Podcasts on Spotify are no longer a one-way street.
On July 9, 2024, Spotify added a new comments feature for podcasts. This lets listeners chat with creators directly, putting Spotify in competition with platforms like YouTube for creator-listener interactions.
How Does Spotify’s Comments for Podcasts Feature Work
Spotify’s new comments system lets podcast listeners share their thoughts on episodes through the mobile app. This builds on the Q&A feature from 2021, turning passive listening into active participation.
Maya Prohovnik, VP of Podcast Product at Spotify, explained the rationale behind the new feature:
The key part of this feature is the two-way interaction.
Podcast creators can see, like, and reply to comments using the Spotify for Podcasters mobile app or website. Then, when creators respond to a comment, the fan gets a notification, which keeps conversations going.
This basically gives both the artists and the listeners a platform to engage, ask questions, or just share their opinions on the topic.
Of course, Spotify also made sure the new feature stays a safe place for podcasters. So, it gave creators full control over their comments section.
They can choose which comments appear, turn off comments for specific episodes or their whole show, and block users if needed. They can also sort published comments by their newest episodes, making it easy to follow recent discussions.
Spotify isn’t naive about the potential pitfalls, though.
That’s why, they’re developing systems to automatically filter out comments that violate their content policies. At the same time, they’re working on ways for appropriate comments to appear automatically.
Updated Spotify for Podcasters Mobile App
Along with the comments feature, Spotify has also improved its Spotify for Podcasters mobile app.
Now, all podcast creators can use this tool for show management and audience engagement, no matter where they host their shows.
This new app does a lot for podcasters. It shows how well shows are doing in real-time, sends notifications about milestones, and shows chart positions. Creators can also see detailed info about their audience and track growth trends on the go.
And, for those juggling multiple podcasts, the streamlined interface is a godsend. No more logging in and out constantly – it’s all right there in one place.
How Will It Benefit the Platform?
Spotify’s decision isn’t done on a whim. Instead, it’s backed by numbers.
The platform’s internal data shows that listeners who interact with a show are four times more likely to come back within a month. Not only that, they consume twice as many hours of content per month compared to non-interacting listeners.
These stats are backed up by the big increase in user interaction on the platform.
In 2024 alone, over 9 million unique listeners have used Q&A or poll features. That’s an 80% increase in total responses and votes from last year. Clearly, listeners want more ways to engage.
And they’re not alone. Over 70% of podcast listeners want more ways to connect with their favorite hosts.
Spotify is technically just giving them what they want.
But Spotify’s not rushing into this.
They’re taking a “deliberately slow and cautious approach,” according to Prohovnik. So, the feature is rolling out gradually, starting with podcasts that have opted in and will be available to all Spotify users over the next month.
Is Spotify Building a Social Network?
While Spotify hasn’t explicitly positioned itself as a social network, its new features suggest it might be heading that way.
Recent updates include:
- A TikTok-like discovery feed with Spotify Clips for short videos
- Better artist profiles with merchandise options
- More video content with over 250,000 video podcasts
- Countdown Pages for new releases
- Real-time playlist collaboration
- A new community feature showing users what their friends are listening to in real-time
By doing this, Spotify’s not just competing with other music streaming services anymore. They’re going toe-to-toe with YouTube in the podcast space.
Even Spotify’s CEO, Daniel Ek, admits they’re learning from platforms like TikTok.
But Spotify’s approach isn’t new. In fact, this seems to mirror innovations seen in Chinese music streaming services.
Tencent Music Entertainment, for instance, has a “Listen Together” feature that lets multiple users enjoy the same music at the same time.
NetEase Cloud Music has also done well with its comment sections, where artists talk with fans. This helps build stronger connections and grow their fan base.
But while thse platforms have shown that social features can significantly boost user engagement and loyalty in music streaming, the success of this strategy remains uncertain. This is especially considering the past failures of music-focused social networks like Apple’s Ping and Apple Music Connect.