Spotify adds a new function and podcasters do not agree
Spotify adds play counts to podcasts to boost discovery but limits them after criticism.
The music streaming service announced at the beginning of May a new function in their podcast section on this app. A public visual count will appear in order to "help attract new fans" to new programs, and it started working early this week.
However, because of this intention, podcasters immediately responded with criticism, affirming that the feature will promote only the biggest podcasts, making the smaller ones less attractive. Although some podcasters themselves support the new feature, calling it necessary.
Spotify podcasters speak out loud
One of the biggest podcasts on the platform, "The Psychology of Your 20s," hosted by Jemma Sbeg, wrote on Spotify's post announcing the feature against it. She recognizes that it will hurt smaller podcasts.
Matt Vettese, host of "Ourspace with Matt Vettese," also commented against the feature in the Spotify's Threads post, saying: "I will legitimately pull my show from Spotify and promote it as an Apple exclusive."
Spotify decides to change the feature
When the streaming company saw that lack of negativity against the play count feature, they decided to reinvent it. Now, the play count will only appear in podcasts with at least 50,000 plays. Another change is that, instead of an exact number, it will update at specific goals like 100,000 or more.
Spotify believes in his play count feature despite the critics. Photo: AFP News
Despite this, Spotify declared that they are planning an evolved version of play counts, publishing next week. The company insists on their vision, saying that it is an inconvenience due to the lack of information about metrics compared to other online media, like YouTube or Twitch. For them, the play count is necessary in order to provide more information about their content.
Dr. Mikhail "Mike" Varshaski declared to NBC that he really needs the play count. He considers that the feature is "foundational to success on YouTube, studying successful videos."
