A report from The Verge documented creators’ complaints about bugs, confusing user interfaces, interoperability issues and more. The news of Spotify’s broader launch for Podcast Subscriptions follows a growing chorus of complaints from podcasters that Apple’s own subscriptions service is off to a rough start. On the resulting webpage, listeners can sign up and provide their email.

Spotify creators, by comparison, redirect subscribers to subscribe to their shows via URLs provided inside the Spotify app. However, creators on Apple’s platform collect customer emails through links in the show notes, which open in-app.

Creators who choose to work with Spotify aren’t locked in - they can share private RSS fees with their customers and publish to other platforms, like Apple Podcasts.Īpple’s subscription podcast service works a bit differently, as creators can offer subscriptions to individual shows or groups of shows called “channels,” or even freemium access. Today, Spotify hosts a number of subscription-based podcasts, including bigger names like NPR (which is on Apple’s paid podcasts service, too), as well as independent creators like Betches U Up?, Cultivating H.E.R. It could also be a selling point for creators who would otherwise not want to get on board with a paid subscription offering like this, if it meant losing out on a more direct relationship with their customer.Įurope charges Apple with antitrust breach, citing Spotify App Store complaint This allows them to further engage with their subscriber base to offer them more benefits, the company notes. In addition to the ability to set pricing and gain access to a private RSS feed that can be used by listeners who prefer using a different podcast app, Spotify will now offer podcast creators the ability to download a list of contact addresses for their subscribers. Of those three, the company told us $4.99 was the best performing. Going forward, Spotify will show the three price points that tested well - $0.99, $4.99 and $9.99 - before listing the other 17 options. That’s why the pricing isn’t something creators today manually enter. Spotify explained that its research found that creators wanted some sense of where to start with pricing, rather than offering a completely open-ended system.

Spotify customer service phone