Earlier this month, all of us had an opportunity to revisit what we listened to most in 2022 with Wrapped. From the 12 months’s prime artist (congrats on the three-peat, Bad Bunny) to figuring out our listening personalities (the place the “Deep Divers” at?), followers worldwide shared their listening habits. But that’s solely the icing on the cake. The 12 months additionally noticed new content material choices corresponding to audiobooks and extra packages to assist numerous and underrepresented voices, all designed to carry the very best expertise to listeners and creators.
Ring in 2023 by reliving Spotify’s highlights from 2022.
Commitment to platform security
At the beginning of the 12 months, we shared a number of actions we’re taking to stability creator expression with security, together with publishing our Platform Rules and taking steps to make sure creators and customers alike perceive what’s permitted on Spotify. This summer season, we unveiled the Spotify Safety Advisory Council, an interdisciplinary group of consultants which can be offering our groups with an outside-in view of the security panorama and serving to us be sure that our merchandise and insurance policies handle the wants and issues of our customers, creators, and artists all over the world.
Acquisitions broaden our choices
Early within the 12 months, we acquired two podcast know-how firms: Podsights, a podcast promoting measurement service, and Chartable, a podcast analytics platform. This transfer helped us uplevel measurement for podcast promoting and provides publishers a brand new technique to develop their enterprise by means of insights and promotions instruments.
Over the summer season, we closed on the acquisition of Findaway, a world chief in digital audiobook distribution. Findaway works throughout the audiobook ecosystem with a platform and choices that serve authors, publishers, and customers. Their know-how and know-how helped speed up Spotify’s entry into audiobooks earlier this fall.
As the world’s main audio streaming platform, it made excellent sense to carry Heardle, the beloved interactive music recreation to Spotify. It has offered a enjoyable and modern manner to assist followers uncover new songs and artists.
We additionally acquired Kinzen, a world chief in defending on-line communities from dangerous content material. Our partnership with the Dublin-based firm, which started in 2020, has been important to enhancing our method to platform security. The firm’s know-how and distinctive method helps Spotify higher perceive, put together for, and forestall abuse traits from rising on our platform.
Frequency carves out a spot for Black creators
We expanded Frequency, our international initiative and holistic vacation spot for celebrating Black artwork, leisure, creativity, tradition, and group each on- and off-platform, with much more alternatives for Black creators. In addition to on-platform hubs and playlists, we hosted The Free Studio, a four-day residency that introduced collectively 9 Black musicians and creators. Spotify’s well-liked playlist Ripple Effect continued the Frequency Sunday Dinner sequence in Houston, in addition to cities throughout California.
Helping diversify the voices of podcasting
Programs like Sound Up, the Creator Equity Fund, and RADAR for Podcasters assist underrepresented voices and rising expertise within the audio house. From training and workshops to on-platform amplification, these initiatives give creators the instruments they should inform their story. In October, we launched the Africa Podcast Fund, a first-of-its-kind initiative to assist burgeoning podcasters by means of monetary grants, workshops, and networking alternatives. In December, we launched Elevate for Podcasters in partnership with the Inevitable Foundation. The program empowers skilled podcasters with disabilities, offering the funding, mentorship, tools, and lodging they should degree up their careers.
Introducing User Choice Billing with Google
Our multi-year settlement with Google represents a first-of-its-kind choice in fee selection with alternatives for each customers and builders. Users who’ve downloaded Spotify from the Google Play Store are offered with the selection to pay with both Spotify’s fee system or Google Play Billing. These two choices dwelling side-by-side within the app give customers the liberty to subscribe and make purchases, utilizing the fee choice of their selection. With this announcement and our partnership, Google is permitting extra selection and competitors—decisive steps that show how platforms ought to work.
Blend it up
Blend combines the very best of Spotify’s personalization capabilities and collaborative playlist performance right into a single shared playlist. In 2022, we took Blend to a complete new degree. Users can now Blend with as much as 10 individuals or they will Blend with artists like Lizzo, Post Malone, and Charli XCX. Fans even have the chance to store artist merch from the Blend expertise. Blend represents one other manner we can provide artists a brand new oportunity to work together with followers, and to carry added personalization to a listener’s music expertise.
Playing with video
In 2022 we expanded video podcasting to Anchor creators in over 180 international markets. Podcasters love having the choice to accompany their audio with visible parts, and followers get the chance to deeply join with the content material. We additionally launched Spotify Podcast Subscriptions for video podcasts, an integration with Riverside (the go-to platform for distant recording), embeddable video, video bulk-replace, video-specific analytics, and interactive podcast options, corresponding to polls and Q&A.
Celebrating EQUAL’s first anniversary
Since its launch, EQUAL has spotlighted ladies artists by means of international partnerships, activations, new content material experiences, and on- and off-platform assist. April marked this system’s one 12 months anniversary. Among EQUAL’s main accomplishments: listeners streamed greater than 13 million hours of program artists within the first month of becoming a member of.
Reimagining with Roblox
We entered the digital universe Roblox to create Spotify Island, an audio paradise the place followers and artists from all around the world can join and discover unique sounds, quests, and merch. We enhanced the expertise through the 12 months with Ok-Park and Planet Hip-Hop.
Spotify and FC Barcelona staff up on the sphere
In July, we kicked off a partnership with FC Barcelona, turning into the Main Partner of the Club in addition to the Official Audio Streaming Partner. We joined the staff in Miami through the membership’s preseason tour and introduced artists like Ovy on the Drums, Piso 21, and Mau y Ricky alongside for the enjoyable. Through the in-stadium LEDs and our different advertising and marketing channels, we promoted artists of all sizes from all over the world together with BLACKPICK, Fireboy DML, Megan Thee Stallion, Aitch, Pomme, Feid, and Rigoberta Bandini. For FC Barcelona’s October El Clásico showdown—some of the iconic occasions in all of sport—we celebrated Drake’s 50 billion streams by making a limited-edition package. Get extra particulars on this multiyear partnership on our Spotify: For the Record podcast.
Upping the ante with audiobooks
This fall, we launched audiobooks to listeners within the U.S., the UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. With greater than 300,000 titles on the platform, we’re giving e book lovers a brand new technique to get pleasure from storytelling on Spotify.
Time to play honest
We imagine everybody advantages when competitors is honest. Unfortunately, Apple doesn’t, they usually’ve persistently abused their dominant place to favor their very own providers, stifle innovation and harm customers. This 12 months, we continued to induce policymakers to take vital motion to guard competitors and customers from Apple’s anticompetitive conduct. For extra on this battle, take heed to Spotify: For the Record, the place entrepreneurs, U.S. senators, and Spotify CEO Daniel Ek talk about the significance of shopper selection.