Photo: felipepelaquim
By: Nick Gambino
In a move that was expected, the Spotify companion app Greenroom has just been rebranded as Spotify Live. If you remember, Greenroom was launched specifically to compete against other live hangout platforms like Clubhouse and Twitter Spaces. It kind of struggled out the gate while those others carved out a sizable user base.
The newly branded Spotify Live app will exist as its own app and not as merely a tab in Spotify. Though they are maintaining it as a standalone app, the company will be integrating the live audio program format into Spotify’s main app.
While at first glance it seems like the top audio streaming platform is just creating a redundancy, there’s actually a difference in what you’ll get on each platform. Spotify will only include select live audio programs (read: popular) while Spotify Live will allow even independent creators to live stream their shows.
“Listeners will be able to tune in to live programming on Spotify via the creator’s podcast or artist page, and if they want to participate in the chat or join the host onstage, they can head to the Spotify Live app to do so,” a Spotify blog post announcing the change says.
In order to access any live event programming on the Spotify app, simply navigate to the artist or creator’s page. There you’ll find access to the live show, only available at the time it broadcasts.
Now if you want more immersive access to the event, like chat features or the ability to join the creator on stage, you’ll need to fire up the Spotify Live app. Think of the main app’s live functionality as more of an appetizer to get you interested in the main course (Spotify Live). By creating this horizontal integration, you feed users between the platforms.
As part of the launch of Spotify Live, they’ve selected a few choice live events to kick things off. These include Off the Record with DJ Akademiks, King of the Court with Hasan Minhaj, and After Hours with Alex Cooper.
The new Spotify Live rebranding and live features in the main app started rolling out on Tuesday.
