Famously an all-digital music platform, Spotify has added a Live Events Feed to help subscribers find real-life music. This is not the company’s first attempt to get people enjoying music outside of the app, but its willingness to improve on previous efforts is apparent through these kinds of updates.
The Spotify app is full of useful little features and options that can make it an enjoyable system with which to engage. Everyone’s heard of its annual Wrap-Up feature but there are also fun, lesser-known parts like Blend and Duo playlists or Family mode. However, Spotify has also always designed the user interface of the app to maintain its simplicity. The positive result of that inclination is the app remains just as easy to use as ever, regardless of how many additions come to the platform. The downside is these cool features can be easy to miss.
There are doubtless people who use Spotify on a daily basis who never knew it had a Concert Hub. This seems to be a problem the app’s developers also recognized as the app has now received an updated version of the feature in the form of the Live Events Feed. A post on the Spotify blog details the new feed and explains the philosophies leading to this change. It’s now much more than just a fleeting footer notification announcing the artist has an upcoming performance.
This is a robust update but Spotify has remained true to its habits. That means making use of the Live Events Feed is both simple and almost entirely missable. The easiest way to get there in the app is to select the Search button in the footer menu. Search is a mess of colored blocks; some leading to playlists and others leading to features. One such block should read “Live Events” and simply tapping this will generate a list of nearby events, populated based on information Spotify has on the user and people in their area. On the desktop version of Spotify, Live Events will still be in the Search menu, which can be accessed by clicking “Search” in the upper-left corner.
The interesting thing about this upgrade is how thoughtful the feature is. It goes beyond simply giving a date and time for each show. Instead, the Live Events Feed attempts to inform users about nearby shows based on listening preferences in the app, and also reveals ticket availability while linking out to platforms that sell tickets. The feed will allow fans to view live shows when they’re available right in the app, too. People who frequently use the Live Events Feed will have a version of the list surface on their home page, in a way reminiscent of its other playlists.
Spotify has a commendable stated goal of making it easier for listeners to support their favorite artists with this feature, but the obvious, cynical perspective perhaps focuses on the fact that Spotify has “ticketing partners” in the live events industry. Still, this is an undeniably useful option for anyone who lives on Spotify and would like to hear their favorite songs whilst surrounded by likeminded listeners.
Source: Spotify
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Author: Hubert Davis
