Spotify is flinging open the doors to its podcast-subscription program to anyone in the U.S., as the audio streamer rolls out new monetization options for podcast creators as part of its ongoing battle with Apple.
Along with the broader availability, Spotify is expanding monthly subscription options creators can charge to 20 different price points — starting at 49 cents and stepping up to $150 (in the event someone out there believes they can get that much from their listeners).
In another change, creators using Spotify podcast subscriptions will be able to download a list of email addresses for their subscribers, so they can further engage with their subscriber base and offer additional benefits. “[W]e understand that creators want to own their relationships with listeners, and we intend to empower that,” Spotify said in a blog post.
Spotify is hoping to lure creators with financial terms that are more favorable than Apple’s. Until 2023, participants in Spotify’s podcast subscription program will keep 100% of revenue (excluding payment processing fees). Starting in 2023, Spotify plans to implement a 5% fee on subscription revenue. With Apple’s Podcasts Subscriptions, the tech colossus is keeping 30% of revenue for the first 12 months, then 15% starting in the second year.
In April, Spotify began testing podcast subscriptions through Anchor, the podcast-creation platform it acquired in early 2019. During the test period, the company activated more than 100 podcasts across genres and formats.
Starting Sept. 15, Spotify’s international listeners will be able to purchase access to subscriber-only podcast content, and shortly after that the company says it will make the feature available to creators worldwide.
“Our model is built to maximize creator revenue and offer the widest possible reach so they can grow their audience and develop deep connections with listeners,” Spotify said in the blog post.
Using Anchor’s publishing tools, creators can mark episodes “subscriber only” and publish them directly to Spotify or to private RSS feeds that can be used by listeners on other platforms.
During the test, Spotify Podcast Subscriptions were available in only three price tiers ($2.99, $4.99 or $7.99 per month). Here’s the full list of monthly podcast subscription options now available: $0.49, $0.99, $1.99, $2.99, $3.99, $4.99, $5.99, $6.99, $7.99, $8.99, $9.99, $15, $20, $25, $30, $40, $50, $75, $100 and $150.
Anchor also released a how-to tutorial about setting up a podcast subscription:
