The rise of digital audio in smart homes, smart cars and smart environments of the future is coming and we plan on filling those pipes with bold, innovative content.”Īdded Golnar Khosrowshahi, founder and CEO of Audio Up Series B investor Reservoir Media, “There is enormous growth opportunity in the business of listenership and we are proud to be partnering with Jared and the team to bring creative musical and storytelling experiences to the masses.”Įstablished by Jingle Punks founder Gutstadt in 2020, Audio Up boasts a slate of original scripted audio shows featuring a host of celebrities from multiple industries, including music A-listers such as Machine Gun Kelly, 24kGoldn, Miranda Lambert and Nelly. Our growing array of titles & music are a unique media mix timed perfectly for what will be a seismic media shift the likes we have not seen in our lifetime.

I see podcasts the same way people looked at comic books prior to them becoming tentpole entertainment in the world of Hollywood. “In success, we hope to be a mixed sandbox for the world of streamers creating the music, TV and film formats of the future. “Our mission is to transform the podcast space and make it a breeding ground for best-in class-IP,” said Gutstadt in a statement. Other investors in the Series B round are Draft FCB and Peloton board member Howard Draft Lee Trink, CEO of gaming and lifestyle brand FaZe Clan Jordan Levy and Sacha Robles.Īudio Up has also named several individuals to its board of directors, including Gutstadt (who also serves as Audio Up’s CEO), Throop and Draft as well as SiriusXM senior vp business affairs and programming operations Andrew Moss MGM president of television operations Brian Edwards and Primary Wave Music Publishing founding partner and president Justin Shukat. The two companies will also collaborate “to develop new audio entertainment concepts and forge new promotional and distribution synergies across SiriusXM properties,” according to a press release. The funding round comes on the heels of Audio Up’s recently-announced creative programming and strategic partnership with SiriusXM Holdings, which will see Audio Up create new original scripted podcasts for SiriusXM and its owned audio platforms, including the SXM App, Pandora and Stitcher.

Audio Up, the podcast production studio founded by Jared Gutstadt, has raised a $12 million Series B funding round from a list of investors that includes The Weeknd and his manager and XO label head Wassim “Sal” Slaiby, music manager Larry Rudolph, eOne CEO Darren Throop and Reservoir Media, Billboard can exclusively announce.

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