The service has already begun talking to partners about the
product, according to people familiar with the plan who asked not to be
identified because they weren't authorized to speak about it publicly.
Spotify declined to comment.
The feature would add to Spotify's growing efforts to
establish video — which in the streaming media era has tended to be more
lucrative than audio — as a core part of its app. Spotify already allows
musicians to upload “canvases,” or looping GIFs under 10 seconds long, that
populate the screen while music plays. Earlier this year, it debuted a feature
called “clips,” which are videos shorter than 30 seconds designed to give
artists a storytelling tool to communicate about their music, similar to how
they might use TikTok.
The company also launched a new, TikTok-esque music home
screen in March that allows users to preview and swipe through surfacing videos
before committing to listen to a full track. Earlier this week, Spotify
announced that the platform has surpassed more than 100,000 podcasts with
video.
Spotify is responding to growing competition for the Gen Z
audience by YouTube and TikTok. YouTube operates a streaming music service and
appeals to fans with full-length music videos, as well as the more concise
Shorts. It has also added podcasts to YouTube Music. ByteDance has reportedly
looked to expand its music streaming service Resso, which already operates in
countries where Spotify is offered, and TikTok has become an important
discovery platform for musical artists.
Spotify previously set its sights on video by creating its
own original series and working with media companies, including Paramount
Global and Vice Media, to place TV content in the app, such as clips from the
Comedy Central show Broad City. Those deals eventually lapsed. © Bloomberg