Anchor co-founder Michael Mignano resigns from Spotify

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Spotify's podcasting tech chief and Anchor co-founder Michael Mignano will leave the company by the end of June. Spotify confirmed that he submitted his resignation last week, making him the latest high-profile departure from Spotify's podcasting business. He follows after the head of studios and video Courtney Holt and Gimlet Media director Lydia Polgreen left. Holt was the one who cut blockbuster deals with Joe Rogan and the Obamas.

Mignano co-founded Anchor in 2015, which Spotify bought in 2019 for over US$150 million. The streaming service brought in Mignano to head its podcast tech division. As The Verge pointed out, Anchor hasn't produced any big stars. Still, it has become one of the most-used podcast hosting platforms, with one out of four new podcast episodes done through Anchor (according to Livewire Labs).

Dax Shepard's 'Armchair Expert' will become a Spotify-exclusive podcast

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Dax Shepard's Armchair Expert is the latest popular podcast that will become a Spotify exclusive. All past and future episodes will be available exclusively on the service starting July 1. The company also signed a deal with Armchair Umbrella Network to get first dibs on any other show the network creates. It isn't known how long Spotify will license the show because the terms of the deal weren't shared. But the podcast will move the hosting to Megaphone, a Spotify company, and Spotify will handle its ad sales in-house.

As The Verge pointed out, a key component of Spotify's podcasting strategy is to offer the shows both to free and paying users while keeping the ads in the shows so it can earn from every podcast listen. Having a popular show exclusive on its platform, like Armchair Expert, will draw in more listeners, which can help the company sell more ads.

Spotify ventures into video podcasts with new test

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Spotify is testing a new video podcast feature in its app. It's using YouTube stars' Zane Hijazi and Heath Hussar's Zane and Heath: Unfiltered as its testing ground. According to a source close to Spotify, the global test will be showing up for 50% of the show's podcast listeners. It's available on three recent episodes (28 through 30), but there doesn't seem to be a visual cue to let the testers know that the podcast episode comes with a video. Even with the video playing, you can still lock your phone and continue listening to the audio of the podcast, which might be appealing to some users.

As The Verge reports, listeners will see the video footage at the bottom of their screen when they play the episodes. To see it in full screen, they can tap on the video. The experiment is still in its initial stages, but the source claims it is likely to come to more podcasts soon and "fast." The feature will be useful for programs from Spotify-owned The Ringer since the network uploads video podcasts like The Rewatchables to YouTube already.

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Spotify introduces new personalized 'Daily Wellness' playlist

Spotify is introducing a new personalized playlist to help make mornings and evenings easier for you. The latest Daily Wellness playlist is rolling out now to users in the US and the UK and should be accessible through your Made For You section. Spotify relies on its algorithm to refresh the playlist with "motivational podcasts and feel-good music that can help you find positivity, mindfulness, or peace throughout your day." You might expect to hear inspirational podcasts and personalized tunes to help you start your day, or listen to poetry and practice some mindful meditation at night. In dire times we live through right now, we appreciate tools like these more. Now, let's hope the feature makes its way here, too.