Spotify Music + Talk: Global Expansion for Creator Radio

Spotify Expands “Music + Talk” Format Globally

Last autumn, Spotify unveiled a novel audio format blending spoken-word segments with musical tracks. This allowed content creators to emulate the experience of a traditional radio DJ or music critic sharing insights before playing songs.

Now, the company is extending the availability of this format, known as “Music + Talk,” to creators worldwide through its podcasting platform, Anchor.

New Tools for Creators

Creators aiming to deliver this integrated audio experience can now utilize the new “Music” tool within Anchor. This provides access to Spotify’s extensive library of 70 million songs, which can be seamlessly incorporated into their spoken-word programs.

Spotify has confirmed that artists will receive compensation for streams of their music within these shows, mirroring the standard royalty structure on the broader Spotify platform.

Listeners will also retain the ability to interact with the music as usual – liking songs, accessing track information, saving favorites, or sharing with others.

Accessibility and Listening Experience

These shows will be accessible to both Spotify Free and Premium subscribers.

Premium users will enjoy uninterrupted, full-length tracks. However, due to licensing restrictions, free users will be limited to 30-second previews of the songs featured in the shows.

Comparison to Existing Formats

The “Music + Talk” format shares similarities with Pandora’s Stories, launched in 2019, which also combined music and podcasting elements.

However, Pandora’s approach focused on enabling artists to provide commentary directly related to their own music. In contrast, Spotify empowers any creator to add audio commentary to curated playlists.

Development and Growth

Since its initial release last year, the product has undergone refinements based on user feedback, according to Spotify.

Improvements include clearer visual cues differentiating between music and spoken-word segments within episodes, as well as music previews displayed on episode pages.

To date, creators have produced “tens of thousands” of shows using this format, though Spotify has not disclosed precise figures.

Global Rollout and Market Expansion

Previously, the ability to create Music + Talk shows was available in a limited number of markets, including the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand.

The current expansion extends access to key markets such as Japan, India, the Philippines, Indonesia, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, and Colombia.

Alongside this expansion, Spotify will also be adding new original “Music + Talk” programs from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, India, Japan, and the Philippines.