basic category. Leaders are translating connected, data‑driven ye
Starr Completes Acquisition of IQUW Group23.3.2026 13:00:00 CET | Press release
Creates a stronger, more diversified global specialty platform Starr, a global investment and insurance organization, today announced that it has completed its acquisition of IQUW Group, creating a broader, more diversified specialty (re)insurance platform with enhanced capabilities across the London market, Bermuda and UK retail motor. The combined Starr business now serves more clients and brokers in more specialist classes and market segments globally. With IQUW Group, Starr has strengthened its position in the London market and established its managing agency as the ninth-largest at Lloyd’s. Importantly, Starr will continue to operate with a strong emphasis on underwriting expertise and best-in-class broker and client experience and service. Clients and brokers will benefit from a broader product offering, quick decision-making, greater capital strength and expanded global reach. Starr’s reinsurance capability is also significantly enhanced following this transaction. IQUW Re Bermu
Biocytogen Announces Strategic Collaboration with Moonlight Bio to Advance Cell Therapies Using Library of Antibody Binders23.3.2026 13:00:00 CET | Press release
Biocytogen Pharmaceuticals (Beijing) Co., Ltd. (Biocytogen, SSE: 688796; HKEX: 02315), a global biotechnology company that drives the research and development of novel antibody-based drugs with innovative technologies, today announced a strategic collaboration with Moonlight Bio, Inc., a Seattle-based biotech company pioneering advanced cell therapies. This partnership aims to develop cutting-edge cell therapies to address some of the most challenging and difficult-to-treat cancers. Dr. Yuelei Shen, President and CEO of Biocytogen, said, “We are thrilled to partner with Moonlight Bio, a pioneering leader in advanced cell therapies. This strategic collaboration leverages our proprietary off-the-shelf fully human antibody library to accelerate the development of cutting-edge cell therapies for difficult-to-treat cancers. It also demonstrates the versatility and broad applicability of Biocytogen’s antibody discovery platforms beyond traditional drug modalities. By combining our expertise,
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom