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Tag: podcasts

  • Spotify restores free lyrics access

    Spotify restores free lyrics access

    Free Spotify users are now able to view song lyrics for all songs again, after being restricted earlier this year. The company previously limited free users to viewing lyrics for only three songs a month, pushing a paid subscription to access lyrics for any song. However, Spotify has now reversed this decision, allowing free users to enjoy unlimited access to lyrics once more.

    Spotify’s decision to limit lyric access for free users in May was met with negative feedback. It was viewed by some as an attempt to incentivize users to upgrade to their paid subscription tiers, which start at $11 per month. However, the company seems to have shifted its strategy, prioritizing improvements to the free user experience. This change aligns with CEO Daniel Ek’s recent statements about enhancing the free product pipeline based on performance in certain markets.

    While the exact reasons behind Spotify’s change of heart remain unclear, it’s evident that the company is constantly experimenting and iterating on its features. The spokesperson’s statement emphasizes this, stating that feature availability can vary across different tiers, markets, and devices.

    During a recent earnings call, CEO Daniel Ek mentioned ongoing plans to integrate additional enhancements into the free experience in the coming months. These improvements aim to make the free tier more appealing and valuable for users, potentially attracting a wider audience to the platform.

    It’s worth noting that Spotify’s commitment to enhancing the free experience goes beyond lyrics access. The company is likely exploring various avenues to make the free tier more attractive and engaging for users. This could involve introducing new features, improving the user interface, or even experimenting with different advertising formats.

    Although Spotify is still testing and refining its features, the company appears to be actively listening to user preferences and making necessary adjustments to cater to both free and paid users. The recent reversal of the lyrics restriction suggests that Spotify is open to adapting its strategies based on user response and market trends. It will be interesting to see how this change impacts user engagement and satisfaction on the platform in the long run.

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  • YouTube Music officially rolls out Podcasts in the U.S.

    YouTube Music officially rolls out Podcasts in the U.S.

    YouTube Music has officially launched a podcast feature for listeners in the United States, offering a new way for users to access their favorite shows and discover new ones. The feature is rolling out on the YouTube Music app, both on iOS and Android, and allows users to access a variety of podcasts across a range of genres. The announcement was made today via a YouTube Community post, making the feature official since it was reported that it was in testing phases back in February and announced to the media later that same month.

    With the new podcast feature, YouTube Music is expanding its content offerings beyond music to include spoken-word content. This move is in line with the growing popularity of podcasts in recent years, as listeners seek out new forms of entertainment and information. By offering podcasts, YouTube Music hopes to attract more users to its platform and keep existing users engaged.

    The launch of podcasts on YouTube Music comes at a time when the podcast market is experiencing significant growth and the main YouTube app serving podcasts in the interim. As a listening experience that complements the podcast video experience on YouTube, this presents a significant opportunity for YouTube Music to tap into the growing demand for podcasts and expand its audience reach.

    To access podcasts on YouTube Music, users need to search for their favorite shows or browse by category. New podcast recommendations and unfinished episodes will be accessible on the Home tab where you can filter by tapping “Podcasts” at the top of the home screen. The platform offers a range of categories, including: business, comedy, gaming, health & fitness, music, society & culture, and true crime. Users can also discover new shows through personalized recommendations based on their listening history and preferences.

    Podcasts that were previously available in the main YouTube app will also be in YouTube Music, where they will be available on-demand, when offline, or while casting. You will also be able to effortlessly transition between the audio and video versions of a podcast, just as you can do now with music and music videos.

    The podcast listening experience is different from the music listening experience on YouTube Music in that you do not need to have a Premium or Music Premium subscription in order to access some of the features. For Premium subscribers, note that the ad-free experience does not extend to host-read endorsements or sponsorship messages in podcasts.
    As of right now, Podcasts on YouTube Music are only available in the United States. However, this may change in the future, according to the announcement. The feature is also rolling out gradually, so you may not see it in your YouTube Music app right away.
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  • Spotify starts serving interactive ads to podcast listeners

    Spotify starts serving interactive ads to podcast listeners

    After investing big in podcasts, Spotify is trying to recoup some of that investment through ads. Starting this week, Spotify users listening to podcasts will be getting interactive ads that the streaming service refers to as CTA cards.

    These CTA cards are “the latest step in Spotify’s vision for the future of audio as an interactive, multi-way experience.” They will appear in the Spotify app when a podcast ad begins playing and will reappear later on while the user explores the Spotify app.

    According to Spotify, its CTA cards are supposed to make it easier for users to directly discover the products and services they’re interested in “without having a hard-to-remember promo code or vanity URL.”

    After running some tests, Spotify claims that advertisers with clickable ads have shown twice as many site visits compared to non-clickable podcast ads. CTA cards will be available across select Spotify Original & Exclusive podcasts in the United States.

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  • Spotify acquires another company to further improve podcasts discovery

    Spotify acquires another company to further improve podcasts discovery

    Spotify bought a few small companies in the last couple of months to further improve the podcast experience. Over the weekend, the music streaming company announced another acquisition that’s meant to contribute to building the best podcast discovery experience: Podz.

    Podz is a small company that owns a technology that Spotify thinks it can successfully complement its own to accelerate the efforts to drive discovery and deliver listeners the right content when they need it.

    Podz technology, just like Spotify’s, is powered by machine learning and generates high-quality clips that offer users the chance to preview important moments from podcast episodes. To sum it up, thanks to the new acquisition, Spotify should be able to make it easier for its listeners to find the content they want to listen to, and for creators to be discovered and build a fan base.

    According to Spotify, Podz technology will be integrated into the music streaming service beginning this year, so users should start seeing the first improvements before the end of 2021.

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