Spotify’s subscription podcast service goes global this week

There’s big news today for publishers who have invested heavily in premium audio content. Spotify has announced that the subscription service that it launched for US creators in August will be available in key markets across the globe from this week.

The service, which allows creators to mark episodes as “subscriber-only” content and charge a monthly fee for access to them will now become available in 33 new markets worldwide. Creators will have 20 monthly price points to choose from, starting as low as $0.49 and increasing to as much as $150.

The rollout this week is to 33 countries including; Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Canada, Germany, Austria and  France will be supported next week. 

The subscription offering debuted in the US in August and since then has undergone a series of tweaks. Spotify has expanded the number of price points and has also debuted a feature allowing creators to access subscribers’ contact information.

In what could be interpreted as a swipe at Apple Spotify is waiving its commission for the first two years, after which it will take 5% of the fee. This contrasts with Apple which takes a 30% cut of creator revenue that drops to 15% in year two.

If you enjoy podcasts then check out the FIPP podcast here. A new season of the podcast is imminent.

Main Image: Adobe/Kaspars Grinvalds