The two saw this as an opportunity to expand their services and dominate pop culture with exclusive events.įor Apple, there’s also a symbolic must to win – given that the “podcast” genre owes its name to the iPod, and the company doesn’t want to lose influence in the format it inspires.Ĭiting Variety, at this time, Spotify does not allow customers to pay its subscription fees through Apple’s in-app purchases – and Spotify has been a very vocal critic of Apple’s App Store policies, including filing a formal complaint with the European Union alleging “anti-competitive” behavior.

While the timing may not be intentional, the plans that Spotify reports show how fierce competition is from Apple on podcasts. Apple and Spotify can quickly corner the market through strong leverage, however, provided there’s enough interest in paying for podcast content. On the other hand, Patreon, Pocket Casts, Stitcher, and Amazon Wondery have offered paid podcasts before. Spotify has not confirmed the plans, but head of content and advertising business Dawn Ostroff said there is “room for everyone” in the audio room.

Most platforms including YouTube, Twitch, Facebook and Patreon, also cut subscription fees and / or payments from fans or listeners. In contrast, Apple will retain up to 30 percent of the cost of podcast subscriptions under its program, which launches next month.

Spotify plans podcast