Playlists are the go-to tool for music discovery and curation for millions of music obsessed fans and Spotify has the market cornered when it comes to genre-spanning, left-of-center music programming. It only seems natural, then, that Spotify would bring these curation juggernauts into the ultra-trendy, live podcast space to allow for direct listener engagement with some of the biggest stars of up-and-coming music. Lorem Life, hosted by Dev Lemons and Max Motley, focuses on the quirky and dynamic personalities that often occupy Spotify's Lorem playlist while The Most Necessary: Live, hosted by Brian 'B.Dot' Miller, will focus on up-and-coming rap/hip-hop acts that the complementary Most Necessary playlist has become world-famous for curating. Both podcasts can be heard on Spotify's Clubhouse-adjacent app Greenroom and plan to feature weekly guests, with Lorem Life already tapping in with hyperpop superstars Glaive and ericdoa on the first episode, Magdalena Bay on episode 2, and most recently with Blu DeTiger on last week's episode.
Speaking on the exciting opportunity to flesh out the 'genre-agnostic' Lorem playlist into a full brand, Spotify's senior editor Lizzy Szabo had to say, "Lorem’s identity is based around its community of artists and fans – so it makes sense for Lorem listeners to have an outlet not only to talk about the music and to artists directly, but to each other. The playlist is meant to be a connector for the music it champions and the community built around that music and Lorem Life on Spotify Greenroom creates a place for that all to come to life. It’s long overdue that Lorem listeners have an outlet to talk to artists, and each other. It’s a unique destination that feels intimate, fun, casual, and supportive, which are all descriptors of the playlist." She went on to explain, "Our goal is to connect featured guests on LOREM Life with listeners in an intimate way as well as to host conversations we know the playlist audience and the Spotify Greenroom audience is eager to hear. The conversations our hosts are having with artists in front of a live, attentive community of listeners helps to deepen the connection between artists and fans, nurturing an already engaged audience of the playlist. We’re excited to expand these intimate conversations into all areas of culture, with future guests in the fields of fashion, graphic design, environmental activism… really anyone who’s a thought-leader in an area that our audience appreciates."
For Most Necessary: Live, B.Dot, also the host of Complex Brackets, brings with his involvement a distinctly nuanced viewpoint, from being a champion of up-and-coming rappers to a deep knowledge of hip-hop history that allows him to host meaningful debates and discussions with all listeners, newcomers and old heads alike, about different hip-hop hot topics and hot takes. For Most Necessary, an important component of the playlist is how it blends up-and-comers with established industry heavyweights, a potentially difficult task for the live show to factor in. However, Miller had to say, "The lines are so blurry these days because the new guys are receiving the same looks as the vets. But an upcoming artist can have a big moment too. Take someone like Baby Keem who was on the mainstage at Made In America and performed on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon. It’s case by case, but when an artist does something impactful, I think it’s worthy of a discussion."
Lorem Life can be heard on Greenroom every Wednesday at 9 PM EST/6 PST while Most Necessary: Live can be caught on Tuesdays at 9 PM EST/6 PST. you can listen this on your itunes for chromebook, macOS and iPhones. there's no android version available right now.
