Tag: Partnership

Spotify and Hulu Expand Partnership

April 11, 2018

Spotify and Hulu Expand Partnership To Give Music and TV Fans All Of Their Favorites in One Premium Bundle for $12.99 Per Month

New Mass Market Subscription Plan – Spotify Premium, Now with Hulu – Launches Today

Music and TV are better together, and streaming your favorite music and TV shows just got a whole lot easier. Following last year’s successful launch of the Spotify Premium for Students, now with Hulu bundle, the brands are expanding their original partnership, this time to offer entertainment fans nationwide an affordable, all you can stream bundle of their own. The new subscription plan, Spotify Premium, now with Hulu, brings the two popular services together and allows subscribers to enjoy a world of ad-free music on Spotify Premium, as well as the more than 75,000 current and classic hit television shows and movies on Hulu’s ad-supported service – all through a single $12.99-a-month subscription plan. Beginning today, existing Spotify Premium subscribers not only have early access to the $12.99-a-month bundle, eligible subscribers can also take advantage of a 99-cent promotional offer to try the Hulu Limited Commercials plan for three months as an introduction to the bundle. Spotify Premium, now with Hulu will be available to everyone this summer.

Two Subscriptions, One Bill, One Low Price

Just like the college student bundle, the new subscription plan combines Hulu’s Limited Commercials streaming library – with more than twice the number of episodes available than any of the other streaming services – and Spotify’s popular Premium subscription plan, both on the same bill, and all in one convenient package. In addition to Hulu’s popular original series like The Handmaid’s Tale, The Looming Tower and Marvel’s Runaways, the new bundle gives Spotify subscribers access to Hulu’s enormous offering of thousands of hit TV series and movies, including The Good Doctor, this season’s #1 new drama; Roseanne, this season’s #1 new series; fan-favorite This is Us; Emmy® Award-winning comedy Atlanta; popular hits like Family Guy, The Voice and Power, and entire series runs of beloved shows like Lost, ER, Seinfeld, Full House, Family Matters and more.

“Based on the outstanding performance of the Spotify and Hulu student package, it’s clear that consumers love to combine their music and television experiences together,” said Tim Connolly, SVP, Head of Distribution and Partnerships at Hulu. “Hulu and Spotify are brands that are defining how fans connect with entertainment in the future, and we are excited to expand our partnership to bring this combined package to all existing and new Spotify Premium subscribers.”

“Our student launch with Hulu was incredibly well received and we are excited to extend our reach by bringing Hulu to more of our Premium members in the US,” said Alex Norstrom, Chief Premium Business Officer at Spotify. “Hulu’s TV content is highly acclaimed, and with this exclusive Spotify offer we are bundling two top media platforms for an unbeatable price. This is just one example of how we can add value to our premium members day after day.”

How to Watch, Listen and Stream

Existing Spotify Premium subscribers can take advantage of a special introductory offer by upgrading their existing Premium plan to Spotify Premium, now with Hulu. The offer grants an initial three-month Hulu subscription for the exclusive price of 99 cents before charging a monthly price of $12.99 for the bundle. Subscribers will gain access to Hulu’s growing on-demand library of award-winning original series.

Spotify and Hulu anticipate opening up the new bundle offer to those without a Spotify Premium account this summer.

Click here to learn more about the bundle, eligibility requirements and to sign-up.

Finding the Perfect Driving Playlist Just Got Much Easier

April 4, 2018

You know the feeling. You’re on the road and a song comes on. It’s not just any song – it’s the perfect song…and, all of a sudden, your ordinary drive is extraordinarily awesome. You turn the volume to full blast, nod your head to the beat and maybe even smile at the driver next to you at the traffic light. If they happen to be listening to their perfect driving song, they might just smile back.

Drivers have been rocking out in their cars for nearly 70 years, since the first FM radios were fitted into autos in the early 1950s. Later, the advent of cassette mix tapes, then burning CDs helped consumers customize their driving soundtracks. Naturally, when music streaming services came on the scene, people were even more empowered to personalize their listening experiences…and they did, creating well over one million Spotify playlists specifically geared toward driving.

“If you’re listening to music you don’t love, and you can’t skip, it makes the drive seem harder and longer,” says Jonathan Tarlton, of Spotify’s automotive business development team. “But when Spotify can really nail it and you hear perfect track after track, you might want to take the long way to work.”

Today, some 70 million users use Spotify in their cars—and there’s a good chance that number will grow, thanks to a recently announced collaboration between Spotify and Cadillac. Cadillac drivers can now download the Spotify app directly to their car’s infotainment system–no phone, no cables, no bluetooth necessary. The app understands that you’re in the car and will provide music recommendations that are perfect for road tripping, getting to work, or singing along with friends. It’s more convenient, safer and delivers personalized playlists, perfectly suited to each and every driver.

Photo credit: Spotify

 

“It’s as simple as tuning to a radio station,” says Stefan Cross, a communications manager for General Motors, Cadillac’s parent company. “It requires much less hassle on the backend. It’s really getting the music that you want in a safe non-distracting way, but still providing you a very robust experience.”

And that might do more than improve drivers’ moods. It could actually make them better drivers.

Cadillac decided to partner with Spotify on music streaming in part, Cross says, because of something Cadillac’s own research had revealed: Access to various music options seems to discourage aggression among drivers. “In focus groups, we have found that when customers have more listening options, they have fewer hard brakes, which is typically a sign of aggressive driving,” Cross says.

Tarlton says Spotify is interested in “leaning in” to the idea of proactively using music to help people overcome challenging driving situations, like providing specific playlist recommendations to lift their spirits when it’s raining.

Photo credit: Spotify

 

For now, Spotify is building a foundation for in-car playlists. Monday morning commuters may receive recommendations for upbeat songs to help energize them for the work week ahead. On a Friday evening, drivers gearing up for the weekend may enjoy brand new music from Spotify’s popular Release Radar customized playlist.

Of course, you won’t find the app surfacing Sleep playlists, but other than that, the sky—or rather, the open road—is the limit for Cadillac drivers and Spotify users intent on finding the ideal driving soundtrack.

“Drivers have this new world of choices,” Tarlton says. “Now, they can be their own DJs.”