As the podcasting industry continues to explode, Sony Music now wants in.
Sony Music Entertainment has just unveiled a new joint venture.
Partnering with podcast developers Laura Mayer and Adam Davidson, the still-unnamed joint venture will find and develop original podcast talent and programming.
According to a press release, all three will “create and distribute original scripted and unscripted programming across multiple podcast genres and subject matters.” Based in Brooklyn, Mayer and Davidson will use Sony Music’s expertise “in content creation and supporting new technologies for monetization.”
Davidson and Mayer have previously worked in public radio. The former has frequently contributed to Chicago Public Media’s This American Life. He also provided his own co-reporting on the episode, ‘The Giant Pool of Money,’ which received multiple awards.
Mayer launched her career as a producer at WYNC New York Public Radio. She worked on shows, including Fishko Files and On the Media. Mayer then served as Managing Producer at podcast network Panoply. She most recently served as Executive Producer for Show Development at Stitcher, where she oversaw the development, production, and launch of new podcasts for the company’s Earwolf Podcast Network.
Sony Music will own 50% of the unnamed joint venture. Davidson and Mayer will each own a 25% share.
Praising Davidson and Mayer as “acclaimed, visionary journalists and leaders in the podcasting industry,” Rob Stringer, CEO of Sony Entertainment Music, explained,
“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.”
It remains unknown which specific projects and genres the joint venture will focus on. However, stating they want to create “the best possible shows for the widest possible audience,” Mayer and Davidson said in an interview,
“We’re beyond giddy about the partnership. There are a lot of podcasts out there, but a lot of people haven’t found the podcast for them.”
Sony Music had approached both veterans late last year about a podcast company. Mayer explained,
“Sony really knows what it means to invest in creators. Creating this on our own would have been hard.”
Featured image by Sony Music Entertainment.