Spotify enters live streaming with Driift partnership

Spotify is calling the new feature “virtual concert experiences” and says the shows will enable fans to connect with and support their favourite artists while immersing themselves in a performance-style experience they crave.

The ticketed events will cost $15 per set and run from 40 to 75 minutes each. Spotify will send out targeted notifications to fans based on their listening habits, inviting them to buy tickets to the shows.

The events will be broadcast on the Spotify Live website via web browser only, and interested viewers will need a Spotify account to tune in. The service will kick off with five pre-recorded live streams starting with The Black Keys on 27 May. Other performers will include Rag’n’Bone Man, Bleachers’ Jack Antonoff, Leon Bridges and girl in red.

“Our ultimate goal, as always, is to help artists and fans connect to one another and share their art. These five shows strengthen that commitment and create a unique performance opportunity that creators and listeners are sure to love,” Spotify said.

The Black Keys said: “We have always been a band that loves to play live in venues of all shapes and sizes. The past year has been tough for musicians and fans alike, so we wanted to find a way to share this live performance of songs from our new project, Delta Kream, from a place we love, the Blue Front Café, the oldest active juke joint in America. We’re excited to be a part of this new initiative with Spotify that will give fans a great way to connect with their favourite artists.”

The move makes Spotify the latest major digital music company to venture into live streaming, following Tencent Music and Apple Music, among others.

Meanwhile, new virtual events platform Flymachine was unveiled this week. The platform lets fans “enjoy a view akin to a front-row seat and can move between various rooms and spaces for chance encounters and shared moments with both new and familiar faces”. That includes a built-in video chat and interactive features controlled by the artists who are performing.