Spotify is embracing virtual events. The company today announced the addition of virtual event listings in the Spotify app, which will allow music fans to see when their favorite artists will be playing live — even if only via a livestream. These listings will be available through the “On Tour” section of artist profiles as well as in Spotify’s Concerts hub, the company said.
TechCrunch previously detailed Spotify’s plans in this area, but today the company made the news official.
The streaming service says artists will be able to list their events streaming on any platform, including Twitch, Instagram Live, YouTube Live, a hosted website or anything else.
Image Credits: Spotify
Other virtual events will be automatically imported to the platform courtesy of Spotify’s existing partnerships with Songkick and Ticketmaster.
Virtual events uploaded through Songkick will now begin to automatically show up on both the artist profiles and the Concert hub. Artists can also choose to set their own events as their “Artist Pick.”
A select number of Ticketmaster events will be listed on Spotify, as well, the company says.
Image Credits: Spotify
These new integrations aren’t surprising, given that most major ticketing services have shifted their focus to online and virtual events in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic which has limited real-world gatherings, like concerts. At the same time, artists have been trying to connect with fans online, often doing live streams or even paid live-streamed concerts. However, today’s virtual concerts business is only helping to offset lost touring revenue for most, not fully replace it.
“With most tours postponed until 2021 and online concerts set to continue, Spotify wants to make it easy for fans to learn about virtual events—whether for artists you already love or for those you’re discovering for the very first time,” the company said, in an announcement.
The feature is rolling out now to the Concerts hub under Browse on desktop and Search on mobile as well as to participating artist profiles.
