Spotify in the UK is introducing a new experiment for its users, adding a fourth category of content alongside music, podcasts, and audiobooks: online courses.
This trial, available only in the UK for now, features video-based lessons from BBC Maestro, Skillshare, Thinkific, and PlayVirtuoso accessible through Spotify’s mobile and desktop apps.
While some may find online courses an unexpected addition to Spotify’s audio-focused platform, product director Mohit Jitani explains that there’s already interest in educational content through podcasts. About half of Spotify’s Premium subscribers engage with education or self-help podcasts, prompting the company to explore offering more learning opportunities.
The courses cover four categories: make music, get creative, learn business, and healthy living. Users can access them via a new icon on the home screen of Spotify’s mobile apps, as well as through search and browse interfaces.
Spotify’s aim is not only to help course providers reach a wider audience but also to target potential customers based on their listening habits.
In this experiment, users can access at least two video lessons per course for free, with the option to purchase the full course. However, due to Apple and Google’s transaction fees, purchasing access to courses must be done outside the app on iOS and via email on Android.
While the future of this feature remains uncertain, it raises questions about how learning might fit into Spotify’s rumored “Supremium” subscription tier, which could offer additional features like lossless streaming and extended audiobook listening. Incorporating online courses could potentially be another incentive for users to upgrade their subscriptions in the future.
