Spotify’s live-audio app may have been popular, but the company says it will continue to explore features on its main platform. The app is being discontinued, but users can still listen to live music through Spotify’s regular app.
Spotify may be sunsetting their Live app, but that doesn’t mean fans can’t keep up with live music. Artist-focused ‘listening parties’ will still be a part of the Spotify ecosystem moving forward. This way, artists and their fans can interact live in a safe and fun environment.
Spotify Live allows Spotify listeners to experience live music performances right within the main Spotify app. With access to a variety of artists and venues, as well as real-time reporting of what’s happening on stage, Spotify Live provides a unique experience for music lovers everywhere.
Spotify’s decision to end its live streaming feature in the main Spotify app was met with backlash from creators, who claimed that the interactive features allowed them to connect with their audience in a more intimate way. The company maintained that as live listening in the main app would not support these features, wider distribution was preferable. This move placed Spotify in opposition to other music streaming platforms, such as YouTube and Soundcloud, which continue to offer live streaming services.
It is not clear why Spotify acquired Greenroom, but the startup focused on live audio’s intersection with sports content. The rebranding to Greenroom and rolling out of live weekly shows were meant to drive consumer adoption of the live audio service, but it appears that they failed to gain traction. Given that the market is moving on from live audio, it is likely that this was not a successful move for Spotify.
In recent months, Spotify seems to have scaled back its live audio ambitions. This appears to be in response to increased competition from rivals such as Apple Music and YouTube Music. Several of the company’s live audio shows, including “Deux Me After Dark,” “Doughboys: Snack Pack,” “The Movie Buff” and “A Gay in the Life” have been discontinued, presumably due to decreased demand. Whether or not this signals a wider scaling back of Spotify’s live audio ambitions remains to be seen, but it is likely that the company will focus more on producing original content in order to keep users engaged.
Spotify’s foray into the live audio market had initially seemed like a natural fit for the company. The company had been heavily investing in podcasts and related technology, and live audio seemed like an obvious next step. However, Spotify has struggled with live audio – partly due to its struggles with podcasting, but also because of its lack of experience in this area.
Spotify isn’t the only company to pull back from live audio. Last year, Facebook integrated its Live Audio Rooms offering, which is its Clubhouse clone, into its Facebook Live experience. The social media giant also discontinued its short-form audio Soundbites feature and its Audio hub. These moves suggest that live audio is becoming less important to companies as they focus more on video chat and other features in their social media platforms.
