Three years have passed since Spotify acquired live audio startup Betty Labs, and the music streaming service is not maximizing the potential of the technology
In 2020, Betty Labs’ social audio application Locker Room made its debut with a strong focus on sports. It allowed users to participate in real-time discussions, organize watch parties, and offer commentary on games.
Upon acquiring the application, Spotify rebranded it as Greenroom, a clone of Clubhouse that catered to fans of all interests, including fantasy football, music, sports, and fantasy football. Like other social audio applications, Greenroom allowed users to establish virtual rooms and engage in live conversations with others who shared their interests.
Greenroom was rebranded as Spotify Live in 2021; however, its existence was brief, as it ceased operations officially last year. Several factors may have contributed to the lack of momentum, one is the unfortunate reality that social audio is experiencing difficulties (consider Clubhouse and the defunct Reddit Live Talk).
Additionally, some users lamented that the standalone application was rife with errors and hiccups, and others pointed out that the audio quality was subpar (which is quite disappointing for a music streaming behemoth). The room’s meager capacity of one thousand guests was an additional disappointment.
Thankfully, Spotify has not abandoned live audio entirely. The company introduced “Listening Party,” an experimental in-app feature, in December 2023. This feature allowed superfans to participate in live listening parties by invitation only, where they could ask the artist direct questions in a live conversation room and even request to be invited as a speaker.
The company previously regarded Listening Party as its most promising feature on Spotify Live, according to a spokesperson who informed us of the closure at the time.
Among the artists with whom Spotify has tested the feature are Lizzy McAlpine, Zara Larsson, Bleachers, and MGMT. Last Friday, May 17, Billie Eilish cordially welcomed her closest supporters (selected using Spotify data) to a Listening Party to celebrate the release of her most recent studio album, “Hit Me Hard and Soft.” There were 2,500 users in attendance, which was a respectable number, including myself.
The experience at the Listening Party was a mixed affair. The enthusiastic response from the admirers was evident as they flooded the live chat with comments. Conversely, except for Eilish and her brother Finneas’s (songwriter and producer) introductory remarks, Spotify’s live audio functionalities were hardly employed. Eilish expressed her eagerness to perform her new song “CHIHIRO” live via the keyboard instead.
Instead of maximizing the potential of real-time audio technology, Eilish’s live performance consisted primarily of a continuous 50-minute transmission of her new album. The event concluded unexpectedly, with Eilish failing to bid farewell.
This was one of many ways others responded to a listening party. MGMT supporters voiced comparable grievances throughout their session. “I assumed they would be answering questions following the event,” one fan commented in a Reddit thread. “MGMT remains silent,” another individual stated.
A crucial feature that Listening Party provides, “Onstage,” where fans can request to communicate with the artist during the live discussion, was also absent from Eilish’s performance for unknown reasons. Fans exclusively offered written responses in the hopes that Eilish would notice and provide a response.
As a result, the social audio capability failed to facilitate a live discussion with users as intended and was instead regarded as a tedious group listening session; the same response was elicited during a tedious Zoom call: “This could have been an email.”
In all fairness, Eilish’s Listening Party provided an alternative experience to the two in-person listening parties she hosted in New York City (May 15) and Los Angeles (May 16). It was better than nothing. We also acknowledge that artists do not have the authority to utilize particular features. Despite this, we were inevitably disappointed.
Becoming a guest at a listening party is contingent on being deemed a “highly engaging” listener, which precludes hundreds of thousands of fans from interacting with their beloved artists. Operating at its utmost capacity will likely preserve the server’s stability.
Notwithstanding the setback inflicted by the conclusion of Spotify Live, the launch of Listening Party demonstrates Spotify’s endeavor to optimize the return on its substantial $62 million investment in Betty Labs. Nevertheless, according to our assessment of the functionality, Spotify still has considerable progress to make before it can be regarded as a frontrunner in live audio.
Fortunately, Listening Party is still in its nascent testing phases, indicating there is still potential for further development. It is restricted to consumers in Indonesia and the United States.
