Spotify adding Instagram-like Stories feature for artists

Spotify is taking a cue from Instagram and Snapchat by incorporating a Stories-like feature into its platform.

However, it’ll be different — Spotify artists will be able to share additional background for their music with “Stories” that will stay online long past 24 hours.

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The new function will be called “Storyline” and it is available on iOS and Android, but not on desktop. It will pop up as a song plays, like the Genius “Behind the Lyrics’ function already incorporated on the platform.

The stories can include lyrics, text and photos, based on the artists’ discretion.

The function is currently in the testing phase, a representative told Billboard.

More Spotify news

A few weeks ago, Spotify hit a major milestone with their number of paid subscribers, and they now have double the paid users than Apple Music.

The company confirmed that they reached 100 million paid subscribers during the first fiscal quarter.

In the first three months of the year, the service added four million premium users.

For comparison reasons, Apple Music had about 50 million paid subscribers at the end of 218. The company is expected to release the updated numbers this week.

Spotify made $1.69 billion in the first quarter of 2019 as well.

Even though Spotify beats Apple Music overall, they are lacking in U.S. subscribers. At the end of this February, Apple Music had a total of 28 million paid U.S. subscribers, while Spotify came up just short with 26 million.

However, when it comes to total U.S. listeners, Spotify still holds the top spot. This is largely due to their option for listeners to use an ad-supported free version of the app.

In other news, Spotify can also now create your dream music festival lineup based on your listening history.

In the streaming world, Spotify might have a new competitor very soon. Amazon is reportedly in the works to launch their own free ad-supported music service.

According to sources speaking with Billboard, the Amazon service would be marketed through its voice-activated Echo speakers and would offer a limited catalog.

Amazon is reportedly obtaining the licenses of these songs by offering to pay participating labels per stream. The amount of money paid to these labels would not be tied to the amount of advertising Amazon is selling on the ad-supported service.

Billboard reached out to Amazon, but they declined to comment.

Currently, the company offers Prime Music for $119 per year as well as Amazon Music Unlimited for $9.99 per month. Prime members can snag Unlimited for a discounted $7.99 per month while people who only listen on an Echo device can subscribe for $3.99 per month.

What do you think of Spotify including a “Storyline” feature? Sound off in the comments below!

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