Music streaming giant Spotify is challenging Google-owned YouTube by introducing support for full-screen music videos, but the feature is currently in beta testing and exclusive to Spotify Premium subscribers. The new feature is accessible through the Now Playing screen for Spotify Premium users only. The Swedish music streaming giant said late on Wednesday that music videos will be accessible to premium users in the UK, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Brazil, Colombia, the Philippines, Indonesia and Kenya as part of the beta phase, as the company intends to expand its user base globally.
"...They’re a powerful way for fans to discover and connect with music, and a natural fit to live on Spotify. That’s why we’re excited to launch music videos in beta for Spotify Premium users across 11 markets, adding another way to enhance the artist-to-fan connection," the company said in a statement.
Spotify's rollout will include a "restricted selection of music videos, featuring global stars like Ed Sheeran ... and regional favorites like Aluna". In 2023 March, Spotify had introduced "clips" which are brief vertical videos under 30 seconds that artists directly upload to the platform.
“So many times in my own experience and for countless others, music videos play a key role in hooking you: taking you from being a listener to leaning in and becoming a fan,” said Charlie Hellman, Vice President and Head of Music Product at Spotify.
“They’re an important part of so many artists’ tool kits, and it’s a natural fit for them to live in the same place that more than half a billion people choose to listen to music," Hellman added.
The Swedish music streaming giant its results and in its fourth quarter earnings release in February, the company said that it has 236 million Spotify Premium subscribers, marking a 4 per cent increase from the previous quarter. This is for the December-ending quarter. Additionally, the total number of monthly active users (MAUs) rose by 5 per cent to hit 602 million.
Throughout 2023, Spotify's user base and premium subscribers grew by 113 million and 31 million, respectively, setting new records for the Swedish music giant. Despite introducing its first price hike in 12 years, raising the monthly subscription to $10.99 in 2023 from the previous $9.99 in the US, Spotify continued to witness growth.
Earlier in January, Spotify had announced that European users could purchase audiobooks and subscription plans directly within the music-streaming app starting in March, following the implementation of the region's new competition law for Big Tech. This step aims to circumvent Apple's 30 per cent fee for purchases made through its App Store, which has sparked ongoing disputes between app developers and the tech behemoth.