The cat’s out of the bag: ByteDance, the Chinese company that bought Musical.ly and turned it into popular social media app TikTok, will be welcoming a new member to its media family. Resso, a music streaming app that may some day soon rival Spotify’s success has, in fact, already been released in India and Indonesia.
Resso differs from popular music streaming services by focusing more on social aspects- such as commenting, and sharing, bite-size videos.
Recognizing the undeniable influence of TikTok on the music industry (*cough* Old Town Road *cough*), some have begun to wonder if Spotify will be able to compete with such social media wizardry. Spotify loyalists may sleep easy knowing the company is facing this potential threat head on. The widely beloved streaming service might be slashing artist compensation to remain financially viable, but they’ve also been making some grown-up moves.
What do you get when you combine investments, commutes, and news podcasts? While “a dad” might seem like the most obvious response, the answer we were looking for is “Your Daily Drive.”
Spotify has been investing big time in podcasts. Don’t believe us? Look at anyone’s 2019 Spotify Wrapped, and you’ll notice podcasts being highlighted regardless of how frequently they were played. In another effort to promote podcasts, Spotify has launched a new feature that mixes music and news to “brighten your commute.”
The good old days of cassette car radio adapters are long gone my friends. While investing in podcasts is nothing new for Spotify, the more recent push to popularize them might be Spotify’s way of staying relevant now that new competition has appeared on the scene.
While Resso’s social features promote virility, Spotify’s reaction promotes thoughtful discourse in a turbulent political climate. TikTok’s seemingly positive atmosphere comes hand-in-hand with some shady practices. From censoring political content to collecting mass amounts of data on America’s youth, ByteDance has been associated with all types of problematic behavior. By distancing themselves from this style of media rather than racing to implement popular features, Spotify might have found a long-term solution to a short-term problem.
Do you think Spotify is acting like a grown up? Let us know in our comments section on Facebook, and Twitter!
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