Spotify introduced paid podcast memberships on Tuesday, giving creators a new way to earn money from their most dedicated listeners that goes beyond charging for bonus episodes. Podcasters can choose the perks they attach to a membership, such as extra audio or video, reduced advertising, early access to episodes, or a mix of those options. The feature is now available in 34 markets around the world, including the United States.
The company first showed the concept at its Investor Day in May, where it also unveiled AI tools that let listeners ask questions about the content they are hearing or watching and introduced new resources for handling creator sponsorships. Spotify said at the time that memberships would give fans a clear route to engage more deeply with shows, opening up exclusive experiences while creating additional revenue for creators.
Creators receive 90 percent of membership revenue and can bundle perks into multiple tiers at different price points. To be eligible, podcasters must host their shows on Spotify for Creators or Megaphone and meet minimum thresholds of 100 consumption hours, 100 listeners or viewers, and at least three published episodes.
A small group of shows is offering memberships from launch, including The Adam Friedland Show, Making Sense with Sam Harris, Shawn Ryan Show, The Sculpt Society and Two Hot Takes. YMH Studios is rolling out memberships across 12 shows in its network.
The launch marks Spotify's latest move to draw podcast creators to its platform as it pushes further into video and competes with YouTube. Podcasters have long been able to make money through advertising, and Spotify is positioning memberships as a way to give fans a reason to support shows beyond the occasional bonus episode.
Memberships sit alongside Spotify's other monetization offerings, including advertising and the Spotify Partner Program, as well as audience-building features such as promotions, free trials and analytics. Spotify said creators will soon be able to offer membership badges and welcome clips to fans as well.
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