Tom Calderone is leaving Spotify after a little more than a year overseeing its video and podcasting efforts, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
A spokesman for the music streaming company said that Calderone, the former head of VH1 who served as global head of Spotify Studios, has been transitioning out of his role for the last month.
Under Calderone, nine-year-old Spotify, which offers up free, ad-supported music streaming and a $10-per-month subscription, looked to expand its service to include video. The company inked deals with producers such as ESPN and Vice to stream their videos on its platform and also ordered a handful of original series including animated show Drawn & Recorded from T Bone Burnett and Rush Hour from Russell Simmons. Earlier this year, it released a slate of original podcasts through partners such as Panoply and Gimlet Media.
The company says video and podcast content remain important to its business but that it will be focused on expanding its video offerings through playlists including Rap Caviar and Rock This.
“We are focusing our expanding video offerings on Rap Caviar, Rock This and other popular Spotify owned and operated playlists,” Spotify said Thursday in a statement. “Building out our video and podcast content remains a priority for Spotify and we will have more information to share on our future plans soon.”
Spotify is one of several technology companies that have looked to video as they expand. Apple is also offering original video series through its Apple Music service, and YouTube has a service, Red, for a mix of music and original series.
Bloomberg first reported on Calderone’s departure from Spotify.
