Spotify is working on a new design for its home tab that will create separate feeds for your music and your podcasts. The company says this is part of an effort to give you more and better recommendations, but it also addresses a common criticism of the Spotify experience: with every kind of audio mixed together in the app, it can sometimes be hard to understand.
The new Home Feed, rolling out now to Android users and coming to iOS “in the near future,” doesn’t really look that different at first glance. But there are two new buttons at the top of the screen: one for music and one for podcasts and shows. Tapping on one of them will take you to individual feeds. Music will show you suggestions based on what you’ve been listening to, while Podcasts & Shows will show you the latest episodes of your favorite shows plus recommendations for new ones. They’re not so much new home screens as new filters for your home screen. (I’d prefer it to just be separate tabs, but I’ll take what I can get.)
The change seems particularly useful for podcast listeners, as it turns Spotify into something much closer to an actual podcast app. Until now, it’s been weirdly difficult to just open Spotify and find a podcast to listen to; Spotify mostly chose to mix podcasts and music, redirecting your podcast feed to a playlist called “New Episodes.” The company seems to be endlessly revamping its Library page, but the home screen has remained pretty much the same for years.
That’s a win for listeners, but also an indication of how important podcasts are to Spotify
Podcasts are now much more front and center, which is a win for listeners, but also an indication of how important podcasts are to Spotify. As the company desperately seeks ways to monetize audio, it has invested heavily to become the biggest podcasting player in the market. It’s also making a big push into video, which is also considered the kind of feature that needs a dedicated place in the app. (And let’s not even get into audiobooks, which are a completely different kind of audio product and will be even harder to integrate into Spotify.)
Part of Spotify’s whole plan to dominate audio is to bring everything from music to books to podcasts to live audio all in one place. It’s a tough UI issue, and the company doesn’t always get it right. In this case, it seems that giving things their own space is the right solution. And it gives Spotify lots and lots of new ways to try to get you to listen to Joe Rogan and the rest of his bands.
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