Streaming / Entertainment — Podcast Network · Vendor RFP / Sourcing · Spotify
Vendor RFP / Sourcing Project Manager Simulation — Spotify
Run the competitive RFP that puts Spotify's owned podcast network — 140 shows spread across four hosting platforms and $3.1M a year of duplicated spend — onto a single provider. You have 14 weeks, $800K, and no requirements document. The scoring model is the straightforward part; getting opinionated producers to sign the requirements before bids open, and to accept a winner that may not be their incumbent, is the actual project. Gain hands-on project management experience over 27 days of real decisions, stakeholders, and PMO deliverables — no prior experience required.
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The scenario
Spotify's owned-and-operated podcast network runs 140 active shows across four hosting platforms, and nobody chose that arrangement. Three of the platforms arrived attached to acquisitions and were never consolidated. The fourth, Loudhaus, was picked in 2021 by a single show's producer who needed something on a Friday, and it quietly became the default for new signings. Each platform manages its own RSS feeds, reports its own definition of a download, handles dynamic ad insertion differently, and renews on its own date. Finance's Q2 vendor-spend review was the first document to put all four contracts on one page. The number is $3.1M a year for hosting and measurement, and the review could not produce a single figure for cost per episode-download because the four platforms do not count downloads the same way. Consolidating onto one provider is projected to take at least 18% off the run rate and, more valuable to the commercial team, produce one measurement standard the network can quote to advertisers ahead of the next upfront season. You have been given 14 weeks and $800K to run the competitive RFP that picks the provider. The award is the deliverable — the migration itself is a separate project, funded and staffed next quarter. Kestrel Sourcing Partners is retained to help build the scoring model, Legal is engaged on data residency and IP terms, and Global Sourcing policy governs how the competition has to be run. What does not exist is a requirements document. Podcast Network Operations, IT Shared Services and the producers of the biggest shows each hold a piece of what the network actually needs, and none of them have been in the same room about it. The scoring model is the straightforward part. Getting the producers to sign the requirements before bids open — and to accept a winner that may not be their incumbent — is the project.
What you'll do as the project manager
- →Issue one RFP to a field of at least five qualified hosting providers by Day 13, against a requirements set signed off by Operations, IT, Legal and the top-10 show producers
- →Score every response against a weighted model agreed and locked before bids open, with zero criterion changes after the submission deadline
- →Deliver a verified run-rate reduction of at least 18% against the $3.1M current annual spend, normalized by Finance for download volume
- →Secure written acceptance of the award recommendation from Podcast Network Operations and from the producers of the top 10 shows by download volume
- →Hand over an approved migration plan with a show-level wave sequence and a named rollback position per wave, ready for the separate migration project
Project management skills you'll build
The challenges you'll navigate
- •The four incumbent contracts expire on staggered dates. Loudhaus is the shortest runway at nine weeks post-award, its one permitted extension is spent, and 31 shows sit on it
- •Every hosting vendor asserts clean download-history portability and none of them has been made to prove it. If ten years of back-catalogue analytics does not move, the network loses its own history
- •The top 10 shows by download volume carry 61% of network advertising revenue, three of them sit on Northstar Audio, and their producers have not been consulted on requirements at all
- •EU data residency has never been tested against these platforms. If only two bidders can meet it, a five-way competition collapses into a two-horse race and the savings case with it
- •There is no requirements document. What the network needs is held in four different heads, and the Day 11 freeze is the only chance to get it onto paper before it becomes unscoreable
Technology & stakeholders
You'll manage 7 stakeholders, including Roman Wasenmüller (Head of Strategic Initiatives), Young Min Kim (Global Sourcing Manager, Technology Procurement), Dominic Ferraro (Head of Podcast Network Operations), and more.
What you'll walk away with
A verified, shareable record of a completed enterprise project — plus the PMO deliverables you produced along the way (charter, project plan, SteerCo deck, closure document). It's real, demonstrable project management experience you can put on your resume and speak to in interviews.
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Build real PM experience by leading this enterprise project from initiation through phase gates.
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- ✓This complete enterprise project simulation
- ✓Access to 71+ realistic PM simulations
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- ✓Community access, replays, and training
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You will begin with this project and unlock the full Live PMO membership. Secure checkout by Stripe.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need project management experience to start?
No. This simulation is built for aspiring and practicing project managers alike — you learn by doing. You make real decisions and get feedback, with no PMP or prior PM job required.
How long does this simulation take?
It runs over 27 days, roughly 24 minutes per day, covering the full project lifecycle from initiation to closure.
What will I learn?
You practice the core of project management — stakeholder management, budget and schedule control, risk, scope, and PMO governance — in the context of vendor rfp / sourcing in streaming / entertainment — podcast network.
What does it cost?
This simulation is included in The Eddie System Live PMO Membership: $99/month, cancel anytime. One membership unlocks this project plus the full simulation library, PM templates and deliverables, live phase-gate sessions, replays, and community access.
What happens after I join?
Your platform access is instant: log in with the email you joined with and start Day 1 of this simulation. Your invite to the private community (Skool) arrives shortly after joining, included in your membership.
Is this based on the real Spotify?
No, and The Eddie System is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Spotify. It is a realistic training scenario inspired by Spotify and the Streaming / Entertainment — Podcast Network sector. Details, names, and events are fictionalized for training. It is a simulation, not a record of any actual project.
What do I get at the end?
A verified project completion plus the PMO deliverables you produced (charter, plan, SteerCo deck, closure) — proof of hands-on experience you can show employers.
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Spotify and related marks are trademarks of their respective owners. The Eddie System is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Spotify. This simulation is a fictionalized training scenario inspired by publicly known context; it is not a record of any actual project.