Tag: Spotify Marketing

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Spotify Testing TikTok-Like Vertical Video Feature

Spotify Clubhouse Acquisition

The latest innovation from Spotify, the world’s most popular music streaming platform, has some users scratching their heads.

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then TikTok must be feeling pretty good right now. The vertical video sharing platform has inspired virtually every major digital platform to copy its popular discovery video feed. The most glaring knockoff is Instagram Reels, which are often clips that first appeared on TikTok, but similar features exist on YouTube, Snapchat, and even Netflix. Everyone wants a piece of vertical video, it seems, and that list now includes Spotify.

Spotify has confirmed it’s currently testing a new feature in its app, Discover. It presents a vertical feed of music videos that users can scroll through and optionally like or skip. For those who have access to the feature, it appears as a fourth tab in the navigation bar at the bottom of the Spotify app, between Home and Search.

The existence of the Discover feature was first spotted by Twitter user Chris Messina, who also shared photos and videos of the new offering. 

Messina told TechCrunch he found the feature in Spotify’s TestFlight build (a beta version for iOS). A new icon in the navigation toolbar immediately brings you to the video feed when tapped. You can then swipe up and down to move through the feed like you would on TikTok. In addition to tapping the heart to like songs, you also can tap the three-dot menu to bring up the standard song information sheet, he notes.

First introduced in 2019, Canvas allows artists to add looping video clips to their music. The footage appears vertically while the song plays and can be up to 8 seconds in length. Spotify has claimed in the past that songs using Canvas have a higher engagement rate.

As a first step towards a complete embrace of video on its platform, Discover seems like a smart move for Spotify. By utilizing the existing database of Canvas clips to explore engagement opportunities and encourage more artists to add even more content to the platform, Spotify is poised to develop video features built with listener interest in mind faster than any of its competitors. The long-term plan remains unclear, but the company could eventually allow full-length videos and become something akin to a modern MTV — in addition to being the global leader in music streaming.

TechCrunch asked Spotify for further information on the feature, including whether it had plans to roll this out further, whether it was available on both iOS and Android, which markets had access to the feature, and more. The company declined to share any details about the feature but did confirm that it was exploring the idea of a vertical video feed via a statement.

“At Spotify, we routinely conduct a number of tests in an effort to improve our user experience,” a spokesperson told TechCrunch. “Some of those tests end up paving the way for our broader user experience, and others serve only as an important learning. We don’t have any further news to share at this time,” they added.

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Spotify Launches Lyrics Feature Globally For All Users

The latest Spotify update is available now across iOS, Android, desktop, games consoles, and TVs.

Spotify has made its highly-anticipated lyrics feature available worldwide following a limited rollout earlier this year.

The lyrics are sourced from Musixmatch, which offers lyrics for “over 8 million” titles. The feature will be accessible on basically every platform where Spotify has an app. That includes iOS, Android, desktop computers, gaming consoles, and smart TVs. It is available to both free and premium listeners.

As well as using the lyrics to sing along yourself, there’s also a social element that allows you to share lyrics on social media. Spotify says the feature will be available across the “majority” of its music library.

Here’s how to access the lyrics (and share them):

On the Spotify mobile app

  • Tap on the “Now Playing View” on a song.
  • While listening, swipe up from the bottom of the screen.
  • You’ll see track lyrics that scroll in real time as the song is playing!
  • To share, simply tap the “Share” button at the bottom of the lyrics screen and then select the lyrics you want to share — and where you want to share it — via third-party platforms.

On the Spotify desktop app

  • From the “Now Playing” bar, click on the microphone icon while a song is playing.
  • Voila! You’ll see track lyrics that scroll in real time while the song plays.

On the SpotifyTV app

  • Open the “Now Playing View” on a song.
  • Navigate to the right corner to the “lyrics button” and select if you want to enable Lyrics.
  • Once enabled, you’ll see the lyrics in the “Now Playing” View.

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Spotify Is Testing ‘Spotify Plus,’ An Ad-Supported $0.99 Tier

Spotify Plus is currently available to a limited number of users, but that may change in the near future.

Spotify is currently testing a new preimum membership tier that will cost subscribers $0.99 per month. The ad-supported membership option is currently available to a small number of users, but the streaming giant may expand their testing field in the near future.

According to multiple reports, the ‘Spotify Plus’ plan still features ads like Spotify’s free tier, but it doesn’t impose any limits on the number of tracks you can skip per hour. Users are also free to pick which specific songs they want to listen to, rather than mostly being limited to shuffling within albums and playlists.

While the $0.99 price tag sounds enticing, it may not be the final cost. Spotify’s approach to testing involves offering the new plan randomly at a variety of price points to gauge user interest. The most popular price is not necessarily the one a company will use. Instead, Spotify is seeking a sweet spot between “this is too much” and “this is a steal” where consumers can be convinced to part with a few extra dollars a month in the name of control.

Spotify’s free tier has existed in its current form since 2018. It doesn’t let users skip more than six tracks per hour, and only lets them pick and listen to specific tracks from 15 select playlists, ranging from editorial-selected playlists to algorithmically generated collections like “Discover Weekly” and “Daily Mix.” Any listening that takes place outside those two playlists must use the shuffle functionality. Spotify Plus would reduce those restrictions without giving users complete freedom (like the current $9.99 tier).

Ads for Spotify Plus, which is currently available to a small batch of users for testing purposes.

“We’re always working to enhance the Spotify experience and we routinely conduct tests to inform our decisions,” a spokesperson said. “We’re currently conducting a test of an ad-supported subscription plan with a limited number of our users.”

However, Spotify cautioned that there’s no guarantee that the new tier will launch in its current form. “Some tests end up paving the way for new offerings or enhancements while others may only provide learnings. We don’t have any additional information to share at this time.”

Spotify has a long history of publicly testing major developments long before they reach the public. For example, the company’s long-discussed ‘car thing‘ has been in various stages of development for years. A hifi streaming option that could rival the lossless audio offered by Apple Music and Amazon Music was available to a small batch of users for testing earlier this year. To date, Spotify has not provided any timeline for the release of that streaming tier.

As much as we like to see Spotify continue evolving, the elephant in the room remains: How will this latest development, which has the potential to generate millions in revenue, benefit musicians?

Stay tuned.

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Spotify Reveals Partnership Program for Independent Artists

As its competitors try to steal the streaming crown, Spotify is taking steps to engage and support its massive community of independent artists.

Today, Spotify surprised its talent community by revealing a brand new partnership program for independent artists! Centered around the Fresh Finds playlist, the program focuses on helping developing artists learn, collaborate, and grow, giving them the tools for long-term, sustained career success.

The Fresh Finds playlist is often the very first level of Spotify playlisting for independent artists, serving as a launchpad for many artists who have gone on to wide mainstream success — Clairo, Omar Apollo, Curtis Waters, 100 gecs, Amine, and countless more. 

Since its debut in 2016, Fresh Finds has playlisted over 25,000 artists, with their average monthly listeners increasing by 108% in the 28-days following the add, compared to the previous 28-days. For artists whose first Spotify editorial playlist is Fresh Finds, over 44% go on to be added to another editorial playlist on Spotify.


The four artists that join the initial ‘class’ of the Fresh Finds program are Wallice, Unusual Demont, Julia Wolf and EKKSTACY.  These up-and-comers will be provided with a substantial suite of opportunities including…

  • Education & Access to Resources: Each artist will have access to an array of tools and opportunities to accelerate their careers, including personalized Masterclasses and mentorship, credits to use on Spotify for Artists resources (Marquee and SoundBetter’s Canvas designer category), and more. 
  • Creative Collaboration: The artists will be given the opportunity to each create an original song that will be released in June under the Spotify Singles banner.  Spotify’s Songwriter & Publishing Noteable team has paired the four artists with producers who understand each of their unique visions:
  • Marketing Support: The four artists will be featured in a major marketing campaign on-and-off platform, as well as taking part in a social media documentary series, Spotify Clips, and more.

“Independent artists are at the forefront of what’s next in music,” says Rachel Ring, Music Marketing Manager at Spotify. “It’s vital that we continue to create space and opportunities for this wide-ranging group of artists, meet them where they are, provide tools for them to have agency over their careers, and give them a voice in our marketing campaigns.” 

Over the span of six to eight weeks, artists in the program have access to one-on-one mentorship with members of Spotify and a personalized Masterclass to learn how to best use Spotify for Artists tools (like Canvas and Marquee). There will also be collaboration opportunities with songwriters and producers set up in partnership with Noteable, Spotify’s Songwriter and Publishing Relations team. At the end of the program, each of the four groups of artists and producers/songwriters will release an original Spotify Singles track. The collaboration process will be documented through a social content series so fans can follow along as the tracks are created and see the songs come to life.

“It was important for us to build an ecosystem around the artists we’re working with to ensure they have the tools, resources, and support they need to succeed in the short and long term,” continues Rachel. “At the end of this program we want our Fresh Finds artists to leave with a fluency in Spotify’s tools, a connection with other creators, growth across a wide range of new fans, and deeper engagement within their existing fan base.”

As part of the launch, Spotify will also be launching 13 new regional Fresh Finds playlists in Brazil, Spain, Australia/ NZ, UK/IE, Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore/ Malaysia, Vietnam, India, Italy, Germany/Switzerland/Austria, South Korea and Turkey, to further our mission of helping developing artists find a global fanbase. 

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Could Spotify and Clubhouse be a Perfect Match? [VIDEO]

Combining two of the biggest audio-focused apps on the planet seems like a no-brainer, but will it actually happen?

The competition for listener attention and money in the crowded audio space is fierce. With virtually all streaming platforms offering the same songs, the only thing that can separate each brand is in the features they offer. Podcasts alone are not enough. High-fidelity recordings are not enough. The companies that rise above in 2021 and beyond need to be thinking outside the box, and it looks like Spotify may be doing just that with its latest activity. 

Recently, Spotify Daniel Ek participated in a Clubhouse event with Mark Zuckerberg that seemed to reveal his interest in audio-driven social technology. He then confirmed this belief in an interview with The Verge where he stated:

“I think that there’s a number of different elements of what social audio or Clubhouse even is. So I think on the one end, you’re seeing the interaction between two or more people talking, and obviously, if you think about podcasts today, that’s typically the format that’s working pretty well there, too. So I’m not surprised that that’s working.

I’m also not surprised that social features, users to users interacting with each other, are working. So it is an interesting space, and it’s definitely something that we’re keeping an eye on. Long-term, though, I think the broader shift that has been true with the internet has been most of the hours of consumption, we believe, will be moving from linear to on-demand. Meaning consumers should be able to consume whatever content that they want on their terms and not necessarily be beholden to someone else’s schedule. So I think it’s a really interesting format from a creation perspective, but I suspect that from the consumption perspective, most of the time consumed will still be on-demand which is what Spotify is known for today.“

The interest Ek — and by extension, Spotify — has in Clubhouse doesn’t stop there. In the last week, the streaming service has asked users with ad-supported streaming subscriptions to offer their thoughts on Clubhouse. The survey ends with a notice that the company will likely have more questions about Clubhouse soon.

But what does this mean? Two ideas that come to mind:

  • Spotify is considering acquiring Clubhouse.
  • Spotify is preparing to launch a native version of Clubhouse.

In the latest Music Biz update, host James Shotwell explains the latest rumors and argues that combining these two wildly popular apps could mark the dawn of a new age in music consumption and conversation. Check it out:

Spotify — or any streaming service — offering a native version of Clubhouse could be a pivotal moment in digital music evolution. For the first time, artists would host interactive fan events in the same place where their music is available for consumption. Rather than pointing fans from IG live, Zoom, or Twitch to yet another platform, everything an artist needs to engage with fans would be in one place.

Only time will tell what happens between these apps, but given Ek’s interest it seems likely something will develop in the months and years ahead. Stay tuned.

Music Biz is brought to you by Haulix, the music industry’s leading promotional distribution platform. Start your one-month free trial today and gain instant access to the same promotional tools used by BMG, Concord, Rise Records, Pure Noise Records, and hundreds more. Visit http://haulix.com/signup for details.

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Spotify Patents Tech To Monitor Your Speech and Infer Emotion

Spotify wants to know its users better, but its plans to do so are causing a stir online.

Have you ever opened Instagram or Facebook and saw an advertisement for something you were recently discussing in conversation? You never looked for the product on those apps, yet they seem to know what you want? If so, you’re not alone.

Many people believe big tech companies are spying on users’ behavior to create smarter algorithms that serve targeted ads. While that hasn’t been proven, it is eerie to see how well the algorithms currently in use understand your wants and needs.

Spotify’s latest patent is fanning the flames of spyware conspiracies, and it’s not hard to see the connection. The company filed a patent detailing how it could use microphones to determine people’s “emotional state, gender, age, or accent,” according to Music Business Worldwide.

The patent application was submitted back in 2018, but it wasn’t awarded until January 2021. The proposed tech would use its inferences about users to make listening recommendations. If it thinks you’re angry, for example, it may suggest a heavy metal playlist. If you just got dumped, maybe some Juice WRLD will soothe your broken heart.

The company also intends to throw in environmental sounds to the mix, like “vehicles on a street, other people talking, birds chirping, printers printing, and so on,” allowing for context-based recommendations. For example, if the algorithm believes you’re in Los Angeles, it will recommend songs and artists that people visiting the West Coast typically enjoy.

Many questions surrounding the patent have no clear answers. It’s not likely that Spotify will reveal more information about its plans until their tech is ready if such a product ever exists in the first place. Patents are often a legal cover for ideas or experiments a company considers but may ultimately never use.

But if the day comes to pass when Spotify introduces its listening tools, you can be certain some users will be upset. People will want to know when the app is listening, and they will want the ability to opt-out of sharing their life with a tech giant.

It’s important to remember that most of us already share more data with tech giants like Spotify than we realize. Our phones know where we are, what we look for, who we speak to, what we listen to, what movies we plan to watch, and we’re hoping to purchase. Similar information is known by countless websites that we visit, and many share their data with others to build smarter algorithms to keep us hooked on their products. You can call it insidious, or you can call it smart business. Either way, our data isn’t really ours anymore.

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Spotify Reveals Creative Marketplace for Canvas Looping Artwork

Spotify is doubling-down on its latest listener engagement tool with a marketplace to connect artists and creatives from around the world.

One of the big questions facing Spotify and other music streaming platforms is how to raise engagement. With most platforms having the same catalog as every other streaming service, companies like Spotify are searching for creative ways to attract and keep new users. They also want to give artists something other services don’t offer to encourage musicians to prioritize sharing links to their platform.

Enter Canvas. The Spotify-exclusive feature allows musicians to add 3-8 second looping video clips to their song streams. These clips play on mobile devices alongside music streams, and Spotify’s data points show they play a big role in raising overall engagement. When songs have a Canvas, listeners are…

  • 145% more likely to share the track
  • 5% more likely to keep streaming
  • 20% more likely to add the song to their personal playlists
  • 9% more likely to visit an artists’ profile page

But there is a problem. While most artists have access to Canvas, not everyone has the talent to make interesting clips. Spotify hopes to solve this with the introduction of a new marketplace that connects musicians with designers, which is rolling out today (November 19).

A post on the company blog reads:

SoundBetter is the world’s premier music production marketplace. It’s where singers, producers, songwriters, session musicians, and mixing and mastering engineers go to buy and sell the collaborative services that make music come to life.

Now, as Spotify for Artists expands access to Canvas – enabling even more artists to add mesmerizing looping visuals to their tracks – we’re also expanding SoundBetter’s offering to include a Canvas designer category. So, instead of scouring the internet for a graphic designer to work with, now you can go to SoundBetter to find the right designer for your Canvas creation needs.

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New Spotify Tool Pays Artists Less For More Promotion [VIDEO]

Boasting the promise of greater algorithmic consideration, the latest Spotify tool appears to be a modern ‘Pay 2 Play’ scheme.

On Monday, November 2, Spotify announced a new tool for artists that promises preferential algorithmic treatment for songs dubbed ‘priority.’ That is all good and well, as most artists would love more people to hear their music platform. However, the offer comes with a MAJOR catch.

“In this new experiment, artists and labels can identify music that’s a priority for them, and our system will add that signal to the algorithm that determines personalized listening sessions,” the statement reads. “This allows our algorithms to account for what’s important to the artist.”

Every song marked as priority will have a lower royalty rate. Artists will make less money per stream for songs that participate in Spotify’s new program. That’s a significant problem when you consider that the company typically only pays $0.004 per stream (on average).

To quote the company:

“Labels or rights holders agree to be paid a promotional recording royalty rate for streams in personalized listening sessions where we provided this service.”

The company also adds that the new program “won’t guarantee placement to labels or artists.”

In this Music Biz update, host James Shotwell breaks down Spotify’s latest offer. He weighs the pros and cons of participation in the ‘priority track’ promotion and what this development tells us about the company’s future. Check it out:

Learn more by subscribing to our YouTube Channel.

Just last week, over 4,000 independent artists in the Union of Musicians and Allied Workers presented a new campaign demanding that Spotify pay at least one cent per stream, among other requests for a more equitable streaming environment. “Music workers create all of the enormous wealth Spotify accumulates for its CEO, its investors, and the major labels,” the Union wrote in an open letter. “But we artists continue to be underpaid, misled, and otherwise exploited by the company.”

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Spotify’s New Tool Revolutionizes Music Podcasts (And It’s Free)

Spotify’s efforts to become the premier platform to listen, discover, and create podcasts just took a giant leap forward.

Spotify just reinvented music podcasts. Starting last week, users worldwide can create podcasts using Anchor that includes music from the Spotify library. The music is available to creators without licensing fees, but artists will make money from the use. It’s a first of its kind development that stands to create a boom of new content for the popular streaming platform.

Anchor, which Spotify acquired in February 2019, is a podcast creation and distribution platform that is free to use. With a few clicks, anyone can upload and share their recordings with the world. The new feature, available in numerous countries, allows creators to add full songs from anyone with music on Spotify without fear of copyright claims or expensive licensing costs.

But there is a catch. There’s always a catch.

Shows featuring music from the Spotify library will only be available to Spotify users. That may frustrate some creators, but it’s a genius decision for Spotify corporate. The company is encouraging boundless creativity while still keeping the final product of that creativity within its ecosystem. As a result, more creators will move shows or make new ones exclusive to Spotify, and Spotify will have a constant stream of new content for its massive community of users to consume. All this, plus the fact musicians will make money any time people stream podcasts with their music, makes this development a winning combination for everyone!

In this Music Biz 101 update, host James Shotwell breaks down the newest Spotify development and the many ways it can potentially help artists everywhere get ahead while earning money. Check it out:

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Spotify Launches Tool for Artists and Creator To Make Promo Cards

Spotify promo cards make it easy for creators everywhere to make eye-catching sharable content that brings more listeners to their content.

Starting today, creators — both musical artists and podcasters — can easily generate Spotify promo cards to share with their fans on social media. Available through Spotify for Artists and Spotify for Podcasters microsites, creators can customize and share graphics featuring their artist profile, track, album, podcast, or episode. Additionally, the sites will allow creators to download special promo cards to share when they’ve been added to any of 33 of Spotify’s most popular music & podcast playlists. 

The microsite for artists is HERE and the one for podcasters is HERE. The feature is available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and German at launch. More language options are expected in the months to come.

A post on the Spotify For Artists blog outlines how the new tool works:

Introducing Promo Cards, easily customizable graphics that you can create to share with your fans to promote yourself, your songs, your album, or when you’re featured on some of our most popular playlists*. All you have to do is go to artists.spotify.com/promocards to get started. There’s no log-in required and the site is available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and German. Once you’re there, you can create your custom Promo Cards in three simple steps:

SELECT: Search for the content you want to promote. You can share your artist profile, a track, or an album. If one of your songs has been playlisted, you’ll see the option to share a customized Promo Card in the search results for the track.

CUSTOMIZE: How do you want fans to see the image? Will it be square, horizontal, or portrait? You can choose the aspect ratio and background color from a palette of complementary options.

SHARE: Download your new creation and upload it wherever you like with the link to your content the site generates. You can also choose one of the direct share options on the site to post it to social media.

Now, without having to spend time resizing and cropping you’ve created something fans can share to help spread the word about you and your music. And if you’re a podcaster (or if you guest on a podcast you want to help promote), we have Spotify for Podcasters Promo Cards available too.


*Playlists eligible for Promo Cards: African Heat, Are & Be, Esquenta Sertanejo, Exitos Espana, Fresh Finds, Future Hits Latin, Hot Country, Hot Hits Australia, Hot Hits Canada, Hot Hits UK, Indigo, Just Good Music, Lorem, Mansion Reggaeton, Modus Mio, mint, Most Necessary, New Boots, New Music Friday, RADAR, Pegao, POLLEN, Pop Rising, Rap Caviar, Rock This, Roots Rising, The New Alt, The Newness, Today’s Top Hits, Top Hits Deutschland, Top Hits Portugal, Viva Latino

Podcasters will follow similar steps for content creation.

All you have to do is go to podcasters.spotify.com/promocards to get started. There’s no log-in required and the site is available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and German. Once you’re there, you can create your custom Promo Cards in three simple steps:

SELECT: Search for the content you want to promote. You can share your show’s profile or an episode. If one of your episodes has been playlisted, you’ll see the option to share a customized Promo Card in the search results for the show or episode.

CUSTOMIZE: How do you want listeners to see the image? Will it be square, horizontal, or portrait? You can choose the aspect ratio and background color from a palette of complementary options.

SHARE: Download your new creation and upload it wherever you like with the link to your content the site generates. You can also choose one of the direct share options on the site to post it to social media.

Now, without having to spend time resizing and cropping, you’ve created something listeners can share to help spread the word about your podcast. And if you’re an artist (or if you guest on a podcast you want to help promote), we have Spotify for Artists Promo Cards available too.

*Playlists eligible for Promo Cards: Best Podcasts of the Week, Brain Snacks, and Crime Scene

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