After Spotify Deal Ends, Brené Brown Moves Podcasts to Vox Media
Brené Brown has found a new podcasting home at Vox Media.
Brown, a bestselling author and research professor, will bring her podcasts, Unlocking Us and Dare to Lead to the Vox Media Podcast Network. Vox will lead sales, marketing and distribution for the podcasts and distribute prior episodes and as well new seasons across all podcast platforms.
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A new season of Unlocking Us is set to begin Feb. 28, while Dare to Lead is scheduled to begin March. 20.
This marks Brown’s return to podcasting since her exclusive deal with Spotify ended. She released her last episode on Spotify in early January 2023.
“I don’t have a plan for a future podcast. I don’t know what’s going to happen. I’m taking a little break, at least for the first quarter of 2023, but this is the end of a season, end of a chapter,” Brown said at the time.
The well-performing podcasts included Brown’s meditations on vulnerability and discussions of her research and life, as well as interviews with celebrities, activists and social science experts, including Barack Obama, Joe Biden and Oprah, while Dare to Lead, which is based on her book, features conversations on leadership with individuals in the cultural, political and academic spheres.
Asked why she decided to return to podcasting, Brown wrote in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter that she “missed the conversations.”
“I’ve missed the conversations and the learning. And, the unlearning. It’s such an honor to hold space for people’s stories and experiences, and to have your ideas challenged and changed. Podcasting is one of my favorite things to do – it feels more like a gift than a job,” she said.
As for how she feels now that her podcast will be widely distributed instead of just exclusively on Spotify, Brown said she was happy to be able to connect with more people.
“I’m grateful for the partnership with Vox Media and the ability to meet people where they are and where they listen. For me, wide distribution is central to community and connection. And, really, that’s the entire point of podcasting,” she said.
“Brené has a transcendent voice. She has helped so many of us live wholehearted lives through courage, connection, vulnerability, and authenticity,” says Ray Chao, Vox Media’s SVP and general manager for audio and digital video. “We’re so proud to bring Brené to the Vox Media Podcast Network and be the new audio home for her research, insights, and powerful storytelling.”
Brown is one of the latest podcasters who were formerly exclusive to Spotify to find homes and wider distribution elsewhere, as the streaming platform moves away from its exclusive deal era. Most recently, Meghan Markle announced a new podcast partnership with Lemonada Media.
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