Spotify opens up popular playlists to sponsorship
Spotify is seeking to monetise its offer by inviting marketers to sponsor its popular in-house playlists such as Monday Morning Commute, Cardio, Power Workout and Teen Party - each of which rack up millions of followers.
Until now brands were limited to creating their own curated playlists but the decision to open up Spotify’s own popular channels will allow for more tailored approaches whereby specific consumers can be targeted.
Brian Benedik, Spotify's VP global head of sales, believes such playlists now generate over one billion streams per week with the most popular, Today’s Top Hits, racking up 8.3m followers.
Benedik said: "Brands want to know how they can attach themselves natively to content without being interruptive... It's that holy grail of the right audience at the right moment. If you really want to reach a Spotify user and activate this coveted audience, do it in a way that's not interruptive but that is immersive."
Initially Spotify intends to open up 25 playlists to sponsorship in the US with further roll-outs expected thereafter.