Spotify’s ‘Countdown To’ Celebrates Successful Debut With Jelly Roll & MGK

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Jelly Roll and MGK converse on Spotify’s Countdown To podcast. Photo: Courtesy of Spotify

Countdown To, Spotify’s new original video interview series, celebrated a successful launch with its debut episode featuring an interview with Jelly Roll conducted by Machine Gun Kelly (MGK). The show was No. 9 on the overall podcast music charts, including all podcasts available on Spotify, on the day of its premiere. It was also the No. 1 listened-to new episode on Sept. 15 in the U.S., Australia, Canada and New Zealand, and No. 2 in the U.K. and Ireland.

On the Countdown To podcast, artists sit down with a fellow artist or collaborator, family member or friend to discuss the themes, musicality and inspirations that drove the creation of their latest project. The series acts as the first introduction to an artist’s album on the platform before its release date.

The episodes live on artist’s Countdown Pages, a Spotify destination where fans can pre-save an artist’s upcoming album, preview the track list, watch clips, purchase merch and see the timer count down to the release moment. Once an artist’s new album drops, Spotify sends a push notification to all pre-savers and adds it straight to their libraries—which is advantageous because, according to Spotify, nearly 70% of users who pre-save an album stream it in the week following its release.

In the debut episode of Countdown To, Jelly Roll and MGK go deep into the former’s upcoming album, Beautifully Broken, out Oct. 11. The two talked over Jelly’s creative process, jokingly sparred about their now-quelled artistic rivalry and spoke about their desires to grow with their projects. The full episode is available to watch or listen to here or on YouTube.

“The debut success of Countdown To is a testament to the importance of fan and artist connection globally on Spotify,” shares Sarah Patellos, Head of Spotify Music Studios. “The series is a first-of-its kind for Spotify, and our team is so thankful that Jelly Roll trusted us in unveiling this deeply-personal conversation. We’re excited to continue to provide more artists the space to tell these meaningful stories and resonate with their fans around the world.”

LB Cantrell
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