Spotify confirms that it has commenced the testing of a new feature called “sponsored song.” For a fee, the feature allows music labels to promote their songs by making them appear on users’ playlists.
Songs appear on Spotify playlist without prior notice
Spotify users from the US and the UK reported that something odd is happening with their app. Users complained that unknown songs have been appearing on top of their favorite playlists unauthorized.
The activity was instantly linked to the “sponsored content” feature that recently appeared on Spotify.
Speculations were confirmed when guys from the Music Streaming Service announced that they have started testing the new feature.
At the moment, the feature is limited to a select group of free-trial users. The songs are targeted to match a user’s taste, and Spotify is trying to fit them into the correct playlists.
Spotify is yet to comment on how they charge labels who promote their songs through their latest feature. And although the latest feature is currently rolled out to only a small portion of users, there is a big chance that it will be made available worldwide if the current test is successful.
Meanwhile, users who are particular with the songs they include on their playlist need not worry.
They can choose to turn the feature off in the “sponsored content” section of their Spotify settings. Liam Maloney tweets about his relief.
Spotify responds to pressure from top artists
Music is both passion and business. It is no secret that Spotify has been under so much pressure from top music icons. For example, “Bad Blood” artist Taylor Swift has boycotted the music streaming service in the past over issues on royalty payments.
For similar reasons, Adele also kept her best-selling album “25” off Spotify for seven long months after its release.
Last April, the streaming service partnered with Universal Music Group in a deal that allows top artists to limit the availability of their new album releases. Under this agreement, new songs can only be accessed by paying subscribers within two weeks after its release.
Spotify believes that their multi-year license agreement could make their service more attractive to artists under Universal Music. This move could be beneficial since the group's roster of stars includes Coldplay, Kanye West, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift and Adele.
Spotify Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Daniel Ek believes that some album by some artist should be released in a special manner. Hence, they have been working double time to develop a flexible release policy.
