Holt & Catch Fire @ Spotify

Spotify has tapped Courtney Holt, the former head of Disney’s Maker Studios as VP & Head of Spotify Studios and Video. He will replace Tom Calderone, who recently left the company. The Hollywood Reporter, citing a Spotify spokeswoman, says Holt will lead development of Spotify’s efforts in video, podcasts and other audio content. He will remain based in Los Angeles and report to Spotify Chief Content Officer Stefan Blom.

Holt spent much of his early career in the music industry, working for Atlantic Records and Interscope Geffen A&M. He has also held executive roles at MTV Networks and MySpace Music. Holt joined Maker Studios in 2011 and over the next several years worked with CEO Ynon Kreiz to sell the company to Disney for $675 million. After Kreiz left, Holt was upped to head of Maker Studios, a position he held until January of this year when Maker was fully absorbed by Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media. At that time, he transitioned to a strategy role reporting to Disney’s Kevin Mayer.

Spotify began adding video content in 2015 as a way to lure new subscribers in an increasingly competitive music streaming environment. First, it licensed videos from ESPN and Vice. Later, under Calderone’s leadership, the company unveiled a slate of original series with ties to music, including Drawn & Recorded from T Bone Burnett and Rush Hour from Russell Simmons. The company has also begun to offer podcasts from such partners as Panoply and Gimlet Media. Under Holt, Spotify is expected to focus its content efforts through popular playlists such as RapCaviar and Rock This.