Kids Audio Brand Yoto Launches Pilot Program to Showcase Independent Creators

New York, NY (Oct 23, 2024) – Yoto, the multi award-winning screen-free audio platform for kids, today announced the launch of its new Yoto Creators pilot program. The initiative is designed to spotlight independent talent, including musicians, composers, authors and more, offering them the opportunity to have their original content published and sold as Yoto cards on the company’s platform. Today, 32 new Creator-made Yoto cards from 14 different creators are launching, bringing fresh, unique voices to Yoto listeners around the world.

Tom Ballhatchet, Vice President of Creative, UX and Innovation at Yoto commented, “Over the past few years, Yoto’s rapid growth across the world has seen us secure partnerships with the world’s leading publishers and record labels. But we don’t believe that those are the only places where creative kids' audio content can come from! In fact we know it isn’t, because for the last 18 months we have been nurturing new creative talent on our community site, Yoto Space, and giving creators an Open Mic to share their original audio in the Yoto format - all free to access for families to enjoy all around the world. We’ve been blown away by the creativity there, and we knew we needed to find a way to bring this to more people. The Creators pilot takes that next step, and audio makers can now publish their content on printed Yoto cards, sold on the Yoto Store, or even sold through a creator’s own channels. We’re really excited about how it can help us find and support the talent of tomorrow, and bring fresh new voices to Yoto families everywhere.”

Yoto has been nurturing creativity on the community website, Yoto Space, since April 2023. Two audio contests for original content saw top quality entries from new and established creators alike. The Yoto Space platform has provided creators with direct access to the Yoto team, allowing them to receive real time feedback and interact directly with their audience of Yoto families.

The launch of Creators introduces a wide variety of original content to Yoto’s card store, including an impressive selection of music cards. Rylee Soper’s “Freeze Dance” card invites listeners to get up and dance to beats ranging from Bollywood to Rock-and-Roll, while award-winning artist Kelli Welli makes her Yoto debut with her country-style, humor-filled album “Let’s Go, Pistachio.” New music also comes from Courtney Lee, whose card “Music for Kids!” journeys through genres like pop, acoustic, rap and Latin jazz.

Yoto’s music library is home to award-winning soundtracks from Disney, and albums from legendary artists like Bob Marley and The Beatles. Through the addition of music from independent creators, families will enjoy an even broader range of content for an enhanced audio experience. Yoto Creators aims to encourage Yoto listeners to explore new artists and music beyond their familiar favorites, and introduce them to new voices they might not have encountered otherwise.

David Thair, Community Manager at Yoto is keen to hear more from budding Creators out there. “Creators who want to get involved can visit the ‘Publish’ section on our community site Yoto Space to learn more about how to make a great Yoto card. They’ll find Creator Guidelines as well as handy resources to learn about what makes the Yoto format unique, and how to create a really engaging and successful title that children will love. If you’re just starting out, you might choose to share your audio for free, and start your Creator journey by building an audience in the ‘Open Mic’ area on Yoto Space. We look forward to seeing you there!"

For more information about the players, and additional offerings, please visit yotoplay.com.

About Yoto

Yoto is an interactive audio platform for kids. Yoto offers a catalog of stories, songs, activities and more to inspire creative play and learning without a screen. The carefully connected audio players – the Yoto Player and the Yoto Mini - put kids safely in control. No cameras. No microphones. No ads.

Inspired by Montessori principles, Ben Drury and Filip Denker founded Yoto in 2017. The very first Yoto Player launched on Kickstarter, then promptly sold out in 2019. The second generation Yoto Player was designed with renowned design agency, Pentagram, and launched in early 2020. Yoto Mini - the portable audio player - launched in late 2021.

Now available worldwide, Yoto has won awards and accolades from critics, parents and children alike. Yoto Mini was named as a winner in Good Housekeeping’s 2022 Parenting Awards, and TIME Magazine named Yoto Player one of the Best Inventions of 2020. In 2024, the Yoto Player won a prestigious D&AD Graphite Pencil and was recognized as a leader in Product Design by Red Dot.

Yoto’s platform features both award-winning original content and audio that has been licensed or co-created with partners. These partners include PRH, Pottermore, Macmillan, Sony, Disney, Roald Dahl Story Company, HarperCollins, Hachette, Viacom, Bonnier and Scholastic.