Spotify now lets podcasters sell memberships with bonus episodes and perks, so your favorite show may soon ask for a monthly fee.
Spotify is rolling out Memberships, a way for podcasters to charge fans for extra content right inside the app. The feature is live in 34 markets. Creators keep 90% of what Memberships bring in. If a show you love starts offering one, you will have a new choice to make about what is worth paying for.
Spotify has spent years adding ways for podcasters to earn money, from ads to video. Memberships is the first that lets listeners pay a show directly in the app. It works much like YouTube Memberships. YouTube shares 70% of its membership revenue with creators, though Spotify notes there is no direct comparison between the two.
A fan opens a show's page, spots the Membership option, signs up and pays. The exclusive content unlocks right away. Creators decide what sits behind the paywall, and they can offer several tiers at different prices. Options include:
Spotify also offers free trials and targeted promotions. Creators get analytics showing which listeners start paying. Member badges and welcome clips are coming later.
A show must be hosted on Megaphone or Spotify for Creators, which are Spotify's podcast hosting services. It also needs three published episodes, 100 people listening or watching, and 100 hours of total listening or viewing time. That bar is low enough for plenty of small shows. Podcasters who already run paid subscriptions elsewhere can bring those episodes to Spotify through Open Access.
The 90% share comes on top of what creators already earn from ads and the Spotify Partner Program. That program pays shows for video and ads, and in September Spotify said it is expanding to more than 35 new markets.
Listeners can wait and see which of their shows add a Membership, then decide what is worth a monthly fee. Free trials may make that easier to test. Podcasters should check whether their show meets the three requirements and where it is hosted. Spotify previewed Memberships at its May 21 Investor Day.
The material does not say which 34 markets are included, or what typical Membership prices will be. Those are set by creators, so expect them to vary from show to show.
Spotify podcasters can now charge for perks and keep 90%, so decide which shows deserve your money, and check if your own qualifies.
Netflix's top plan is now $26.99 a month, while its 2007 streaming only worked on a Windows PC with Internet Explorer. Here is what each plan gets you.
Read more: Netflix now costs up to $26.99 a month, and in 2007 it only ran on one kind of PCDeactivated Uber and Instacart workers are turning to ChatGPT to write appeals and build evidence. One driver says he got his account back in about a week.
Read more: Gig workers use ChatGPT to fight getting kicked off Uber and InstacartA viral ChatGPT prompt turns what the chatbot remembers about you into a room image. Posting it publicly could give scammers clues to target you.
Read more: Viral ChatGPT room image could hand scammers clues about you
