Spotify faces backlash over public podcast play counts

Friday, May 16, 2025, 1:21 pm

Spotify’s decision to make podcast play counts public has ignited a storm of criticism from creators, who claim the move disproportionately benefits established shows while sidelining smaller voices. The streaming giant’s apology and defensive stance reveal the growing tension between platform transparency and creator equity in today’s podcast ecosystem.

theverge.com / Spotify is sorry that it revealed how many people listen to your podcast

Spotify announced earlier this month that podcast creators and listeners would get a new data point: how many plays an episode has gotten. The idea, according to Spotify, was that listeners could discover new shows they hadn’t heard of, enticed by this new public measure of fandom. Podcasters did…

techcrunch.com / Spotify responds to creator backlash at public podcast play counts

Spotify announced last week that it would roll out public play counts on all podcasts as a way of “helping attract new fans.” But podcasters swiftly responded with criticism of the new feature — mainly, that it would further promote podcasts that already have large audiences while making smaller…

permalink / 2 stories from sources in 11 hours ago #streaming #business #privacy #music

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Spotify faces backlash over public podcast play counts

More Top Stories...

OpenAI Backs Massive Abu Dhabi Data Center Project with Partners

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