Technology

Spotify Is Now a Social Media Platform

Podcast creators can now experience the joys and trauma of social media without leaving the Spotify app. Yes, Spotify is rolling out a comments system for podcasts on its platform.

The new comments system builds on Spotify’s existing “polls” and “Q&A” options for podcasts. By default, all comments are hidden from the public and are only available to the creator of a podcast. If a creator “likes” a comment, it will be published publicly. Creators also have the option to disable all comments and opt out of this feature.

In addition to the comments system, Spotify has greatly improved its Spotify for Podcasters app. The revamped app will provide podcast creators with notifications for new milestones and provide a more platform-agnostic system for measuring podcast stats (it’s compatible with more podcasting hosting and distribution platforms). It’s also the control center for the new comments system.

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Viewing the comments section in the Spotify for Podcasters app. — Spotify Is Now a Social Media Platform

Podcasts have historically been a one-sided format and, while we’ve offered other interactivity features like Polls and Q&A for some time, people have told us they want more ways to connect directly. Now, for the first time, listeners can have a two-way conversation with their favorite podcast hosts on Spotify, podcasters can get near-immediate feedback from their audiences, and real communities can form around shows.”

I’m hyperbolizing things a bit. The addition of a comments feature doesn’t turn Spotify into a true “social media” platform. Most users won’t even realize that they can comment on podcasts, and unless a podcaster “likes” your comment, it won’t be visible to other users. And the true hallmark of social media—a flame war—will only rear its head when a creator decides to make all comments on their podcast public (which is not the default option).

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That said, this feature is lifted from the social media playbook. Spotify wants to encourage influencer culture on its platform. This will make it easier for Spotify to compete with YouTube, which already has a strong influencer culture, though it also gives Spotify a new “product” to sell—a relationship between content creators and consumers.

I’m curious to see how Spotify will build on this influencer-focused functionality. But I need to take a moment to air some grievances. In its blog, Spotify says that “comments have been a long-requested feature.” I’ve never seen anyone ask for a comments section, and the feature request that I hear the most often is high-res streaming, which was supposed to arrive years ago. This is a music app, so why are we prioritizing frivolous features over audio quality?

Spotify’s new podcast comment system is rolling out today. The rollout is staggered, so it may take a few weeks to reach all users.

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