Spotify will change its appearance and look like TikTok. The company executives will present in March, during their event stream on in Los Angeles, a new update of the application that will simplify its use. Among the novelties, a functionality stands out that will allow listeners to scroll vertically through its home page, as collected Bloomberg.
this option will replace the current list of carousels with static covers that today we can see on the platform. It will also include the preview of videos or GIFs, such as those that can already be seen in some content. Spotify’s co-chairman and chief product and technology officer, Gustav Söderström, explained that the impending launch of the feature is a way to unite in one place. the three great offerings of the platform: music, podcasts and audiobooks.
Spotify had already given an idea of what this function will be like at its Investor Day, held in June of last year. With this novelty, the platform repeats the experience of Instagram and YouTube, who also replicated this TikTok format at the time.
Spotify targets the younger audience
The change seems like a move to make the app more appealing to younger audiences. One in three of its users is between 18 and 24 years old, a group that continues to grow according to what Spotify executives have assured to Bloomberg.
Another step that demonstrates Spotify’s interest in this audience is the recent hiring of Emma Chamberlain. She is a famous youtuber who did they add as podcaster exclusive. The company also this month announced a deal with a trio of Swedish content creators for a new comedy show, which it says will be one of the “highest-watched Gen Z podcasts.”
These updates come at a time when its competitors continue to boost their investment in the production of podcasts. YouTube, for example, has signed an agreement with the Freakonomics Radio Network to bring its programming to the platform. While ByteDance, the company behind TikTok, is already working with Acast on expanding Resso’s music streaming services into new territories.
Spotify, however, continues to lead the market with more than 200 million users in its segment premium, the company announced in January. It is the first platform to achieve this milestone, ahead of Competitors like Apple Music, YouTube Music, Amazon Music or Tidal. All of them are several tens of millions of subscribers below.