Spotify’s investing $100,000 in African podcasters

Spotify is investing $100,000 in podcast creators from Africa.

To mark Africa Day, which commemorates the 1963 founding of the Organisation of African Unity, Spotify announced its latest batch of creator grants will go to 10 as-yet-unselected, Africa-based podcasters.

It also announced a new Sounds of Africa campaign spotlighting “emerging African talent in music and podcasting.” (You can see the creators it chose for that campaign here.)

“African creators are doing amazing things in the music and audio content creation space,” Jocelyne Muhutu-Remy, Spotify’s managing director for Sub-Saharan Africa, said in a statement. “Moreover, the stories of this crop of creatives are helping others find their passion and their voices.”

Spotify didn’t say exactly how much money Africa Podcast Grant recipients will get, but since the pool is $100,000 split between 10 creators, it’s likely each will take $10,000.

The platform says recipients can be up-and-coming or established, and that the fund’s goal is to “amplify underrepresented stories and perspectives in podcasting.”

Spotify’s blog post about the Africa Podcast Grant did not include information about how and when creators can apply, when funds will be disbursed, or if participants will receive mentorship in addition to money, something that’s common with creator funds.

In recent years, Spotify has developed a number of programs offering grants to content creators and organizations benefiting said creators. Most recently, it (reportedly) launched a plan to beef up its podcast video offerings by paying independent podcasters up to $50,000 and networks up to $300,000 if they upload video versions of their podcast episodes.