Tag: learning

Spotify Pilots New Music Experience for Young Listeners on Family Plans

September 13, 2024

Spotify is committed to bringing the best listening experience to all our users, and that includes parents and families. That’s why we’ve introduced a pilot for a Premium music account for young listeners under the age of 13 (or local market equivalent). The managed account pilot will be available exclusively as part of our Premium Family plan in Denmark, New Zealand, and Sweden.

As young listeners embark on a journey of music exploration with a managed account, through this new pilot they will get to enjoy many of the features and functionality that Spotify users know and love, including personalization features that make music discovery on Spotify so exciting and unique.

For parents and guardians, managed accounts enable them to better tailor the content that is available to young listeners via in-app controls—like managing the playback of Canvas, videos, and content labeled as explicit. They will now also be able to decide whether a young listener can play certain artists or tracks with Spotify’s new control feature.

The managed account is also welcome news for parents and guardians who do not want their recommendations getting mixed up with the latest tween tunes—each account under the plan will have separate recommendations, and a young listener’s musical favorites won’t feed into the plan manager’s annual Wrapped results.

Parents or guardians with a Family plan in Denmark, New Zealand, and Sweden can head to their account page in the app and select the option to “Add a listener aged under 13 [or local market equivalent],” then follow the instructions.

For Premium Family plan subscribers who prefer an already curated, kid-friendly listening experience for younger listeners, the Spotify Kids app is also available in Denmark, New Zealand, Sweden, and 11 other markets.

Both the managed account and Spotify Kids app offer an experience designed for listeners under the age of 13 (or local market equivalent), so it is important for parents or guardians to represent a young listener’s age accurately during account creation.

A+ Listening for Back-to-School Season

August 29, 2024

Bells are ringing—school bells, that is—as kids across the U.S. start the new school year. In addition to fresh fits and the right supplies, kids might also need some encouragement for the excitement and challenges ahead, and audiobooks and podcasts are a great way to start.

Here are some of the top back-to-school picks selected by the Spotify team—they’re full of examples of curiosity, friendship, kindness, and inclusion to help ease those first-day jitters.

Audiobooks

Gustavo the Shy Ghost

Written by Flavia Z. Drago

Narrated by Marisa Blake

Back-to-school season means that Halloween is just ahead. And little ghouls and goblins will love debut author Flavia Z. Drago’s sweet and gently offbeat story of loneliness, bravery, and friendship.

Gustavo is good at doing all sorts of ghostly things: walking through walls, making objects fly, and glowing in the dark. But Gustavo is shy, and some things are harder for him to do, like getting in a line to buy eye scream or making friends with other monsters. Whenever he tries getting close to them, he realizes they just can’t see him. Now that the Day of the Dead is fast approaching, what can he do to make them notice him?

Sheila Rae the Brave

Written by Kevin Henkesn

Narrated by Laura Hamilton

Kevin Henkes is the beloved author of perennial favorites including Chrysanthemum, Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse, Julius, the Baby of the World, and Owen.

In Sheila Rae the Brave, we meet Sheila, who is not afraid of anything. She steps on cracks, walks backward with her eyes closed, and teases her sister for her fears. But when Sheila Rae gets lost one day, she discovers maybe, just maybe, she isn’t quite as brave as she thought she was.

The Case of the Disgusting School Dinners

Written by Angie Lake

Narrated by Claudia Campbell

Aren’t school dinners a bit strange? Chicken nuggets? On pizza? Covered in chocolate? Nobody wants to live on lettuce and broccoli, but children are losing teeth over this! This looks like a case for Mina Mistry, the adventure-seeking sleuth at the center of Claudia Campbell’s The Case of the Disgusting School Dinners.

Being at school is boring when you just know you’re going to grow up to be something cool like a private investigator. So until then, Mina’s going to practice for her future, and there’s plenty of detective work to be done at school.

Hattie Harmony

Written and narrated by Robbie Arnett and Elizabeth Olsen

In this sequel to the New York Times bestseller Hattie Harmony: Worry Detective, the eponymous protagonist shares new tools for managing anxiety, just in time for opening night of the school play.

There are lines to be memorized, costumes to sew, and sets to paint. Will Hattie be able to settle the pre-show jitters before curtain call? Co-authored by actress Elizabeth Olsen and musician and writer Robbie Arnett, this relatable tale introduces the youngest readers to the importance of self-care.

The Good Egg and the Talent Show

Written by Jory John

Narrated by Dan Bittner

The Good Egg is so excited for the talent show, but there’s just one problem: He doesn’t have an act. When the talent show starts, he accepts that he’ll be just a regular audience member. But when his friends need help onstage, the Good Egg steps up to assist and discovers that being yourself and being kind deserve a standing ovation.

The Good Egg and the Talent Show is a Level 1 I Can Read book, which means it’s perfect for kids who are sounding out words and sentences. Audiobooks are also a great companion to physical books for kids discovering the joys of reading on their own.

Podcasts

Short History Of…

History is full of the extraordinary, and each week, Short History Of… transports listeners back in time to witness history’s most incredible moments and remarkable people.

Let’s Talk About Myths, Baby!

Let’s Talk About Myths, Baby! is a special back-to-school series that explores the most entertaining and enraging stories from mythology every Tuesday and Friday this September. Told in a casual, contemporary, and sarcastic tone, each episode will leave listeners realizing that Greek and Roman gods did some pretty weird (and awful) things.

Dan Snow’s History Hit

Listen along as historian Dan Snow investigates the how and why of history’s defining moments. From the tomb of Tutankhamun to the battlefields of Waterloo, Dan shares the greatest stories from the past to help us understand the present.

The Ten News

The Ten News is a bite-sized podcast for families who are curious about the world around them. Each episode explores topics kids care about most, including events, sports, science, gaming, pop culture, entertainment, and more.

Phil Edwards

From business to tech, french fries to Civil War balloons, podcaster Phil Edwards dives deep into everyday topics and finds the stories that will pique the interest of adults and kids alike.

For even more content, check out our Back to School Hub on Spotify.

Spotify Tests Video-Based Learning Courses in the UK

March 25, 2024

Today we’re launching a test for video-based courses on Spotify in the U.K. We’ve partnered with educational tech companies including BBC Maestro, PLAYvirtuoso, Skillshare, and Thinkific to bring video content directly to Spotify users.

U.K. users will now find video courses for purchase alongside their favorite music, podcasts, and audiobooks. The content for courses on Spotify covers a variety of topics categorized into four main themes: make music, get creative, learn business, and healthy living, giving listeners an abundance of options to expand their knowledge.

“Testing video courses in the U.K. allows us to explore an exciting opportunity to better serve the needs of our users who have an active interest in learning,” said Babar Zafar, VP Product Development at Spotify. “Many of our users engage with podcasts and audiobooks on a daily basis for their learning needs, and we believe this highly engaged community will be interested in accessing and purchasing quality content from video course creators. At Spotify, we’re constantly striving to create new offerings for our creators and users, and having built best-in-class personalized music and podcast offerings, we look forward to exploring the potential of video-based learning on Spotify.”

With this offer, we are exploring a potential opportunity to provide educational creators with a new audience who can access their video content, reaching a bigger potential swath of engaged Spotify users while expanding our catalog. About half of Spotify Premium subscribers have engaged in education or self-help-themed podcasts.

For this test, U.K. Free users and Premium subscribers will be able to trial at least two lessons per course for free before making the decision to purchase additional lessons, which they can do on a dedicated web page.

Try it out for yourself:

On the mobile app, U.K. users will find course videos in the home and browse tabs.
Once clicked through, users can explore available courses across the four categories before purchasing them on desktop. Once purchased, the courses will be available on mobile and desktop.
On desktop: https://courses.spotify.com/home
Users can select courses they’re interested in, and upon purchase, start learning, watching on mobile app or desktop.

Learn more about our content partners:

BBC Maestro creates content to educate and inspire people to explore their creativity. Through prerecorded lessons and detailed course notes, anyone can learn a wide range of disciplines and follow in the footsteps of experts respected all over the world. www.bbcmaestro.com
PLAYvirtuoso is transforming modern music learning through artist-led courses, mentoring, and structured curriculums. PLAYvirtuoso develops artists to become inspirational educators and empower young creatives with real skills and outcomes. www.playvirtuoso.com
Skillshare is an online learning community where millions of creatives go to develop and deepen their skills. Watch thousands of creative classes in topics including design, freelance, 3D animation, entrepreneurship, photography, productivity, and more. Join today at https://join.skillshare.com/learn
Thinkific Labs Inc. is a leading platform for creating, marketing, and selling courses, digital products, communities, and learning experiences. www.thinkific.com

Update as of June 25, 2024:

Spotify has partnered with Superintelligent, an education platform that teaches anyone to use AI for work and fun, to bring new content to its courses platform for U.K. users. The partnership will bring 10 different courses and companion how-to’s that provide step-by-step instructions for using the most important AI Tools.

New Year, New You: Audiobook Picks To Help You Start 2024 on the Right Foot

January 15, 2024

Whether it’s New Year’s resolutions or a post-holiday reset, there’s always extra motivation to adopt a few healthy habits each January. But sometimes deciding which ones to embrace can be the biggest challenge.

Lucky for you, our audiobooks editorial team has created a series of themed playlists that speak to different areas of self-improvement. So if you’re looking to give your brain more of a workout, wrangle your finances, or strengthen the bond with those closest to you, we have a treasure trove of standout audiobooks on Spotify to get you started.