Some people might not know about it, but Spotify has a standalone app solely for listening to livestreams. Although it appears that the company has not gotten much out of the live stream app seeing as they will soon be shutting it down.
Discontinuing Spotify Live
Spotify Live used to be Spotify Greenroom, which was the name it was given after the company acquired Betty Labs in 2021 for $62 million. Around a year ago, Spotify renamed the app to its current name, which is Spotify Live.
A Spotify spokesperson expressed that they have made the decision to "sunset" the standalone app, which follows a period of experimentation and learning how the app's users interact with live audio, as mentioned in Engadget.
Although, Spotify is not entirely abandoning the idea of interactions between fans and artists. The company believes that there is a future for it in the Spotify ecosystem, but it no longer makes sense to do so with a standalone app.
The company's spokesperson further expressed that they saw "promising" results in the artist-focused use of listening parties, which Spotify will explore moving forward, providing its users with interactions with artists.
Although Spotify has been successful with its podcasts on the app, they have not been faring well when it comes to live audio. As mentioned in Tech Crunch, the company has ended many of its live shows like "The Movie Buff," "A Gay in the Life," and more.
Spotify Live
It's understandable if you haven't heard of the standalone app, given that it did not gain much traction in the first place. Mainly, it lets you listen to live discussions within the app where you can participate as a listener as well.
There are virtual rooms wherein like-minded people talk about the things they're interested in with creators or fans alike. Users can do so by downloading the Spotify Live app on the App Store or Google Play Store.
Having a Spotify account makes it easier to log in to Spotify Live since the user can simply use the Spotify login details and tap "Continue." Anyone can access the app for free, which means that a premium account will not be needed.
It's also possible that you may not have heard of it because it's not accessible in your area. Spotify Live is available in most countries where Spotify is available. There are three roles within a virtual room, which are the host, speakers, and listeners.
The host is the person who created the virtual room. They control who can speak during the live audio experience and the discussion tab, which is where all participants use the chat function. Listeners can raise their hands to ask the speaker questions as well.
It's a bit similar to Twitter Space. However, in Twitter's live discussion. The host also acts as the speaker. The Spaces are public and anyone can join in as a listener only, even if the user is not following the host who creates the Space.
Related: Spotify Uses OpenAI for Its New 'DJ' Feature That Will Explain Your Recommendations
