Universal Music Group (UMG) and Wondery have announced an agreement to develop premium original podcasts drawing upon the breadth and depth of UMG’s renowned musical catalog as well as its iconic roster of artists and labels.

Podcasts produced under the agreement will be available globally on any platform Wondery makes its content available. Wondery, with credits that include Dirty John, Dr. Death and Gladiator: Aaron Hernandez and Football, Inc., is the fastest company to join Podtrac’s Top 10 New Podcasts, holding both the #1 and #2 spots in 2018.

The premium original podcasts created by Wondery and UMG will serve as an “extension of the compelling narratives and content that UMG is already creating around its artists, labels and catalog.”

The podcasts will also become an incubator for UMG’s growing slate of critically acclaimed film and television projects, as well as a meaningful platform to reach audiences with content from short and long-form programming from the company’s Polygram Entertainment and its numerous record labels worldwide. UMG has been developing and producing podcasts since 2012.

Podnews points out that this joint agreement does not mean that Wondery can start using all of UMG’s songs. Podnews states: “UMG owns the recordings, but not typically the publishing rights for the songs, which would also need to be agreed.”