Spotify is to allow developers to create apps on the music streaming service, such as lyrics and concert ticket sales. The move follows its recent partnership with Facebook, as the music service looks to social media to boost its ad revenue streams. Earlier this year Spotify announced that all its new members would have to […]
Spotify is to allow developers to create apps on the music streaming service, such as lyrics and concert ticket sales. The move follows its recent partnership with Facebook, as the music service looks to social media to boost its ad revenue streams. Earlier this year Spotify announced that all its new members would have to have a Facebook account.
Unlike Facebook however, Spotify will vet all apps for quality and potential security threats.
The firm already allowed third-party developers to build outside services based on its music streams, but this is the first time it has allowed their creations into the Spotify client.
All the new apps will be free, so users of Spotify’s ad-supported service will be able to access them.
The first apps, launched this week, include reviews and playlists from music magazines such as Rolling Stone, concert information from Songkick and software that displays lyrics in time with songs.
At a press conference in New York, Daniel Ek, Spotify’s chief executive, said it had opened up to third-party developers because “there’s really on that much that Spotify itself can do”.
“We thought the true core of Spotify would be to make all the music available instantly,” he said.
They will be “truly integrated”, Ek said, “both visually and in their functionality”. They apps will be based on HTML5, an emerging version of the software code that underpins the web, which supports video and interactive elements.
Spotify now has 10 million users, 7 million of whom have joined since September. A quarter of the total pay for access to streaming music, allowing them to listen on smartphones as well as computers, and without interruptions for advertising.
Although it is legal and licensed, some in the music industry have complained that Spotify dos not pay enough in royalties.
“We pay every time someone plays a song,” said Ek. “We’re paying out the vast majority of the revenues.”
He said Spotify had so far paid out $150m to the music industry.
