Spotify launches paid podcast memberships with perks beyond bonus content

Spotify on Tuesday launched paid memberships, a new way for podcasters to make money from their biggest fans beyond paywalled bonus episodes. Creators can decide which perks to offer listeners, which could be bonus audio or video, fewer ads, early access to shows, or some combination of these.

The streaming service first previewed the idea at its Investor Day in May, where it also introduced AI capabilities that let listeners ask questions about what they’re listening to or watching and debuted new tools for managing creator sponsorships.

As the company explained at the time, memberships would help to “create a natural path to go deeper, unlocking new and exclusive experiences for fans and new revenue opportunities for creators.”

The feature is now rolling out to 34 markets globally, including the U.S.

The launch is the latest example of Spotify’s effort to make its platform more attractive to podcast creators, particularly as it moves further into the video space to compete with YouTube. Though podcasters have long been able to monetize through ads, the new memberships could entice more fans to support creators by offering more than just an occasional bonus episode.

Creators keep 90% of the membership revenue and can package their benefits across multiple tiers and pricing options to appeal to fans at different levels of commitment. To qualify, podcasters must host their shows on Spotify for Creators or Megaphone, have at least 100 consumption hours, 100 listeners or viewers, and at least three published episodes.

Fans will see memberships promoted on the show’s Spotify page, where they can subscribe, pay, and immediately access the exclusive content. (The company tells us that memberships will be purchased on the web, not through in-app purchases).

A handful of shows will offer memberships at launch, including “The Adam Friedland Show,” “Making Sense with Sam Harris,” “Shawn Ryan Show,” “The Sculpt Society,” “Two Hot Takes,” as well as YMH Studios, which is bringing memberships to 12 shows across its network.

Memberships join other Spotify monetization tools, including advertising and the Spotify Partner Program, as well as features that help creators grow their audience, like promotions, free trials, and analytics. Soon, Spotify says creators will be able to offer fans membership badges and welcome clips, too.