On top of its expanding partnership with Facebook, Spotify has announced new sharing features this morning that expand the way Spotify content can be shared, including both music and podcasts. As part of this, Spotify’s canvas feature is being improved by adding a looping, visual art experience to the song.
Spotify will now allow users to share a timestamped link to a podcast, allowing users to tune in to a specific moment in a podcast episode. Previously, if you wanted to share a podcast episode, you could only post the link to the entire episode. But a lot of times people want to comment or discuss specific parts of an episode.
Now, after tapping the “Share” button while listening to the show, they will be able to do so using the “Switch to Share” feature in the current playtime. This is the toggle switch that lets you share from the timestamp that stopped the show. Once you’ve removed it, you’ll be able to choose where you want to share – like Instagram, Facebook (story or feed), Snapchat, Twitter, WhatsApp, SMS and more.
In the meantime, Spotify’s canvas update is a small improvement. Users are now able to preview their social share to see how it will be displayed across Instagram Stories and now Snapchat. Before today, canvas art could only be shared on Instagram Stores. Spotify notes that due to the closure of private sharing concerts and fan events, social sharing features became a more important aspect of using its service during epidemics.
Artists and producers still want to engage with their fans but had to do so remotely and digitally. And fans want to support their favorites by posting their content on social networks where others can also discover them.
The feature can also be used for podcast marketing purposes. Usually, the producers post an interesting clip from their latest episode that includes a link to the episode. But the new feature of Spotify can tempt someone to tune in to a particular part, and then keep listening.
They may prefer to follow the podcast even after doing so, as they have already found themselves in the Spotify app. While it may not replace other marketing – not everyone uses Spotify, above all – it can serve as a complement to the manufacturer’s existing promotional activities.
The new shared features are part of Spotify’s larger investment in expanding social media distribution, which recently led to a partnership with Facebook on a social network called “Project Boombox”. In April, Facebook launched a new miniplayer that streamed Spotify music and podcasts from the Facebook app.
This way, users will hear while scrolling, playing Spotify in the background. However, Spotify’s agreement with Facebook does not limit the ease of sharing across other platforms, as well as hints at these new features.
