Spotify signifies a subscription podcast service

Spotify seems interested in launching a subscription podcast service that will offer access to original shows or exclusive episodes for a monthly fee.

The potential services described in a survey sent via the Spotify app, which was reported on by Andrew Wallenstein, president of Variety’s Intelligence Platform.

The survey describes at least four possible subscription podcast plans, ranging from $3 to $8 per month. The cheapest plan would include “access to exclusive interviews and episodes” but would still include ads. The most expensive plan would include access to “high-quality original content,” early access to some episodes, and no platform-inserted ads. None of these plans would include access to Spotify’s premium music subscription.

A Spotify spokesman indicated that the survey should not be considered a concrete product plan. “At Spotify, we routinely conduct a number of surveys in an effort to improve our user experience. Some of those end up paving the path for our broader user experience, and others serve only as important learnings,” the spokesperson said. “We have no further news to share on future plans at this time.”

That means there’s no guarantee that Spotify will follow through with launching any of the described services. Companies often survey customers about potential new products and may shape their plans based on the results. But the fact that Spotify is surveying users means that it’s likely considering launching some sort of subscription podcast plan, even if it doesn’t necessarily end up taking any of the exact forms described here.

Spotify has been making big investments in podcasting over the past two years. The company acquired several major podcast producers, including Gimlet, Parcast, and The Ringer; signed exclusive podcast deals with Michelle Obama, Kim Kardashian West, and Joe Rogan; and has increasingly promoted podcasts inside its app. Podcasts offer a lucrative opportunity for Spotify because it doesn’t have to pay licensing fees and royalties to stream them, but it can still make money on subscriptions and app-inserted ads, played around them.

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