Spotify is continuing its spree of adding long-overdue feature updates by overhauling its home screen to allow users to separate their feeds for music and podcasts.
The new home page, which is currently rolling out to Android devices and will come to iOS “in the near future,” includes tabs to filter content for either Music or Podcasts & Shows. In the Music feed, users will see suggestions based on their previous listening, with album and playlist recommendations and buttons to instantly play, like and share.
In the Podcast & Shows feed, listeners will find the latest episodes of their favourite shows alongside podcast recommendations, with the ability to play, save and read the episode descriptions without having to click through to another page.
Since Spotify began its bid to become "the world’s number one audio platform” for music, podcasts and audiobooks in 2019, it has invested over $400 million into podcasting, first with its acquisition of Gimlet Media and more recently signing exclusive deals with the likes of the Obamas (who have since left the platform), The Sussexes and Joe Rogan, who's contract was reported to be worth $100 million.
However, while the concept of combining all your audio under one massive corporate umbrella might have its advantages, for users trying to quickly find the music or shows they actually want to listen to, having everything in the same place made Spotify's homepage clunky, hampering its ability to offer recommendations - one of the service's most important features and increasingly important in the current market place.
In a quarterly earnings review last month, the streaming giant revealed that its monthly active users grew by 19% to 433 million, but the company missed out on its gross margins.
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