Photo Credit: Spotify
Spotify announces plans to bring music videos to its platform in the US, following an AV-focused licensing agreement with the NMPA.
Spotify has confirmed plans to integrate music videos on the platform over the next few weeks, starting with users in the United States. The move follows a beta launch last year in 12 markets across the UK and Europe.
So far, it’s unclear whether the feature will be available to all subscribers or just those in the Premium tier, but the beta launch was only rolled out to Premium subscribers.
News of the planned launch comes only a day after Spotify inked an audiovisual-focused licensing agreement with the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA). The announcement came with the launch of an opt-in portal for NMPA members to enter licensing agreements for expanded AV rights in the United States. The company previously secured licensing deals that included AV rights with the Big Three (UMG, WMG, Sony).
Last year, Spotify began a beta launch of music video integration across 12 markets, including the UK, Germany, and Italy. This included a limited catalog of videos from artists like Doja Cat, Ed Sheeran, and Ice Spice. That rollout expanded to 85 additional markets in October last year, which also included more videos from artists including Charli XCX and Blackpink’s Lisa.
Spotify has been pushing into the video market for over a decade, striking deals with ESPN and Comedy Central back in 2015 for short-form content and podcasts. Since then, podcast video content has exploded in popularity, and Spotify launched its first set of video podcasts in mid-2020.
Last November, once the number of creators publishing videos monthly on the platform grew 50% year-over-year, the streaming giant rolled out uninterrupted video podcasts. This latest move is more significant for the broader music industry, marking a competitive advantage for Spotify that exists only in its current form on YouTube Music. It also positions Spotify to begin competing in the television apps segment with its video podcasts, which are currently responsible for YouTube’s growth.
Spotify posted double-digit growth on both its paid and ad-supported tiers for the most recent fiscal quarter. The company saw an additional five million paid subscribers, up 12%, while overall monthly active users increased by 17 million, a growth of 11%.
