How can Spotify keep artists happy? Live music events, apparently
Spotify is reportedly branching out into live music
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Spotifyhas never had a smooth relationship with artists, with accusations that it doesn’t fairly compensate music creators – but the streaming platform is reportedly hoping to improve this relationship with the help of live music events.
According to a report inThe Information(viaEngadget), Spotify is considering a move into live events, possibly selling tickers for “both virtual and live concerts”.
Apparently, the main goal of this exercise isn’t to make money from ticket sales (at first, anyway) – instead, Spotify is hoping that it can use the lure of live events to woo artists.
The Information suggests that Spotify could use the data is has on artists to help them plan concerts in places “most promoters avoid”, showing them that it’s devoted to the careers of its musicians.
Keeping artists happy
Of course, there are benefits for Spotify aside from keeping artists happy. Offering live music events would give it another way of standing out from an increasingly competitive music streaming market, which recently sawApple MusicandAmazonMusic Unlimited offerhi-res audioto their subscribersat no extra cost.
While Spotify has its own plans to introduce a higher-quality streaming tier withSpotify HiFi, it will still be limited to CD-quality audio (16 bit / 44.1kHz) ; by comparison,AppleMusic now offers up to 24 bit / 192kHz.
Spotify has delivered live music events in the past, for instance with a 2019 Spotify On Stage concert series in Jakarta and Bangkok and more recently, with a prerecorded virtual concert featuring The Black Keys and Leon Bridges.
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Still, delivering live music events and using artist data to help musicians plan successful tours will be a big move for Spotify, and it could help it to further distinguish itself against its biggest rivals.
Olivia was previously TechRadar’s Senior Editor - Home Entertainment, covering everything from headphones to TVs. Based in London, she’s a popular music graduate who worked in the music industry before finding her calling in journalism. She’s previously been interviewed on BBC Radio 5 Live on the subject of multi-room audio, chaired panel discussions on diversity in music festival lineups, and her bylines include T3, Stereoboard, What to Watch, Top Ten Reviews, Creative Bloq, and Croco Magazine. Olivia now has a career in PR.
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