Spotify had said at the beginning of the year wanting to go into the territory of the paid podcast, and it is now done.
The streaming giant announced on Tuesday the launch of a new feature for podcast creators.
Via the Anchor publishing platform, owned by Spotify, they will be able to pay for access to some of their podcasts.
These will be listenable on Spotify, but also any audio application on the market.
Concretely, podcasters will only have to click on an option to switch their program to paywall.
Three monthly subscription rates will be offered: $ 2.99, $ 4.99 and $ 7.99.
Spotify Premium subscribers will not benefit from a rebate.
Read also: Under pressure, Apple Podcast converts to paid
Ad-free NPR podcasts
For this launch Spotify has joined forces with twelve production studios.
The most prestigious of these is the American public radio NPR.
As of May 4, she will publish five of her podcasts under paywall.
These programs can still be listened to free of charge, but with advertising breaks in return.
Other studios should choose to sell access to bonuses, leaving their usual productions for free listening.
The idea is to monetize their most loyal and engaged listeners, without penalizing others.
No commission until 2023
Spotify's announcement is similar to the one Apple Podcasts made last week, with a big difference.
Apple is forcing podcast studios to join a $ 20-per-year program, then takes 30% off subscription revenue.
Spotify, for its part, undertakes not to take any commission until 2023. It then expects a commission of only 5%.
Spotify's paid offers are for the US market only. But according to our information, discussions have already started with the French studios. Spotify says its solution will be rolled out to the rest of the world over the next few months.
