Spotify is set to expand its global reach by "bringing audio to 80+ new markets." On Monday, Spotify hosted "Stream On," a live-streamed event announcing upcoming products and new podcasts. 

🎧 The latest episode of "Spotify: For the Record" lists all the updates in 20 minutes. 

More: 

• In the U.S., Anchor is set to launch paid subscriptions this year, ranging from $2.99/month to $7.99/month. Podcasters can sign up for the beta version waitlist here. 
  • Refresher: in 2019, Spotify acquired the podcast creation platform Anchor, which has positioned itself as the platform for all creators "from first-time podcasters to pros."
• Anchor also partnered with WordPress to facilitate faster podcast to blog conversions and vice-versa. Both bloggers and podcasters can start here.
• Last year, Spotify launched a feature that combines podcast audio with music. These shows are now listed under a "Music+Talk" section on the app.
• Spotify HiFi is a new upgraded sound quality feature that will be available to "Premium subscribers in select markets" this year. 

Spotify launched the Spotify Audience Network during "Stream On," which promises "advertisers of all sizes" access to audiences of a "broad variety of content." Advertisers can join the beta waitlist here.

More: 

• Advertisers using this service will have access to Spotify Originals & Exclusives, Megaphone and Anchor podcasts, and ad-supported music. 
• Through the Spotify Audience Network, advertisers will be able to combine targeting based on demographics (age, gender, and location), audience segment (e.g. fitness enthusiasts, luxury shoppers), and contextual targeting (e.g. lifestyle, gaming).
• Podcast advertising will be available on Spotify Ad Studio, Spotify's self-service platform. Spotify has begun beta testing this in the U.S. already. 

"Renegades: Born In The USA" is a new Spotify exclusive show, hosted by former U.S. President Barack Obama and musician Bruce Springsteen. The show discusses "race, fatherhood, marriage, and the future of America." Here's the first episode.

Upcoming shows: 

• From Spotify and the Obamas' production house, Higher Ground, comes the new season of "Tell Them, I Am." Hosted by Pakistani-American Misha Euceph, the show was previously produced by KPCC and will now be a Spotify exclusive. It is a "compelling collection of narratives from Muslim voices." Check out some of the previous episodes here.
• Last month, Spotify announced it was teaming up with with filmmaker Ava DuVernay to produce exclusive scripted and unscripted shows. The first show will be an unscripted podcast investigating the "officers who commit murder, revealing the alarming truth about the blue wall of silence that protects police after they pull the trigger."  
• "Batman Unburied" will be the first podcast to come out of the Spotify, Warner Bros., and DC partnership. Other DC characters that might have their own podcasts include Superman, Lois Lane, Wonder Woman, and Harley Quinn. 
• Spotify announced its partnership with AGBO, the Russo brothers' entertainment company. Anthony and Joe Russo are the creators of Marvel movies including "Captain America: Civil War," "Avengers: Infinity War," and "Avengers: End Game." An announcement on what shows will come of this is pending.

Podcast hosting platform Buzzsprout was the target of two Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, which caused the website to be down for nearly seven hours earlier this week. The company assured customers that no podcasts, data, or personal information was "accessed or compromised." 

More: 

• A DDoS attack is an attempt to disrupt website traffic by spamming the servers till they crash.
• The first attack occurred on Sunday and Buzzsprout was able to get the website back up later that night. The second attack happened Monday morning but the site is stable currently.
• Podcasters can expect to see "lower download numbers" for this period but numbers are expected to bounce back today. 
• Podcast host Podbean is also currently fending off a DDoS attack. 

"Reply All" co-host P.J. Vogt and senior reporter Sruthi Pinnamaneni are stepping away from the show's production after being accused of contributing to Gimlet's "toxic dynamic" by a former staffer. "Reply All" is a top-ranked technology show about the internet and "how to survive it." 

More: 

• "Reply All" recently launched "The Test Kitchen," a miniseries taking a behind-the-scenes look at the Bon Appétit scandal. Condé Nast's food publication Bon Appétit made headlines when employees described it as a "toxic" and "racist" environment. 
• Former Gimlet staffer Eric Eddings described the environment at Gimlet as identical to that described in "The Test Kitchen." His Twitter thread laid out allegations against Vogt and Pinnamaneni, the podcast's senior reporter. 
• Following this, Gimlet M.D. Lydia Polgreen sent an internal email announcing that both Vogt and Pinnamaneni will be stepping back from their positions. Vulture reports that Vogt's departure from the show is permanent.
• Vogt and Pinnamaneni tweeted apologies on Thursday. 
• 🎧 Here's a Reddit thread listing shows similar to "Reply All" for you to check out.  

QUICK HITS:

• This company is reinventing home and renters insurance. Get a quote to see how much you could save.*
• In an effort to expand into the U.S., U.K.'s Acast acquired Boston-based podcast company RadioPublic. 
• Podimo, the podcast and short-form audio subscription start-up, raised an additional €11.2 million ($13.6 million) in funding. 
• Podnews launched an interactive chart that updates podcast migrations daily. 
• Slate suspended "The Gist" host Mike Pesca after he defended the use of racial slurs "in some contexts." 
• According to the Podcast Business Journal, podcasting now accounts for 40% of Cumulus Media's digital revenue. 
• What are the costs of inefficiencies in your product release cycle? Read how top companies save over $1M each year.*

*This is sponsored content.