SpotifySpotify today announced 12 new original series coming to the music streaming platform this summer and fall, which the company hopes will keep its users drawn into the service more often (via Bloomberg).

The shows will surround music and pop culture in general and be "centered around three main themes – music performances, music profiles and music culture," with episodes lasting up to fifteen minutes each.

The new video offerings come about a year after Spotify began showcasing clips from Comedy Central, ESPN, and MTV within the app. Now the company intends to get into the original programming game, with new shows like Landmark, a documentary series detailing important moments in music history, and Rush Hour, which will force two artists to quickly collaborate on a setlist of songs that they must then perform live.

The company has even netted a few well-known actors and producers for some of the shows, like Tim Robbins, who will produce a "mockumentary series about a competition to become the next dance music phenom." This first phase of 12 shows will be focused on music, and Spotify intends to speak with artists to figure out ways it can incorporate the video initiative into upcoming album launches.

Tom Calderone, the company’s content partnerships chief, said that the second phase of programming is already planned, as well, focusing on animated and comedic series "tailored to the service’s young audience." Calderone mentioned that one of the biggest hurdles the company must face is educating its users about the shows, and somehow promoting each series within the iOS app, which now has better tools for user visibility thanks to an all-new tab bar update. An update to the Android app is expected sometime this summer.

While Calderone has plenty of experience making shows people watch, Spotify has little experience getting people to watch much of anything. Videos are buried in the current version of the app, “down there with how to unsubscribe and the privacy policy,” Calderone joked.

“It will be our job to make this stuff famous,” Calderone said. “We have a ways to go.”

Spotify gave no specific launch date for the shows besides a vague summer and fall estimation. The company did confirm that each series will be available for both free and paid users to watch in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, and Sweden.

Since Apple Music launched, rumors began swirling that the company was working on launching its own slate of original shows. Although iTunes chief Eddie Cue has said recent announcements aren't a signal that the company intends to delve deeper into original programming, it has confirmed a few series are in the works, including one starring Dr. Dre and another that will "spotlight the app economy."

Tag: Spotify

Top Rated Comments

MacDarcy Avatar
111 months ago
Everybody and their mother is coming out with their own series now. Sheesh!
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
stanman64 Avatar
111 months ago
If Spotify is going to start making moves like this and bloat the app with a bunch of junk, I may just have to switch back to Apple Music since they offer a discount for students now.

It's a music app. Don't fill it with junk.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macintologist Avatar
111 months ago
With Netflix, Hulu, Amazon already doing their own programing, things like this move by spotify make it seems that the days may be numbered for the old cable model. Can't wait!!!!!!
Yea and now everyone will be subscribing $8 a month here, $15/mo there, another $5/mo here, another $9/mo here, pretty soon you're back to paying $80/month for media!! No thanks!
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
friedmud Avatar
111 months ago
Spotify is over-reaching.

How about releasing an Apple TV app before you even think about adding more video content?!
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
joshwenke Avatar
111 months ago
Leave this to Netflix please.

Music streaming services have no place in video.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Ben2998 Avatar
111 months ago
Spotify is over-reaching.

How about releasing an Apple TV app before you even think about adding more video content?!
It will take a while, the Spotify client on most platforms is web-based and it's UI is not really tv-friendly. They will have to do some re-engineering and design before they can release a good tvOS version. It's a bummer, I would be the first to download a tvOS version myself.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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