Spotify Newsletter #123

Your Weekly Dose of Spotify News

Aug 19, 2022

Hello and welcome to the latest issue of the Spotify Newsletter!

We are chock-full of prime Spotify news this week. I’m working the white board of late thinking of what to / what not to add to this weekly extravaganza of All Things Spotify. Perhaps some original commentary (besides me!), or different features.

Or nothing. Maybe just carry on as is… delivering the news in a neat and tidy breakdown via Substack to all the awesome people who have chosen to sign-up.

And I’m always happy to hear opinions/ideas about the newsletter.

Thanks for reading. Have a nice weekend. Listen to lots of awesome music on Spotify!

★In the SPOTlight★

🔥 Spotify's betting big on being more than a music service

Spotify's Gustav Soderstrom on the future of audio, combining music and podcasts and what's next for your playlists.

🔥 History Lesson: Spotify’s acquisition of Tunigo2013 gave rise to the streaming industrial complex

Doug Ford and Nick Holmsten had a vision.

🔥 Spotify Stations App Is Dead: How to Use Spotify's Radio Feature Instead

The Stations app functioned like Pandora, but the Radio feature inside Spotify works similarly.

🔥 Spotify’s “Streamshare” Model Explained

Most artists assume that Spotify pays “per-stream” which has become a music industry meme at this point.

🔥 Blondie, Mac DeMarco, Tori Amos, Spotify Lead Charitable Initiative ‘Band Shirt Day’

Several artists are joining with Spotify and MerchFriends to promote the first-ever ‘Band Shirt Day.’

🗣 Podcast Action 🗣

Spotify prompts some users to record reaction podcasts to playlists

Spotify Launches New Bundle For Megaphone Users, Adding Access To Chartable And Podsights

🎧 The Playlist List 🎧

RA launches three core playlists on Spotify

What is a playlist, actually?

Soundtracking FC Barcelona’s U.S. Summer Tour

Spotify Mobilizes Fans, Artists, and Our ‘Music For Ukraine’ Playlist Ahead of Ukrainian Independence Day

💡 Tips & Tricks 💡

9 mistakes everyone makes with Spotify

How to Add Winamp Visualizations to Spotify, YouTube, and More

💰 Spotify Stock 💰

Is Spotify Technology Stock Recession-Proof?

🖌 Design Notes 🖌

Was this Spotify redesign totally necessary?

🔥 Extra News 🔥

Spotify and Samsung’s Partnership Gives Users More Ways To Listen

Scam Alert: for all indie artists on Spotify

Spotify is offering three months free to new Premium subscribers

Pudding.Cool For Spotify: The AI That Judges Your Bad Taste In Music

Spotify App Seems to be Getting a Native PS5 Version

The merged Google Meet app lets you host group Spotify and YouTube sessions

Nicki Minaj Makes Spotify History With "Super Freaky Girl"

🎵 New Adventures 🎵

Forty-five years ago INXS kicked off a legendary career with its first-ever show.

This week featured a big celebration of this milestone - INXS Day - with a slate of releases, activities and a special streaming event. I love INXS. I still listen to them a great deal, but … from the mid-80s to the mid-90s I was neck deep into some serious INXS fandom. Of course everything changed after Michael Hutchence left us, but the legacy of awesome music, terrific musicians and a truly great… great… great… band is forever. Why they aren’t in the horribly biased Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame yet is a mystery. I’d like to start a newsletter about how infuriating the Hall is, but that’s a discussion for another time.

Anyway, INXS rules!