Disappointment with Spotify’s ‘Listening Party’ feature

Three years post Spotify’s acquisition of the live audio startup Betty Labs, the features offered by the music streaming giant still aren’t living up to their potential, in what seems to be a missed opportunity. 

Originally known as Locker Room and developed by Betty Labs in 2020, the app focused on live sports talk and communal watch experiences. With Spotify’s takeover, it evolved into Greenroom, a variant aimed at a broader audience, encompassing not just sports enthusiasts but music and various other fandoms as well. Despite the possibility of connecting users in real-time discussions, Greenroom faced critical issues and was abandoned. 

After rebranding to Spotify Live and then being discontinued, the social audio project seemed doomed. Complaints about functionality, bugs, and a user limit of 1,000 surfaced. Nevertheless, Spotify hasn’t completely stepped back from interactive audio features. At the end of 2023, the ‘Listening Party’ was introduced for superfans to engage with artists in an immersive listening session, though it too has been met with mixed feedback and limited user interaction.

Some artists like Zara Larsson and MGMT have tested the feature, as well as Billie Eilish, who recently hosted a Listening Party event. With attendance figures reaching 2,500, the initiative showed promise, yet the execution—mainly playback with minimal live interactivity—left users wanting more.

Moderate success and criticism have echoed from fan reactions, notably missing the chance to interact verbally with artists. The Listening Party’s lukewarm reception parallels encounters experienced by users during other similar events, leading to reactions that the session could have been more engaging.

The exclusive nature of Listening Party invitations, reserved for highly engaged listeners, also narrows the potential pool of participant fans. While the platform endeavours to refine its offering, there’s a clear consensus that Spotify’s journey into live audio content remains a work in progress, with the feature only currently available in the U.S. and Indonesia.

What is Spotify’s ‘Listening Party’ feature?

It’s a feature that allows users to join live, invite-only listening events with artists. Participants can hear new music, chat with the artist, and potentially speak to them during the event.

How do I get invited to a Spotify Listening Party?

Invitations are sent to ‘highly engaging’ listeners based on Spotify data. This generally means you need to be an active user who frequently listens to the artist hosting the party.

Can anyone request to speak to the artist during a Listening Party?

The feature includes an “Onstage” capability where fans can request to be a speaker; however, it appears this functionality isn’t always utilized.

Why have there been complaints about Spotify’s ‘Listening Party’?

Users have reported issues with limited live interaction, such as not being able to talk to the artist during the party, and technical problems.

Is ‘Listening Party’ available to all Spotify users?

Currently, ‘Listening Party’ is only available in the U.S. and Indonesia as it’s still in the early testing stages.

Spotify continues to experiment with offering live audio features, as demonstrated by the ‘Listening Party’ tool. Despite the potential for deep fan-to-artist connections, the actual user experience has so far fallen short of what could be a fully engaging experience. While there’s room for growth, it’s evident that Spotify must address user feedback and technical challenges if they hope to make a significant impact in the live social audio market. As the feature is in its infancy and limited to select regions, there’s still time for Spotify to turn the tide and capitalize on the latent potential of live audio engagement.