Spotify: A Podcast Platform to Watch

Spotify have been heavily investing in a future in audio, not just music. They put a stake in the ground and declared that streaming audio, including music AND podcasts, would be the next great frontier for listeners, creators, and advertisers.  

Since then, Spotify has acquired many podcasting platforms and companies, to help propel them right to the top of the podcast ladder. Each acquisition represents the digital servicing platform’s intention for the future – all things audio, especially podcasts.

And it’s not only technology that Spotify is purchasing; it has invested over a billion dollars in acquiring shows such as the “The Joe Rogan Experience” and other businesses in a bid to draw users to a growing non-music audio segment.

So what does this mean?

This suggests that Spotify has a grand plan at play. What this is exactly, is unknown, but what we do know is that Spotify listenership, market share and advertising dollars have all increased this year, despite predictions to the contrary.

Spotify has been able to grow quickly, and it doesn’t look like stopping anytime soon.

That’s why we think it is a brand to watch and that it’s safe to assume that there will be some great new features or opportunities for podcasters on the platform soon.

Here are some of the other key acquisitions by Spotify:

Megaphone

Megaphone is the world’s leading podcast advertising and publishing platform. It helps podcast publishers publish, monetise and grow their podcasts and help advertisers connect with podcast audiences at scale.  

Whooshkaa 

An Australian-based technology platform that allows radio-broadcasters to repurpose their existing audio content into podcasts. Whooshkaa gives independent creators, publishers, broadcasters, and brands a cost effective, end-to-end platform to host, distribute, monetize, and track on-demand audio. 

Podz

Podz is a platform discovery platform. Spotify acquired Podz in order to improve its machine learning capabilities geared towards audio discovery. Podz says it will replace podcast directories with individual personalised audio newsfeeds of 60-second teasers, automatically selected by artificial intelligence. 

Locker Room (now called Spotify Greenroom)

Greenroom lets Spotify users host or participate in live audio chat rooms with new recording capabilities that will allow those conversations to be recorded into on-demand podcasts. With the utilisation of recommendation software currently used for music and podcasts, Greenroom users will be able to easily find live conversations they want to be a part of.

Gimlet Media and Anchor

Gimlet Media and Anchor are a podcast production house, which provide tools for podcast creators. Gimlet is best known for the shows “Reply All,” “StartUp” and “The Nod,” while Anchor offers podcast creation, publishing and monetisation tools.