Spotify brings messaging again eight years after eradicating it

“Extensive data analysis has shown that this feature has very low engagement. The huge disparity between the use of the feature and the manpower required to maintain it doesn’t merit keeping it running, so we’ve taken the difficult decision to remove it.”

That was Spotify’s announcement in February 2017 of its choice to do away with its Inbox/Messages function. Now eight and a half years on, the corporate is bringing messaging back to its service, hoping for greater engagement this time.

‘Messages’ can be obtainable to free and premium customers aged 16 and older, for now as a mobile-only function in sure nations. The pitch is that it is a listener-driven comeback, but additionally that it’s going to have advantages for creators.

“Spotify users have told us they want a dedicated space within the app to share songs, podcasts, or audiobooks they’re excited about with friends and family, and an easy way to keep track of recommendations,” claimed Spotify.

“For artists, authors, and creators, easier sharing means more word-of-mouth recommendations and helps create new fans… more users can spread the word about an artist’s track or creator’s podcast with their friends and family, helping drive discovery.”

Spotify is pre-populating the function for every listener with folks they’ve beforehand shared Spotify content material, constructed collaborative playlists or used its Jam function with, in addition to folks in the identical Family or Duo subscription.

One huge danger right here for Spotify is potential harassment and abuse. Even with out messaging options it has confronted challenges with this up to now: for instance when men have used the platform to harass their former partners, and a grooming controversy in 2023 involving playlist artwork.

Those concerned utilizing options that weren’t designed for direct communication, so one-to-one messaging comes with huge moderation challenges.

Spotify addressed these in its announcement: customers can reject message requests; block different customers; and report messages that will break the platform guidelines. Spotify will even be scanning messages for “certain unlawful and harmful content”. Clear communication of all this inside its app can be vital.

What does all this imply for artists and their groups? The emphasis in Spotify’s announcement was on this being a function for customers to share songs, podcasts and audiobooks with each other, reasonably than for creators to message followers. Hence that pitch that that is about ‘more users’ spreading the phrase themselves.

However… if messaging is extra standard on Spotify this time spherical, and tons of of hundreds of thousands of listeners have inboxes that they test usually throughout the app, there’ll inevitably be questions on when and the way artists may be capable of slide into their DMs too.

Instagram has talked up its ‘Broadcast Channels’ function as a robust one-to-many messaging instrument for creators to achieve their superfans with calls to motion.

“If you post tickets, they will buy the tickets… they’re going to buy the t-shirt and they’re going to click on the links,” stated Meta’s Dan Biddle in a convention keynote we reported on final November.

It could be unusual if Spotify’s new Messages function didn’t evolve into one thing like this, if dealt with fastidiously so that folks aren’t bludgeoned by message requests from everybody they’ve ever listened to on the service.

It may very well be a big evolution for Spotify’s ‘two-sided marketplace’ sooner or later. But would that be free for artists to make use of, or a paid instrument? Or, certainly, each?