Atlantic Records announces podcast initiative

Photo: Atlantic

Atlantic Records has been a powerful name in the music business for multiple decades. The label is hoping to have that same success in podcasting, a content form that is becoming bigger and bigger by the day. 

Earlier today, it announced a new podcast initiative, which features the company investing in a full-time podcast production team and building a state-of-the-art podcast studio in New York at its headquarters.  The initiative is being led by VP Tom Mullen, who has been hosting his own podcast in “Washed Up Emo" for the last eight years and released over 100 episodes. 

In a joint announcement by Atlantic Chairman & CEO Craig Kallman and Chairman & COO Julie Greenwald, they said: 

"Music-making is at the heart of our company, and we already have a state-of-the-art recording studio at the center of our offices. We have a constant stream of artists coming through the building, so the next logical step for us was to create an environment where we could spontaneously capture them telling their stories and talking about their music. With our own podcast team and a dedicated podcast studio, we are able to give fans a unique, insider’s view of our artists, our label, and the creative process in action. With Tom’s deep musical knowledge and podcast expertise leading the charge, we are generating exciting audio content under our own roof. "

In addition to the announcement, the company premiered its first podcast in “What’d I Say,” a weekly series named after Ray Charles’ 1959 song released by Atlantic Records. The podcast will feature artist interviews with talent such as Jason, Mraz, MILCK, Lil Skies, Trivium, and Sweater Beats.  Other planned podcasts from the label include “Inside The Album" and “Respect: Women of Atlantic.”

There is a lot of upside to Atlantic Records getting into the podcasting business. The obvious one is that podcasts are trending right now. While written and video content won't be going anywhere anytime soon, audio content is one of the most popular ways for people to consume. Unlike written and video, audio content can be consumed passively especially while multitasking so creating content in this format is already an advantage. Along with this is the opportunity for revenue through advertisements and sponsorships. 

The label can also utilize podcasts to promote music from its artists. If they are able to create successful podcasts with a large listenership, podcasts are a great way to roll out new music without it feeling forced on the listener. 

Expect Atlantic Records to have success with the move and expect a few other labels to follow suit. 

You can check out Atlantic Records Podcasts via atlanticpodcasts.com.