Over the last year or so, famed music streaming app, Spotify, has been expanding into the podcast universe. Starting in 2015 by introducing podcasts to big names like NPR, the New York Times, and others, and then opening podcast submissions to smaller, independent podcast shows, they have become a significant platform in the way consumers listen to podcasts.
Today (February 6), Spotify has announced that they have acquired the Snapchat story-styled podcast app, Anchor, and another service, Gimlet, which is host to Reply All, Crimetown, and StartUp. According to a press release, Anchor plans to “bring its platform of tools for podcast creators and its established and rapidly growing creator base.”
In a new blog post titled “Audio First,” Spotify CEO Daniel Ek announced, “We believe it is a safe assumption that, over time, more than 20% of all Spotify listening will be non-music content,” and said he believes the acquisitions “will meaningfully accelerate [Spotify’s] path to becoming the world’s leading audio platform.”
Ek continued, “To be clear, this doesn’t make music any less important at Spotify. Our core business is performing very well. But as we expand deeper into audio, especially with original content, we will scale our entire business, creating leverage in the model through subscriptions and ads. This is why we feel it is prudent to invest now to capture the opportunity ahead. We want Spotify to continue to be at the center of the global audio economy.” Read the full post here.
