Tag: FC Barcelona

Why Following FC Barcelona Is a Game of Its Own

Since 2022, our partnership with FC Barcelona has spanned playlists and football pitches alike. And helping fans connect with their favorite artists and players has been at the heart of that. But Barça faithfuls are no ordinary supporters: They are authentic, emotional, and most of all, exceptionally committed to the club. 

This also means their expectations are very high, and they have a voracious appetite for club-related content that is distinctive and entertaining. So each and every day, FC Barcelona’s social media accounts set out to deliver photos, videos, memes, and team updates that keep hundreds of millions of fans around the world buzzing.

The club’s brand identity and engagement teams, headed up by Barça Identity Director Paloma Mikadze and Fan Engagement Director Eric Serra, are responsible for the playful social media strategies, posts, and videos that keep fans supporting the club through their likes, comments, and reposts. They are the storytellers of FC Barcelona, and working together with Spotify’s own storytellers, like Partner Marketing Lead George Mead, they find new and unique ways to bring Barça players together with music’s biggest stars. (Who can forget ROSALÍA’s epic shirt reveal?) 

 

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Over the years, FC Barcelona has cultivated a deeply loyal fan following through its social media accounts, and since partnering with Spotify, it only continues to grow stronger. For the Record sat down with Paloma, Eric, and George to talk about their approach to fan engagement, how they get players into the mix, and insights into some of their most memorable campaigns.

No one can forget the incredible artist reveal with ROSALÍA on team kits ahead of an El Clásico match. Can you tell us a little about the process behind that campaign, as well as the results?

Paloma Mikadze: When passion and ambition come together, incredible things happen. That’s a philosophy we truly believe in, and the MOTOMAMI campaign underscores that. Our team makes extraordinary ideas come to life. Bringing sports and music together is wonderful, and we wanted fans around the world to feel and experience that fusion of culture. 

We built a strong journey around the hype phase to capture all the attention we were looking for before the reveal moment—we wanted all eyes to be on us, and that’s what we did. The ROSALÍA shirt reveal was a trending topic all over the world. Our content was being consumed by millions of fans, which multiplied the exposure of our brands around the world.  

 

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George: That was truly unforgettable! It helps when it coincided with a last-minute match winner to essentially secure the La Liga title, but that really exemplified why this partnership is the first of its kind.

After she featured on the shirt, searches for ROSALÍA on Spotify spiked significantly across the world. Barcelona, meanwhile, got roughly half a billion impressions on content with the singer’s MOTOMAMI logo across all club media channels.

Plus, a TikTok video featuring ROSALÍA remixing the club’s anthem, which was posted on Barcelona’s account to promote the campaign, has now amassed more than 86 million views, further illustrating how Barça have been able to leverage Spotify’s relationship with its artists to better target Gen Z.

How about Anitta’s playlist challenge during this summer’s preseason tour? 

Eric Serra: Can you imagine Anitta playing football, or Gavi, Pedri, Raphinha, and Balde recreating one of Anitta’s trendy dances? Maybe not, but this is where the team comes in to create remarkable content for the fans while achieving commercial goals simultaneously. Connecting all the dots is not easy, but when you have the players and artists on the pitch with big smiles during production, you know that the idea is good, and the content will perform very well.

 

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George: Again, that was a perfect example of seeing football and music come together in a way that aligned across the markets for both the club and the artist. Barça has such a massive following in the Latin American markets, so to be able to work with some of the biggest artists and celebrate their talents with those of the club was something that we really wanted to do for the preseason tour. The players loved it because it intersects with the music that they like to listen to, and we saw really good engagement across our own channels as a result.

The players are super active on social media. What’s behind their social strategy? 

George Mead: This has been a really fun aspect of our work with the club from the beginning. Working with current players and legends like Ronaldinho to create and share their favorite tracks, which motivate them on match days, in special Spotify playlists—as well as the opportunity for fans to Blend with players—has provided another way for fans to connect with the players via music. 

Paloma: We never miss an opportunity to bring the players into our social media plans. They’re generally aware of how crucial content is in today’s landscape, and we always try to propose innovative and fresh content so they can make the most of it. Highlighting their personality and qualities is key when we draw up our content strategy.

They take part in different ways—whether it’s trends, challenges, choreographies, interviews, or amplification from their own channels. We’d like to send a huge thank you to them for their proactivity and willingness to expose the Barça brand to the fullest. 

Eric: The approach to player activations is a perfect fit for them. We are providing the kind of content that they consume on social media, and the result is more authentic and engaging for the fans.

Eric Serra and Paloma Mikadze

How does your social approach help supplement the established futbol fan community? 

Paloma: It’s about being authentic and engaging at the same time. Fans have a very strong appetite for content and entertainment, but it’s not only about building strategies. It’s also about analyzing insights to readjust the approach and constantly innovating to meet expectations. We try to be one step ahead. Understanding how and why fans react and behave is the first step to establishing a fan community.  

George: As a member of that community myself, I know that that is one of the most engaged demographics out there in terms of social media. We believe that this partnership adds far more than just the Spotify logo across the Barça shirt, and I think we’ve seen from the results so far that we’re speaking to an audience that loves the crossover—and we’re excited to offer more with our projects in the future.

Eric: We don’t have customers, we have fans . . . and we focus on putting the Barça fans at the center of everything we do.

Have your social engagement plans changed at all since partnering with Spotify?

Paloma: Our plans have adapted rather than changed. We know our audience; we understand our fans and we constantly analyze the market. Innovation, flexibility, and insight extraction is essential in our day-to-day work. 

Our teams are persistently seeking new opportunities to elevate our partnership through content. We must be relevant in a landscape that offers infinite options, and joining forces with Spotify has been key. Creating strategies to leverage campaigns from a 360-degree point of view is crucial. Now, more than ever, we believe in reaching fans beyond football. 

Eric: I agree with Paloma; it’s not a redefinition, but rather a way to take advantage of the partnership. Thanks to them, we’re working on big campaigns with great artists like ROSALÍA, Drake, Anitta, Daddy Yankee, Ovy On The Drums, Piso 21, and more. However, without a previous entertainment and lifestyle brand mindset, it would be impossible to fully integrate the partnership into our day-to-day operations.

George: We’re always interested in the engagement and impressions that we’re getting from our campaigns, and what’s really been great is that these are major music marketing campaigns, but they’re still done with amazing value in terms of output. This club has a massive following around the globe, so we’ve definitely looked at that in markets that we’ve previously not reached to a greater extent.

 

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What are some fan engagement opportunities you see for this partnership going forward? 

George: I think there’s still so much we can do together with the club. Everyone at Spotify is really excited about the prospect of the Nou Camp being revamped into an entertainment hub as part of the club’s Espai Barça project. We see that as a really exciting opportunity for us.

What is the value of bringing artists and other creators into the Barça brand? 

George: I really think the value is felt through the global reach that this football club has. We’ve seen artists featured on our billboards around the Spotify Camp Nou and obviously our special-edition jersey takeover campaigns. That means they’re reaching new audiences that have previously been untapped for them.

Eric: Music and football, artists and players. If you blend all of these elements to create content and experiences, the primary beneficiary will be the fan. When you bring artists and creators together with players or the Barça brand, you’re merging different fan bases and organically amplifying the impact. Who wouldn’t wonder what happens when an amazing football player interacts with an incredible artist in the same room?

Paloma: Barça is more than a club. That’s the story we want to share globally, and it’s our inspiration. FC Barcelona is a local brand that’s eager to expand its values all over the world. There’s no better way to do that than with credible voices telling our story to specific niches. Our goal is to attract new audiences by amplifying our fan base and creating a solid, loyal relationship with future supporters. 

Check out the other stories in our “Playful” edition of Liner Notes to discover more ways we infuse energy, creativity, and delight into our products.

Here’s All the Artists, Creators, and Athletes You Can Blend with on Spotify

In 2021, Spotify took bonding over music to the next level with Blend, our shared social listening experience that combines the different tastes of friends and families, as well as fans and artists, into one. Whether you’re creating a Blend with your best friend, favorite musical artist, FC Barcelona player, or digital creator, you’re sure to receive a personalized playlist that merges your musical tastes to create something everyone can enjoy.

There’s now plenty of artists, athletes, and creators to Blend with on Spotify, and you can find the full list below. To create your own Blend with one of them, simply click the link in their name—and then let us do the rest. You’ll also receive a taste-match score and the songs that bring you two together.

Artists:

Athletes:

Creators:

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

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

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. 

Wrapped campaign mobile images

“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.

a FC Barcelona Rosalia jersey

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 ROSALÍAs 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

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

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 Ronaldinhocreated 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

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

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’sDespechá” in the locker room.

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

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

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

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

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.