Spotify Is Developing a 'Virtual Events' Feature (techcrunch.com) 14
An upcoming feature in development at Spotify aims to help artists who have been struggling to make ends meet after the coronavirus pandemic restricted their ability to perform live performances and concerts. The new feature will connect artists with their fans through ticketed live "virtual events." TechCrunch reports: The feature was first discovered by reverse engineer Jane Manchun Wong and isn't yet available in the public-facing version of the Spotify app. Wong's photos of the feature show the Spotify profile page for the artist BTS, where a new "Upcoming Virtual Events" section now appears. After tapping on the event, fans are informed that BTS will appear at a virtual concert on September 19. The event here is the 2020 iHeartRadio Music Festival, where BTS is scheduled to perform. In the example photos, Songkick is listed as the ticketing partner for this event.
A shift to include virtual event listings instead of live concerts wouldn't be difficult for Spotify to implement. The company already works with ticketing partners including Ticketmaster, Songkick, Resident Advisor, Eventbrite, AXS and eplus in Japan. These ticketing sites have embraced virtual events amid the pandemic as way to keep their businesses afloat while in-person events were delayed and shut down over health concerns -- or even became illegal under government lockdowns. [...] What's less clear is whether Spotify considers the addition of virtual events a temporary measure to help artists manage their income before things return to normal, or if it believes there's room to grow in the virtual events market in the long-term.
A shift to include virtual event listings instead of live concerts wouldn't be difficult for Spotify to implement. The company already works with ticketing partners including Ticketmaster, Songkick, Resident Advisor, Eventbrite, AXS and eplus in Japan. These ticketing sites have embraced virtual events amid the pandemic as way to keep their businesses afloat while in-person events were delayed and shut down over health concerns -- or even became illegal under government lockdowns. [...] What's less clear is whether Spotify considers the addition of virtual events a temporary measure to help artists manage their income before things return to normal, or if it believes there's room to grow in the virtual events market in the long-term.
