Recently, the short-video format has gained a lot of interest. Taking advantage of the trend, Instagram, YouTube Shorts, Moj, and others have adapted the vertical short-video scrolling idea popularized by TikTok. Spotify appears to be the most recent to go on board. The music-streaming service is reported to be testing a new Discover feed, which will allow users discover new songs via a TikTok-style scrollable video feed.
Chris Messina was the first to uncover the function, and he shared a video showing it in action. The video stream is accessible through a new fourth tab in the navigation bar called “Discover” when it is available. As you go through the stream, you may like individual tunes, and there’s also a three-dot menu symbol that brings up choices for each song.
Users will be able to find music by swiping up and down on Spotify’s newly discovered video stream. They may also like a video by tapping the heart icon, or navigate to the three-dotted menu to see the song’s information card. Messina further claims that the part would be inspired by Spotify’s Canvas format. These new features, along with playlist push, are expected to increase the popularity and reputation of the artist.
Not only that, @Spotify Discover is basically a pared down version of a TikTok-style feed of vertical music videos (likely using their canvas format) that you can like or skip.#NewSpotify pic.twitter.com/hpOEZ8v9bl
— Messina.eth (@chrismessina) November 24, 2021
The testing has been verified by Spotify, according to TechCrunch. However, if you assume the feature will be available shortly, this may not be the case. A Spotify spokesperson states, “At Spotify, we routinely conduct a number of tests in an effort to improve our user experience. Some of those tests end up paving the way for our broader user experience and others serve only as an important learning. We don’t have any further news to share at this time.“
Spotify would join the “copy TikTok” club, which already includes Instagram Reels, Snapchat Spotlight, Moj, YouTube, and even Pinterest. Given the growing popularity of short video formats among viewers, it seems only natural to embrace them rather than fall behind the competition. Even Netflix just launched Fast Laughs as a way for users to discover new material and, most likely, begin watching it.
Netflix is also experimenting with a similar design on its iOS app to help customers find new things to watch. Its new “Kids Clips” section, which follows the debut of a similar “Fast Laughs” stream earlier this year, offers video from its kid-friendly programming. Even non-social media platforms are increasingly interested in leveraging TikTok’s structure to assist users connect with their own services as TikTok’s engagement hours rise.
Spotify realizes that technology innovations are required to expand its consumer base and enhance the user experience. Within a year, they had also implemented a snapchat-style story feature; who knows how long it will take them to adopt this reels-styled feature.
