A podcast is still content, and content people will follow if it is interesting enough...so many people are in fact interested in the story that Spotify is betting their podcats will be listened to by many

Don't see this as any different from a major star being signed to a contract to produce content for TV, radio, a live show, Netflix etc etc.

It is simply alternative spotify programming.

It is not like they walked into a recording studio with a full band and autotune to create a song written especially for them.

If writing ever becomes work I think I'm going to have to stop