Spotify introduces premium podcasts in the United States

Spotify, the world's largest music streaming service, has started offering premium podcasts in the United States. It offers creators the opportunity to provide content for a fee in addition to the standard subscription, from which they do not plan to receive any share within two years. It will be possible in other countries in the coming weeks. Spotify representatives announced the launch of the new tool. "Creators should have a range of options for making money from their work," he said in a post on the company's website. The company has been testing special podcasts, for which people pay directly to their authors, since April this year. There are now more than a hundred of them available and can be produced by all American artists. From September 15, users around the world will have access to premium podcasts, and shortly thereafter, authors from outside the United States should be able to create them. Compared to the testing phase, there will be a total of 20 podcast pricing options, and authors should also have access to their subscribers' email addresses to communicate directly with them. "By 2023, this program will be free for creators - they will receive 100 percent of their subscription revenue (excluding payment processing fees). From 2023, we plan to introduce a five percent fee on subscription income, ”says the company. So far, podcast creators have had a choice of three monthly subscription options for their content, $ 2.99, 4.99 or $ 7.99, according to TechCrunch. They will now be able to charge $ 0.49 to $ 150. The standard individual Spotify subscription, which removes ads from users and allows an unlimited selection of songs and podcasts, is 5.99 euros per month. With its offer of paid podcasts, Spotify follows competition from Apple, which also offered them this year in addition to standard services, writes the DPA agency. The vast majority of podcasts are now available to listeners for free, with the exception of Amazon's paid Audible platform. Spotify has 365 million users worldwide, of which 165 million are paying customers. It is available in 178 countries around the world.