Chief Public Affairs Officer Dustee Jenkins, one of PRWeek's Most Powerful Communicators, offers career insights to Belmont students
Spotify’s Chief Public Affairs Officer Dustee Jenkins recently visited campus as part of the 2024-2025 Industry Speaker Series hosted by Belmont’s Mike Curb College of Entertainment & Music Business.
During the event, Jenkins was interviewed by Curb College Dean Brittany Schaffer, who previously served as head of artist & label partnerships, Nashville, co-leading Spotify’s Nashville office. The conversation provided students the opportunity to hear insights from one of the most influential figures in public affairs and communications.
Jenkins, a longtime friend of Dean Schaffer, shared how she felt inspired by the caliber of education Belmont students receive. “I've been super impressed by what Belmont is teaching, especially the practical application of things. You want to graduate and be poised to succeed in a role,” Jenkins commented. “But the reality is you go from a classroom to having to actually write the press release, make the announcement, talk to the journalist on the phone ... so having that practical experience is super important.”
Jenkins also shared advice for navigating the highly competitive internship and job application process at major music industry companies. On average, every open position at Spotify receives about 8,000 applications. This year, 89,000 people applied to only 85 internship positions at the audio streaming giant.
“A lot of people want to work at Spotify,” Jenkins said. “I look for the hard worker who's going to roll up their sleeves, who's innovative, creative and will come up with solutions. Someone who doesn't take no for an answer. I can teach people communications; I cannot teach them hard work.”
Jenkins also discussed why she loves her job, highlighting that the core difference between Spotify and its competitors is music. “At Spotify, we are thinking about audio books and music and podcasts every single day,” she said. “We want to help you discover artists and find podcasts and find your favorite audiobook. Each of these things brings more people into music, which is at the core of what Spotify is about.”
With a background in financial transactions, Jenkins was originally hired by Spotify to help them list publicly. Today, she oversees all external communications, government affairs, trust and safety matters, as well as enterprise-wide internal communications in more than 180 global markets.
During her time at Spotify, the company launched Spotify audiobooks and became a publicly traded company. Jenkins was also recently honored in PRWeek’s 2024 Power List as one of the 50 most powerful figures in communications.
With all her accolades and success in her field, Jenkins shared that the most rewarding aspect of her job has been watching her team thrive in their roles. “I think Spotify is really good at seeing your potential then pushing you to go further,” said Jenkins. “The thing that gives me the most joy is watching my team flourish. I love watching people who come in thinking they can do just one thing, and then watching them grow and evolve, just like I've been able to do here.”
To conclude the event, students were able to ask Jenkins questions from what it is like being a woman in the industry to how Spotify compensates songwriters to how she balances motherhood with her work.
Learn more about the Curb College Industry Speaker Series.