Tag: FC Barcelona

Celebrate the Sights and Sounds From an Unforgettable FC Barcelona US Preseason Tour

August 3, 2023

Earlier this month, FC Barcelona landed in the U.S. to kick off their preseason tour, get ready for another exciting season of football, and celebrate the second year of our partnership. Over the course of two busy weeks, Spotify and FC Barcelona brought the worlds of music and football together through matches and studio tours, as well as collaborations with artists and fans.

As soon as the FC Barcelona squad arrived in the U.S., we asked fans to help soundtrack the club’s summer adventure and vote on the 10 songs they’d love to see added to the Barça On Tour: US 2023 playlist, which features the players’ favorite tracks. We then invited Anitta and Fuerza Regida to have a little fun with us to determine which tracks made the final list. The iconic artists joined FC Barcelona’s players on the field, where they took part in a playful penalty challenge. Each song was represented by a penalty attempt, and whenever the ball hit the target, that song was added to the playlist.

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And by the end of the evening, Anitta had even taught some moves and had the entire team dancing.

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FC Barcelona then traveled to L.A.’s SoFi Stadium for a preseason match, attended by Daddy Yankee, Anitta, and Fuerza Regida. Other notable attendees who joined Spotify at the match include Sofia Richie-Grainge and Elliot Grainge, Noah Beck, Owen Wilson, Helen Owen and Zack Kalter, Jesus Nalgas, Diego Tinoco, and Jake Shane, as well as artists Kalan.FrFr and Austin Millz.

Spotify Wins a Trio of Awards at Cannes Lions 2023

June 22, 2023

Gold background with 2020 Gold Lion Winner text

This week at the 2023 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity—which recognizes excellence in the world of marketing and advertising—Spotify received a trio of awards, including a Gold Lion.

Our Gold Lion victory came in the Personalized Storytelling and Experience category for our 2022 Spotify Wrapped On-Platform Experience—our campaign that’s now a cultural phenomenon.

“Winning the Gold Lion is an honor and a testament to the immense talent and dedication of the cross-functional team at Spotify who work to bring the magic of Wrapped to life each year,” said Taj Alavi, Spotify VP, Global Head of Marketing. “As we say, Wrapped isn’t about Spotify, it’s about the world of audio culture. This achievement reaffirms our commitment to deliver a special moment to fans and creators at the end of each year and continue innovating, inspiring, and creating experiences for our users in the years to come.”

Wrapped harnesses the power of discoverability and personalization on Spotify and showcases it in a way that delights users and creators alike, year after year. It’s a moment when the whole company comes together to think creatively about how we can surprise and delight our listeners, and every year we continue to iterate on how we bring Wrapped to life for fans, artists, and creators around the world.

Bronze beacons

In addition to the Gold Lion, Spotify also received a Bronze Digital Craft Lion in the Cross-Channel Storytelling category for its design of 2022 Wrapped, which showcased listening individuality—the layers within all of us, brought to life through a visual identity focused on multiplicity.

Spotify also received a Bronze Entertainment Lion for Music for its fan engagement and community building work in a campaign that saw the debut of a special FC Barcelona match kit during the club’s men’s and women’s El Clásico matches in March. Featuring ROSALÍA’s MOTOMAMI album logo, the kits celebrated the one-year anniversary of the album and the Spanish pop star’s huge success on Spotify.

These wins cap off an exciting week for Spotify at Cannes, which included a talk on the art of the interview with star creator Alex Cooper; live performances from H.E.R., Florence + The Machine, Foo Fighters, Jack Harlow, and A$AP Rocky; DJ sets from will.i.am, Disclosure, and Uncle Waffles; and the reveal of Trevor Noah’s new Spotify Original podcast. For more on all the week’s happenings from the French Riviera, be sure to check out our Spotify Beach landing page.

Foo Fighters, Florence + The Machine, A$AP Rocky, Jack Harlow, Trevor Noah, Alex Cooper, Issa Rae, Emma Chamberlain, and More To Join Spotify Beach at Cannes Lions

June 12, 2023

Next week, Spotify is returning to the South of France for the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, where we’ll transform Spotify Beach into a hub of activity dawn ’til dusk as we celebrate a new way to play. And we’re bringing along some big-name friends to join in the fun.

Our special opening-night soiree will feature an intimate performance by Grammy Award-winning artist H.E.R., as well as a DJ set from the unparalleled Collyer Twins.

We’ll be hosting daytime masterclasses and nighttime events beginning Monday, June 19, and continuing through Thursday, June 22, emphasizing our focus on creativity, connection, and innovation. Attendees can look forward to sessions featuring Spotify leaders and guests including Alex Cooper, Issa Rae, Emma Chamberlain, and world-renowned football player Cesc Fàbregas. Author and comedian Trevor Noah will join Spotify CEO and Cofounder Daniel Ek for a conversation on the future of storytelling. Throughout the day, catch DJ Toyin spinning sets.

Then, as night falls on Tuesday, Florence + The Machine and Jack Harlow will take to the stage accompanied by DJs will.i.am and Uncle Waffles. Wednesday is primed for world-class performances from Foo Fighters and A$AP Rocky, and a DJ set from Disclosure. And our house DJ Taylah Elaine will brighten the beach with music throughout it all.

Spotify Beach itself will feature several interactive experiences, like daily sound bath meditations, an immersive Songs of Summer soundscape, an FC Barcelona play zone, a “Sonic Sips” coffee-and-juice bar, a custom sunglasses gifting station, and much more.

Read on for a full list of the sessions on the ground, then check back next week here on For the Record for the full takeaway from our novel masterclasses.

Monday, June 19

Building a brand is more than meets the eye…and ear

Owning your craft takes dedication, consistency, and commitment—something Spotify’s Taj Alavi, VP, Global Head of Marketing; Loewe’s CMO Charlie Smith; and Anything Goes creator Emma Chamberlain all know well. The trio will share their approaches to what they create; their style around partnerships and projects, brand building, and brand positioning; and how to engage the next generation of streamers.

Top hits and goal-scoring kicks: fandom, football, and media

We’re hosting a conversation between football legend Cesc Fàbregas, award-winning football Freestyler Pola Gomez, Samsung Europe CMO Benjamin Braun, and Bradford Ross, Coca-Cola’s VP Global Sports and Entertainment Marketing and Partnerships. They’ll dive into the obsessive fan culture surrounding sports and how brands tap into fandoms of all kinds.

Tuesday, June 20

The cutting edge of creativity and storytelling

Join Daniel Ek and Trevor Noah at Spotify Beach as they discuss the future of storytelling and the art of navigating different mediums to forge a deeper connection with worldwide audiences. They’ll offer insights on how creators can tell stories in more meaningful ways and effectively leverage new technologies in the ever-evolving media landscape.

The art of the interview

You don’t need to be an investigative reporter by trade to benefit from learning how to conduct a masterful interview. Things get meta as Spotify’s Chief Public Affairs Officer, Dustee Jenkins, sits down with Alex Cooper, Creator, Host, and Executive Producer of Call Her Daddy, to discuss the art of the interview. Learn how to craft the right questions, disarm your subject, and get straight to the heart of the matter.

Wednesday, June 21

Connecting to the sound of culture

Spotify’s Global Head of Artist Partnerships, Joe Hadley; Tye Comer, Creative Development and Founder of Spotify’s Outside Voice program; and Erin Styles, Global Head of Ads Business Communications & PR, will spotlight producer-actress-writer Issa Rae; SVP of Marketing at Frito-Lay North America, Tina Mahal; and WACL President Rania Robinson. They’ll discuss the importance of culture-shaping programs that support and amplify diverse voices. This comes as part of Spotfiy’s continued commitment to empowering creators and inspiring our audience to elevate underrepresented communities in their own work.

DJ Mixer

Turn it up with Spotify’s very own Xavier “X” Jernigan, Head of Cultural Partnerships and the voice of AI DJ. We’re rolling up the carpet for an afternoon mixer complete with games, cocktails, mingling, and—maybe—a surprise or two.

So bookmark For the Record, follow @SpotifyNews and @SpotifyAds on social media, and stay tuned for much more as we discover a new way to play.

Blend With FC Barcelona and See How Your Musical Tastes Compare to Your Favorite Players

May 30, 2023

The men’s and women’s FC Barcelona teams are celebrating title-winning seasons, and their avid fans are on board for the ride at the stadium, on social media, and on Spotify through our FC Barcelona hub and players’ matchday playlists. Today we’re kicking it up a notch by expanding Spotify Blend to include several Barça stars, allowing fans to combine their musical tastes with those of their favorite players into one shared playlist.

We first gave fans the ability to Blend with their favorite artists last year as a way to forge a deeper bond through the songs they love. Now our first-of-its-kind partnership with FC Barcelona offers fans the opportunity to do the same with the club they love. (For more information on how this experience came to life, check out our Liner Notes feature.)

“Back when we imagined our collaboration with FC Barcelona we thought about how the partnership would bring players and artists closer to fans,” said Marc Hazan, Spotify VP, Partnerships and Business Development. “Blend is delivering on this in a very unique and personalized way, giving Spotify users and Barça fans the tools to see how their listening matches up with their favorite players.”

Previously, a number of the FC Barcelona stars from the men’s and women’s squads—as well as club legend Ronaldinho—created matchday playlists featuring the songs that get them ready for the kickoff whistle. And when fans Blend with FC Barcelona, these tracks will now be included in a personalized playlist made just for them, providing the opportunity to discover new music and see where their tastes overlap.

“I loved putting together my playlist for fans so they could gain insight into how I prepare for games,” said star midfielder Pedri. “Now Culers can see how close our music tastes match with their own Blend playlist.”

And according to Barça Femení star—and reigning Ballon d’Or winner—Alexia Puellas, fans better be ready for hits from ROSALÍA, who featured on the club’s shirts in March and is Alexia’s top Spotify artist.

How To Blend with FC Barcelona

Ready to get started? Blending with your favorite Barça stars is simple. Just click here to create your FC Barcelona Blend. Plus, you can Blend with any of the following players individually by clicking their names below:

You can also find a full list of all available athlete Blends here.

You’ll also unlock your Taste Match score—allowing you to see the percentage of music that you and your favorite player have in common— that you can screenshot and share on social media. In addition, select Barça players will pick a card from one of their fans to share on their Instagram stories.

Music helps unite people all over the world, and Blending with FC Barcelona is just the latest way we’re helping artists, athletes, and fans connect every day.

Looking for the hits that helped inspire the men’s and women’s teams to trophy-lifting moments? Stream our Barça: League Winners and Barça Femení: League Winners playlists.

Spotify Camp Nou ‘Glows’ With Spotify and FC Barcelona’s LGBTQIA+ Creator Takeover

May 24, 2023

LGBTQIA+ people are in music, art, television—and on the football pitch. So earlier this year when Spotify created GLOW to celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community’s work, artistry, and impact on music and culture, we committed to elevating queer creators year-round in our efforts both on- and off-platform. This weekend, that meant bringing GLOW to Spotify Camp Nou, the home of FC Barcelona.

During the La Liga home match against Real Sociedad, Spotify and FC Barcelona celebrated LGBTQIA+ artists and creators through a stadium takeover highlighting our GLOW program. The weekend also cemented FC Barcelona’s commitment to drive cultural change and continue to build a more diverse and inclusive Blaugrana community. Together, Spotify and FC Barcelona’s joint platform reinforces the message that football and music are for everyone—and that the more diverse our communities are, the richer they become.

Fans Around the World Celebrate FC Barcelona’s El Clásico Victory With ROSALÍA Tracks

March 28, 2023

Over the last two weekends, both FC Barcelona and FC Barcelona Femení extended their respective title race leads with their El Clásico victories. The highly anticipated matches, hosted on the Spotify Camp Nou pitch, had extra star power thanks to the clubs’ special-edition ROSALÍA shirts.

Kitted out for victory

During the epic showdowns, both FC Barcelona and FC Barcelona Femení players wore the MOTOMAMI shirts to celebrate the first anniversary of ROSALÍA’s latest album. Following the reveal of the special match kit on March 15, searches for “ROSALÍA” and “MOTOMAMI” on Spotify increased more than 100% globally and nearly 200% in Spain compared to the previous day. ROSALÍA herself even earned a social media milestone, with her announcement post on Instagram becoming her most-liked of all time.

And fans were just getting started.

In the hour following the final whistle of the men’s match, global streams of ROSALÍA tracks climbed on Spotify:

More than 220% in Egypt
170% in Morocco
Nearly 70% in Nigeria
Nearly 60% in Sweden and India
55% in Poland
More than 50% in South Africa
More than 45% in Chile
More than 25% in Australia and Brazil
More than 20% in Indonesia, the U.K., South Korea, and Spain*

FC Barcelona players celebrated the win by blasting ROSALÍA’s “Despechá” in the locker room.

Spotify and FC Barcelona Celebrate ROSALÍA’s ‘MOTOMAMI’ With a Special Shirt and In-App Fan Experience

March 15, 2023

One year ago this week, Spanish superstar ROSALÍA released her album MOTOMAMI to massive fanfare—and the accolades quickly followed. In 2022, ROSALÍA was the most-streamed Spanish artist globally, with streams of her tracks on Spotify growing by more than 110% year over year. And in Barcelona, she was also the most-streamed female artist on Spotify last year.

So when football fans around the world come together on Sunday to watch FC Barcelona take part in another epic El Clásico clash, we’re thrilled the club will be celebrating the first anniversary of her album. Players will step onto the Spotify Camp Nou pitch wearing a special Barcelona home shirt that features ROSALÍA’s MOTOMAMI album logo, much like they did when they commemorated Drake’s landmark achievement of 50 billion streams with a limited-edition OVO shirt.

Find FC Barcelona Players’ Matchday Playlists Here

February 21, 2023

When it comes to getting in the zone, few things do the trick like music. Professional and recreational athletes—and everyone in between—use pump-up songs to get energized, focused, or all of the above. As Official Main partner of FC Barcelona, Spotify is showcasing the selections that motivate and inspire players on game day.

Creating a direct link between players, artists and fans, the matchday playlists from both the men’s and women’s teams are available on our platform. You can find all of them on the FC Barcelona official Spotify page.

“We are delighted that fans can immerse themselves in the music selections of the FC Barcelona players,” says Marc Hazan, Spotify VP of Partnerships. “Music has always been a huge part of football culture and this next stage in our partnership is a fantastic way for fans to feel closer to the players through their track choices on matchday and beyond.”

We kicked things off with Pedri and Alexia Putellas’ playlists, and will continue to roll out Matchday playlists so that fans can connect with the entire team and their music tastes and motivations.

Check back here for all the FC Barcelona players’ playlists as they roll out ahead of matches.

Midfielder Pedri’s Barça Matchday by Pedri playlist

Women’s captain Alexia Putellas Barça Femení Matchday playlist

Striker Robert Lewandowski’s My Matchday Songs by Lewandowski playlist

Striker Asisat Oshoala’s My Matchday Songs by Oshoala playlist

Forward Fridolina Rolfö’s My Matchday Songs by Rolfö playlist

Forward Ousmane Dembélé’s My Matchday Songs by Dembélé playlist

The songs that inspired Ronaldinho in the 2000s. Handpicked by the Brazilian and Barça legend himself!

Winger Raphinha Belloli’s My Matchday Songs: Raphinha Playlist

Champions League finalist Geyse Ferreira’s My Matchday Days: Geyse Playlist

The partnership between Barça and Spotify is a first-of-its-kind – you can read all about it or hear all about it.

FC Barcelona’s Official Spotify Playlists Will Help You Get Hyped for Matchday

January 30, 2023

At the end of 2022, we celebrated an amazing year with FC Barcelona by revealing the artists and tracks that the players streamed the most. Now, the latest exciting moment in the partnership between Spotify and FC Barcelona is here: We’re bringing Barça onto the platform for the first time, creating a direct link between players, artists, and fans.

Starting today, listeners can stream matchday playlists from both the men’s and women’s teams that showcase the music selections that motivate and inspire the players to perform on game day.

2022 Saw Even More Advancements, Acquisitions, and Excitement at Spotify

December 27, 2022

Earlier this month, we all had a chance to revisit what we listened to most in 2022 with Wrapped. From the year’s top artist (congrats on the three-peat, Bad Bunny) to identifying our listening personalities (where the “Deep Divers” at?), fans worldwide shared their listening habits. But that’s only the icing on the cake. The year also saw new content offerings such as audiobooks and more programs to support diverse and underrepresented voices, all designed to bring the best experience to listeners and creators.

Ring in 2023 by reliving Spotify’s highlights from 2022.

Commitment to platform safety

At the start of the year, we shared several actions we’re taking to balance creator expression with safety, including publishing our Platform Rules and taking steps to ensure creators and users alike understand what’s permitted on Spotify. This summer, we unveiled the Spotify Safety Advisory Council, an interdisciplinary group of experts that are providing our teams with an outside-in view of the safety landscape and helping us ensure that our products and policies address the needs and concerns of our users, creators, and artists around the world.

Acquisitions expand our offerings

Early in the year, we acquired two podcast technology companies: Podsights, a podcast advertising measurement service, and Chartable, a podcast analytics platform. This move helped us uplevel measurement for podcast advertising and give publishers a new way to grow their business through insights and promotions tools.

Over the summer, we closed on the acquisition of Findaway, a global leader in digital audiobook distribution. Findaway works across the audiobook ecosystem with a platform and offerings that serve authors, publishers, and consumers. Their technology and know-how helped accelerate Spotify’s entry into audiobooks earlier this fall.

As the world’s leading audio streaming platform, it made perfect sense to bring Heardle, the beloved interactive music game to Spotify. It has provided a fun and innovative way to help fans discover new songs and artists.

We also acquired Kinzen, a global leader in protecting online communities from harmful content. Our partnership with the Dublin-based company, which began in 2020, has been critical to enhancing our approach to platform safety. The company’s technology and unique approach helps Spotify better understand, prepare for, and prevent abuse trends from emerging on our platform.

Frequency carves out a spot for Black creators

We expanded Frequency, our global initiative and holistic destination for celebrating Black art, entertainment, creativity, culture, and community both on- and off-platform, with even more opportunities for Black creators. In addition to on-platform hubs and playlists, we hosted The Free Studio, a four-day residency that brought together nine Black musicians and creators. Spotify’s popular playlist Ripple Effect continued the Frequency Sunday Dinner series in Houston, as well as cities across California.

Helping diversify the voices of podcasting

Programs like Sound Up, the Creator Equity Fund, and RADAR for Podcasters help underrepresented voices and emerging talent in the audio space. From education and workshops to on-platform amplification, these initiatives give creators the tools they need to tell their story. In October, we introduced the Africa Podcast Fund, a first-of-its-kind initiative to support burgeoning podcasters through financial grants, workshops, and networking opportunities. In December, we launched Elevate for Podcasters in partnership with the Inevitable Foundation. The program empowers professional podcasters with disabilities, providing the funding, mentorship, equipment, and accommodations they need to level up their careers.

Introducing User Choice Billing with Google

Our multi-year agreement with Google represents a first-of-its-kind option in payment choice with opportunities for both consumers and developers. Users who’ve downloaded Spotify from the Google Play Store are presented with the choice to pay with either Spotify’s payment system or Google Play Billing. These two options living side-by-side in the app give users the freedom to subscribe and make purchases, using the payment option of their choice. With this announcement and our partnership, Google is allowing more choice and competition—decisive steps that demonstrate how platforms should work.

Blend it up

Blend combines the best of Spotify’s personalization capabilities and collaborative playlist functionality into a single shared playlist. In 2022, we took Blend to a whole new level. Users can now Blend with up to 10 people or they can Blend with artists like Lizzo, Post Malone, and Charli XCX. Fans also have the opportunity to shop artist merch from the Blend experience. Blend represents another way we can give artists a new oportunity to interact with fans, and to bring added personalization to a listener’s music experience.

Playing with video

In 2022 we expanded video podcasting to Anchor creators in over 180 global markets. Podcasters love having the option to accompany their audio with visual components, and fans get the opportunity to deeply connect with the content. We also introduced Spotify Podcast Subscriptions for video podcasts, an integration with Riverside (the go-to platform for remote recording), embeddable video, video bulk-replace, video-specific analytics, and interactive podcast features, such as polls and Q&A.

Celebrating EQUAL’s first anniversary

Since its launch, EQUAL has spotlighted women artists through global partnerships, activations, new content experiences, and on- and off-platform support. April marked the program’s one year anniversary. Among EQUAL’s major accomplishments: listeners streamed more than 13 million hours of program artists in the first month of joining.

Reimagining with Roblox

We entered the virtual universe Roblox to create Spotify Island, an audio paradise where fans and artists from all over the world can connect and explore exclusive sounds, quests, and merch. We enhanced the experience during the year with K-Park and Planet Hip-Hop.

Spotify and FC Barcelona team up on the field

In July, we kicked off a partnership with FC Barcelona, becoming the Main Partner of the Club as well as the Official Audio Streaming Partner. We joined the team in Miami during the club’s preseason tour and brought artists like Ovy on the Drums, Piso 21, and Mau y Ricky along for the fun. Through the in-stadium LEDs and our other marketing channels, we promoted artists of all sizes from around the world including BLACKPINK, Fireboy DML, Megan Thee Stallion, Aitch, Pomme, Feid, and Rigoberta Bandini. For FC Barcelona’s October El Clásico showdown—one of the most iconic events in all of sport—we celebrated Drake’s 50 billion streams by creating a limited-edition kit. Get more details on this multiyear partnership on our Spotify: For the Record podcast.

Upping the ante with audiobooks

This fall, we introduced audiobooks to listeners in the U.S., the UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. With more than 300,000 titles on the platform, we are giving book lovers a new way to enjoy storytelling on Spotify.

Time to play fair

We believe everyone benefits when competition is fair. Unfortunately, Apple does not, and they’ve consistently abused their dominant position to favor their own services, stifle innovation and hurt consumers. This year, we continued to urge policymakers to take significant action to protect competition and consumers from Apple’s anticompetitive behavior. For more on this fight, listen to Spotify: For the Record, where entrepreneurs, U.S. senators, and Spotify CEO Daniel Ek discuss the importance of consumer choice.

Spotify and FC Barcelona Celebrate Drake’s Streaming Milestone With a Limited-Edition Shirt

October 14, 2022

From the start, we’ve had big plans for our partnership with FC Barcelona. We want to create a platform for artists that taps into the club’s massive global fan base. So as part of FC Barcelona’s El Clásico showdown this past Sunday—one of the most iconic events in all of sport—we teamed up with Drake and FC Barcelona to create a limited-edition kit.

Emblazoned with the signature OVO owl logo, the shirts reaffirm our commitment to bringing the worlds of music and football together.

“Our alliance with Spotify goes beyond a mere commercial relationship. It is a strategic relationship through which we seek to bring together two worlds that can arouse emotion, namely music and football,” said Juli Guiu, Vice President for the marketing area of FC Barcelona. “This initiative is another example of this desire and the innovative spirit of our collaboration.

“For the first time in our history, we are replacing the name of our main sponsor on the front of the jersey with an internationally acclaimed artist, Drake. This initiative shows our potential to become a unique platform to offer experiences that help bring us closer to our fans while reaching out to new audiences around the world.”

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Drake had the honor of unboxing the first shirt, which features the number 50 on the back because the global superstar is also celebrating an important milestone: He’s the first artist to have his tracks streamed 50 billion times on Spotify.

As October’s Very Own, there was no better match for Drake to debut the shirt than at this October’s El Clásico. To celebrate Drake and his impact on music, the men’s squad wore the shirts on Sunday when they stepped onto the pitch. And before the match, they even warmed up in training jerseys with “50” on the back.

Catalan Language Localization Means More for FC Barcelona Fans on Spotify

October 9, 2022

Since announcing our partnership with FC Barcelona in March 2022, we’ve been working to bring the worlds of music and football together. As the team’s Main Partner and Global Audio Streaming partner, we’re committed to making Spotify Camp Nou a space that celebrates artists from around the world—and helps FC Barcelona fans connect with their favorite creators, as well as their favorite players.

That’s why this October, we’re updating the Spotify mobile experience to support the Catalan language, making our app more accessible to Catalan speakers and bringing the total number of languages on our platform to 63. Catalan has been on our road map for some time, and we’re excited to accelerate the launch in support of our partners.

“We’re grateful to the FC Barcelona members and fans for welcoming Spotify into their club and stadium this year,” says Marc Hazan, VP Business Development and Partnerships. “As part of our partnership and commitment to bringing football and music together, the Spotify app experience will be available in Catalan later this month so that the club’s fans can enjoy Spotify with more ease.”