Spotify to launch in-app purchases, hints at “superfan clubs” to come
“We will be able to communicate clearly with you in the Spotify app about new products for sale, promotional campaigns, superfan clubs and more.”
Image: SOPA Images Limited / Alamy Stock Photo
Changes are abound for Spotify, which says that the impending rollout of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) in the European Union will allow them to improve user experience when it comes to in-app purchases.
The law, which seeks to clamp down on anticompetitive practices by tech giants that behave as market ‘gatekeepers’, will take effect from 7 March, according to a blog post on Spotify’s website.
With the change, users living in the EU will be able to “seamlessly subscribe to and buy things through Spotify” on their iPhones. Apple’s current 30 percent charge on in-app purchases will also be banned under the legislation, a move that “unleashes huge opportunities” for creators, developers and users alike, Spotify says.
Notably, the streaming service also listed plans for “superfan clubs” among its list of new user experiences to come.
“Thanks to the DMA we’re looking forward to a future of superfan clubs, alternative app stores, and giving creators the ability to safely download Spotify for Artists or Spotify for Podcasters directly from our site – and that’s just the start,” the post read.
“We will be able to communicate clearly with you in the Spotify app about new products for sale, promotional campaigns, superfan clubs, and upcoming events, including when items like audiobooks are going on sale.”
As we’ve seen in recent weeks, 2024 looks to be the year of the “superfans”, with major industry stakeholders such as record labels set to tap into what they describe as an ‘under-monetised’ area of the music business.
In an internal memo outlining the company’s strategy for the months ahead, UMG CEO Lucian Grainge and Warner Music Group CEO Robert Kyncl both underscored an upcoming focus on cultivating and monetising “superfans”.
“We need to develop our direct artist-superfan products and experiences,” Kyncl told WMG staff. “Both artists and superfans want deeper relationships, and it’s an area that’s relatively untapped and under-monetised.”
