Spotify's experiment with open subscriptions

Spotify opens paid podcast subscription access

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    Analysis

    Spotify’s announcement about their open access feature conveniently includes many of the main competitors to Apple Podcasts paid subscriptions. Patreon may be included through their Acast integration, we’d guess; leaving Substack as the only major service not included.

    With this announcement, Spotify is supporting a variety of different ways to charge for your podcast, if you so wish - using services like Memberful, Supporting Cast or Acast+. Unlike Apple, each of these allow you to keep control over your membership list; none charge anywhere near the 30% fee that Apple does; and, unlike apple, all work on Android, the most popular mobile OS in every continent.

    Since the Apple Podcasts app also accepts private RSS feeds, all these services also work with Apple: the only drawback is that users need to subscribe on a website away from the Apple ecosystem.

    Spotify is showing that it’s entirely comfortable playing in the open world of RSS, and now an open world of paid subscriptions: however you want to sell them.

    Apple Podcasts, iOS-only, with a 100% lock-in model for subscriptions and a hefty commission, would seem to offer less earning potential for creators.

Companies mentioned above:
Acast logoAcastApple logoAppleApple Podcasts logoApple PodcastsBuzzsprout logoBuzzsproutDescript logoDescriptHeadliner logoHeadlinerLocked On logoLocked OnMagellan AI logoMagellan AIMegaphone logoMegaphonePodsights logoPodsightsSiriusXM logoSiriusXMSpotify logoSpotifySubstack logoSubstackSupercastWondery logoWondery

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