Spotify launches Greenroom, a Clubhouse Competitor
Earlier this year, Spotify declared it was procuring Betty Labs, the creators of the sports-focused audio app- Locker Room to gain entry into the live audio market. Now, they finally launched Spotify Greenroom, a new mobile app that allows users of Spotify around the world such that people can join, host live audio rooms, and also can turn the discussions into podcasts. It’s also announcing a Creator Fund which is a way to get rewarded for the content you create and the community you build on Greenroom.
This app is totally based on Locker Room’s existing code. According to Spotify, existing Locker room users will get an update to gain the redesigned Greenroom. While Locker Room used a white-and-reddish orange colour scheme, this app looks very much like an offspring from Spotify, adopting the same UI. To join the new app, Spotify users can sign in through their existing account. As of now the process of finding audios to listen to relies on users joining groups inside the app. You can browse for groups on any topic, interests and can join the desired rooms.
The app includes all the features from Clubhouse, Twitter (Spaces) and Facebook (Live Audio Rooms). Speakers appear at the top of the screen in round icons and listeners appear below as smaller icons. It has mute options, moderation controls, optional live text chat feature. Rooms can host up to 1,000 people, and this value may increase later on. You can also applaud speakers of the room by double-tapping on their profile icon and giving them “Gems”. For now, no monetary value is incorporated with the gems, but that appears to be an evident next step as Greenroom offers no form of monetization. Along with that, Hosts can request the audio file of their live audio session after completion, which they can then turn into a podcast episode.
One of the most important features is that the audio sessions are being recorded by the company itself because of moderation goals. Like if a certain user reports something wrong in the audio room, Spotify now has the ability to check into the matter and decide what next steps can be taken to avoid the issue. This was one of the biggest flaws in Clubhouse as many users struggled with abuse in the app that included sensitive issues like racism and sexism. Some months ago Clubhouse had to shut down a number of rooms due to antisemitism and hate speech. Moreover, the moderation of Greenroom will be supervised by Spotify’s existing content moderation team.
The company says it will be marketing the app to artists through their Spotify for Artists channels and hoping to get more people from music-focused content. Monetization is confirmed by the company which is still impending. They declined to share light on details about the Creator Fund that intends to help creators generate revenue for their work such as the amount of fund, how creators will receive them, whether through gems or some other manner, eligibility criteria and other factors. Rather, It is only offering a sign-up form for those who might be interested in this feature in the future.
Spotify Greenroom is live today on both iOS and Android in 135 countries around the world which is not quite the global operative area of Spotify itself, as it is available in 178 countries. It’s also only available in the English language now but has plans on expanding with time.
