Rewind to around this time two years ago, and 2021 you was likely trying to secure an invitation toClubhouse, maybe even considering purchasing one for an exorbitant price on eBay, just to get in on the hype. With the average consumer absolutely captivated by the idea of real-time audio interactions, it’s no surprise companies like Twitter, Reddit, Spotify, andMeta followed suitwith their own implementations. Now, the allure has waned and Spotify has shut down its live audio platform called Spotify Live.
Back in 2021,Spotify acquired Betty Labsfor €57 million (~$67.7 million), the company behind Locker Room — a live audio-based discussion platform, mostly for sports. The app relaunched as Spotify Greenroom in June 2021, packed with real-time audio shows around various topics like sports, lifestyle, and entertainment. In April last year, the interest in live audio began waning, andSpotify rebranded Greenroom to Spotify Live. Another year down the road, the Spotify Live app is being shut down.
In an interaction withMusic Ally, a representative for the streaming service explained Spotify Live was merely a “period of experimentation” to see how listeners interact with the new form of media. The concept didn’t really age well, but Spotify says it plans to continue exploring concepts like “listening parties” that allow live interactions between fans and artists.
After just two years in operation, $67 million seems like a steep price for the lessons Spotify is learning from this experiment. However, it will be interesting to see how the service might fuse the main app’s existing features like podcasts with few modes of real-time interactions borrowed from Live. Music Ally says some shows from the now-deprecated app may continue as non-live podcasts on the main app, though.
Last we checked Clubhouse was still a thing, even if it isn’t the talk of tech town anymore. In its limited time in the limelight, the app and itsconcept of limited exclusivityprobably earned a few loyalists. However, most of thebest streaming appsrestrict live content to radios now, instead of fostering interaction among participants.
