Joe Hadley, Spotify’s Global Head of Music Partnerships & Audience, on Company Efforts to Help the Music Community Impacted by the LA Wildfires; Donations to MusiCares and FireAid

The devastation of the past week is hard to put into words. I've lived in Southern California for 20 years, and my heart aches for our community. Los Angeles is home to hundreds of Spotify employees, millions of music fans, and countless individuals whose lives have been upended by this unprecedented crisis.

We've spent the last few days considering how to best show up for L.A., the music industry, and the creative community. Ultimately, we've decided that the most impactful approach is canceling all our Grammy Week events, including our annual Best New Artist party, and redirecting funds to support efforts to reach local fans and charitable organizations. It's also important to remember the effect this has on the production industry, so we are ensuring our vendors are compensated despite this shift. While this year will look and feel different, our commitment to emerging artists is unwavering.

These efforts include Spotify-funded donations to MusiCares, an organization that provides a safety net of critical assistance in times of need, and FireAid, a benefit concert on January 30 with proceeds centered on rebuilding infrastructure, supporting displaced families, and advancing fire prevention technologies. We're also joining forces with GoFundMe to support and spotlight fundraisers dedicated to helping members of the artist and music community who've been affected by the fires. In addition to these donations, we're dedicating on-platform promotion and offering pro bono ad inventory to drive awareness of causes supporting the relief and artist and creator support via studio time at our L.A. office in the Arts District. The summation of these efforts means we are committing a combined total of $5 million.

Thanks to all of our partners for your patience as we decided how best to support. We've got each other's backs here in L.A. Let's keep showing up for each other.

- Joe