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Spotify today announced its latest acquisition, this one related to a podcast company called Parcast (via Reuters). This marks Spotify's third podcast-related acquisition in two months, and represents the company's ongoing plan to boost the music streaming platform as a hub for podcasts that can compete with Apple Podcasts.

spotify-podcasts.jpg

Last month, Spotify purchased Gimlet Media for $300 million, acquiring the company's big-name podcasts like "Homecoming" and "Reply All." Around the same time, Spotify also purchased Anchor, a company that is more behind-the-scenes of the podcast world and lets its users record and create their own shows that can easily be shared online.

Parcast will be added to that list, and Spotify will now have ownership of its specialization in crime and mystery-themed podcast content, genres that are hugely successful in the market. Parcast is home to a big list of popular genres and podcasts, covering topics like cults, serial killers, haunted places, unexplained mysteries, extraterrestrials, and more.

These purchased shows will also join new and original podcasts created by Spotify, all of which will be curated by the team that built Spotify's Discover Weekly playlist algorithm. Eventually, the music streaming company hopes to become the Netflix of podcasts, able to provide recommendations on what to watch and house both third-party and exclusive first-party content.

Spotify first began its efforts to enter the podcast field around two years ago, when it said it was "coming after" Apple with a strong push into podcasts. The last few years have been marked as a so-called golden age for podcasts, causing many companies to look into entering the field.

Apple and Spotify have been in another dispute this year as well, after Spotify filed a complaint against Apple with the European Commission. In the complaint, Spotify accused Apple of enforcing App Store rules that "purposely limit choice and stifle innovation at the expense of the user experience" and said that Apple acts "as both a player and referee to deliberately disadvantage other app developers."

Spotify CEO Daniel Ek particularly called out Apple's policy of charging a 30 percent "tax" on App Store purchases. This results in Spotify charging existing subscribers $12.99 per month for its Premium plan via the App Store just to collect nearly the $9.99 per month it charges normally. The spat continued with Apple claiming that Spotify provided "misleading rhetoric," and with Spotify stating that "every monopolist will suggest they have done nothing wrong."

For the podcast initiative, it's unclear when Spotify plans to launch the new part of its service.

Article Link: Spotify Continues Push Against Apple Podcasts With Third Podcast Acquisition
 
Apple added support for RSS-based audio distribution, Podcasts, in 2005. While Apple did not invent it per se, their support and proliferation of Podcasts revolutionized modern spoken-word storytelling and episodic audio content.

If it were done today, Apple would have called it :apple:Radio+ and charged $10/month.

Just a thought I had.
 
So on top of annoying adreads for crates and mattresses do podcasts on Spotify randomly cut to the same Home Depot commercial over and over?
 
After yesterday’s greedy event, I might cancel Apple Music subscription and go for Spotify. Also, it has wider selections here in EU.
 
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I certainly hope not and I don't even use Spotify. Limited consumer choice is not an ideal to strive for imo.
At the same time they are buying up podcasts to make them exclusive to their app whereas before they were limited to anything you can plug a RSS feed into.
No ads for me on Premium…
I’d certainly hope that’d be the case .
 
At the same time they are buying up podcasts to make them exclusive to their app whereas before they were limited to anything you can plug a RSS feed into.
I hope you can appreciate the worlds of difference between 1. acquiring content which although exclusive to their app, can still be listened to freely, albeit with ads and 2. hoping a company fails and gets bought out by your favorite company. One of those things is par for the course in business. The other is an irrational raving based on "I like this company more"
 
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Dumb thing to say. I’m all in with my Apple ecosystem minus Apple Music. I have Spotify Premium instead. So much better than Apple Music.
You can enjoy Apple Music but wishing Spotify away is childish.

I’m on board with both services and more existing. I just get annoyed about Spotify trying to complain they have to pay to use the App Store. It’s fine if you want to circumvent it, but don’t try and tell me it’s an unfair monopoly or something and wind up making the iPhone experience crappy.
 
I don't see anyone ever becoming "the netflix of podcasts"... podcasts are more akin to the content on YouTube or Facebook or some other social network. There's not higher quality levels where they have enormous special effects budgets and people feel like it's worth spending a lot on...

Audiobooks maybe...
 
Yea how dare Apple offer optional services to costumers

If Apple have released proper hardware instead of bending, overheating, failing products on both hardware and OS side, then yes, nobody would have criticized them that much.

Yesterday, I realized that Apple didn't manage to sell enough iPhones as they hoped and now they're attacking to milk customers not only on an annual basis but also monthly.
 
If Apple have released proper hardware instead of bending, overheating, failing products on both hardware and OS side, then yes, nobody would have criticized them that much.

Yesterday, I realized that Apple didn't manage to sell enough iPhones as they hoped and now they're attacking to milk customers not only on an annual basis but also monthly.
They are offering services and been filming the tv shows for almost 2 years. Nothing they presented yesterday was rushed or created out of some rash reaction to sales.
 
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Apple added support for RSS-based audio distribution, Podcasts, in 2005. While Apple did not invent it per se, their support and proliferation of Podcasts revolutionized modern spoken-word storytelling and episodic audio content.

If it were done today, Apple would have called it :apple:Radio+ and charged $10/month.

Just a thought I had.
You do realize apple has improved Apple Podcasts over the years ,right? If they planned to do what you are thinking ,they could have done it.
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After yesterday’s greedy event, I might cancel Apple Music subscription and go for Spotify. Also, it has wider selections here in EU.
Lol Greedy event. You guys are something. Every company needs to make money. If you don’t like a product,don’t get it.Its quite simple.
 
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Competition should help spur both Apple and Spotify to improve and make their respective podcasting services better.
 
Love Spotify but it’s funny that a European company is complaining about taxes that apple is imposing on them.
 
I'm a huge Spotify fan, but I really hope these acquisitions don't mean that they're going to force podcasts down our throats.

I use the Castro app to manage and listen to podcasts anyway. I just use Spotify for music on demand.
 
I'm a huge Spotify fan, but I really hope these acquisitions don't mean that they're going to force podcasts down our throats.
How would they do that?

By stopping all music and only publishing Podcasts?

I don't think we need to worry about that.
We still need to go and find the Podcasts… Music is what Spotify is all about.
:)
 
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