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The AvA Connection
Interview with Sulinna Ong, Spotify's Global Head of Editorial
👋 This is Warner, creator of Assistants vs. Agents. Connect with me here.
📞 Today launch our new video interview series, The Call Log, with Sulinna Ong. Ong is Spotify’s Global Head of Editorial, overseeing all playlists and is one of the most important curators in all of music.
📰 Plus: 3 major industry moves and 5 things to know that will make you sound smart at work.
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🚨 Introducing Our New Video Interview Series: The Call Log with Warner Bailey

Each episode will be an inside look into the Entertainment industry's most inspiring careers, packaged into short 30-minute interviews.
Our inaugural guest for the series is none other than Sulinna Ong, Global Head of Editorial at Spotify. We hand-picked a few questions to share with you in this newsletter, or you can watch the full thing below.
🐝 The Weekly Buzz (5 things you need to know)
1) TikTok for artists launches globally. This gives artists access to performance data and promotional tools, and even allows you to pre-save albums to your streaming service of choice.
2) Marvel is set to slow down output after recent disappointing performances. From 2021 to 2024 the studio increased their average output by 300%, but after 2025 is over, their goal is to considerably reduce their output through 2027.
3) Live-events tech firm Fever closed a $100M raise the AM, and quickly acquired the ticketing company Dice. They are now the “largest independent platform for live music.” More here.
4) Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders sent a clear message. 60% of shareholders voted against Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav’s $52M pay package, on the heels of a staggering $11.5B net loss in 2024. He still managed to exceed his bonus targets.
5) Glastonbury reveals the rest of their lineup prior to taking a year off in 2026. The festival will ‘take a fallow year in 2026, which sees landowner Michael Eavis and his family allow the festival grounds to recover every four years.
1440: Your Weekly Business Cheat Sheet
Expand your business and finance knowledge with 1440. Get clear, conversational breakdowns of the key concepts in business and finance—no paywalls, no spin. Every Thursday, 1440 delivers deep dives, interactive charts, and rapid market rundowns trusted by 100k+ professionals.
🏃 Industry Moves
Wasserman added 2 new hires to strengthen their Hip-Hop/R&B division. This includes Jazmyn Griffin, formerly of C3 and Live Nation, as well as Tessie Lamlie, who used to work at UTA with artists like Lil Wayne and Latto.
Sony Music just announced who will replace Arista Records former president, David Massey. Rather than selecting just one successor, Clio Massey (David’s daughter who formerly served as VP of A&R), and Matt D’Arduini (former EVP of A&R), were tapped as Co-President’s.
It’s official. Disney loses legal bid to block YouTube’s hiring of media exec Justin Connolly. Disney said it will ‘continue to pursue our legal remedies.’
🐝 The Call Log: Sulinna Ong, Global Head of Editoral at Spotify

Sulinna Ong has one of the most unique and inspiring careers in all of Entertainment. She also now has one of the most important jobs.
Click the link below for our full conversation:
AvA: What is one piece of advice you have for someone breaking into the industry, especially on the creative side?
Ong: My first piece of advice is to create. Don’t wait for someone to give you a project or permission. Just start and experiment.
Number two is that the best creators that I’ve seen are lovers of art in various forms. You need to be a scholar of these other art forms; whether that’s music, literature, or film, but also history, philosophy, and politics. Great art isn’t created in a vacuum, it’s a bellwether for what’s happening in the world.
Listen to the rest of our interview with Sulinna on either Spotify (which I’m sure she would appreciate), or on YouTube.
👋 See you back here on Tuesday for a brand new selection of Entertainment jobs
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This newsletter is written by Warner Bailey and edited by Riley Furey
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