The Brentwood-based audio entertainment company also announced the completion of a $12 million Series B funding round led by SiriusXM. It signed a deal to develop original, scripted podcasts and “new audio entertainment concepts” for the broadcast company, according to an October 11 statement.
Terms were not disclosed, but SiriusXM will have “first-look” options for Audio Up’s podcast concepts to be exclusively distributed across its properties including the SXM app, Pandora and Stitcher.
SiriusXM will also receive exclusive rights to sell advertising and sponsorship inventory for any podcast produced for its platforms through the company’s SXM Media sales organization. Additionally, Andrew Moss, SiriusXM’s senior vice president of business affairs and programming operations, will join Audio Up’s board.
Audio Up was founded in 2020 by Jared Gutstadt, who won Adweek’s 2020 Podcast Innovator and Producer of the Year. Its production studio has generated a robust slate of podcasts and “original scripted audio entertainment,” featuring prominent figures in music (Machine Gun Kelly, Miranda Lambert), acting (Anthony Anderson, Jason Alexander), and literature (Stephen King, James Ellroy).Â