• by P.J. Bednarski  @pjbtweet, December 10, 2018

Spotify is partnering with Ellen DeGeneres on a cross-promotional content hub in which the talk show host and comedian gets to showcase her favorite music, plus the music played by guests on her show.

Spotify says it’s the first time it has tried something like this. It would seem to be of obvious benefit to each partner.

According to Spotify, the comedian quipped, “I’m so excited to partner with Spotify on my very own music hub because music truly makes everything better. Well, music  -- and salt.”

Digital music services are aggressively competing for ears. Last month, Sirius XM paid $3.5 billion  for Spotify’s main competitor, Pandora.  

Amazon and Google are each fortifying their music services as a feature of their respective audio services; Amazon just added Apple Music to it Echo speaker personal assistants, or teaming up for market share. But Spotify, with 83 million subscribers, leads the pack.

“The Ellen DeGeneres Show” is in its 16th season on daytime television, one of the few long-running talk shows left. Her signature is her energetic impromptu dances, a good fit for Spotity. Winner of 59 daytime Emmy Awards, the show is the second most viewed talker behind “Dr. Phil” among 25-54 viewers.

That’s not a crowd Spotify seems to cater to as much as it does U.S. millennials, which the music service claims stream it for 4.5 billion minutes a week -- 72% of the total streaming done there.

DeGeneres reaches a younger, more upscale audience via her podcast, “Ellen on the Go,” and the Ellen Digital Network across several platforms that claims a combined 188 million social followers.

“Ellen’s brand is deeply interwoven with music, as evidenced by the care with which she handpicks musical talent, and by the ways she integrates music into her show, “ said Xavier Jernigan, head of cultural partnerships at Spotify. “Bringing in specific influencers like this to Spotify is perfect because it opens us up to more opportunities to speak to fans -- and an even wider audience -- where influencers have already cultivated trust.”

DeGeneres will tout Spotify on her show and digital channels, and Spotify is already showcasing the channel to listeners.

DeGeneres continues a high profile this month when Netflix presents “Relatable,” her first stand-up appearance in 15 years.