Spotify Is Quietly Evolving Into A Social Network

Spotify, once solely a music streaming app, is evolving into a social network thanks to its introduction of new features. These include enabling comments on podcasts and interactive tools like Polls and Q&As.

Setting the stage for this shift, the platform revamped its interface last year, adding a TikTok-like discovery feed, artist profiles for selling merchandise and concert tickets, and the ability to post stories.

During the company’s Q1 2024 earnings call, CEO Daniel Ek acknowledged TikTok’s influence on Spotify’s design. In particular, he emphasized that Spotify learns from market trends to improve user experience.

Steadily but quietly, Spotify has been introducing new social features. This gradual roll-out includes in-app video feeds and TikTok-inspired features like Spotify Clips, allowing artists to post 30-second videos. Others include Countdown Pages and video messages during Spotify Wrapped campaigns. Users can now follow friends and creators, collaborate on playlists in real-time, and stay updated on new music and events.

Moreover, Spotify is testing a Community feature to show real-time streaming activity and create a more interactive experience.

In addition, Spotify’s VP of Podcast Product has hinted at the possibility of expanding the comment feature to music artists’ pages. This move could capitalize on the active fanbases of musicians and increase user engagement.

Spotify’s gradual evolution into an audio-based social platform is positioning the company to compete with already established social networks for users’ time, engagement and advertising revenue. By enhancing how users actively engage, share thoughts, and participate in conversations, the platform is becoming a hub for social connection in its own right.

Spotify’s quiet introduction of more social features is also a smart strategy, given how competitors’ loudly-announced social updates have failed to gain traction. One example is of Apple Music’s ‘Ping’ and ‘Connect’, both of which failed to land with users.

Rather than highlight its social side, Spotify’s latest marketing campaign “My Spotify” celebrates the unique relationship between listeners and their Spotify.