Spotify is allowing select artists to promote existing third-party NFTs on their profiles as part of a new test, Billboard has confirmed.
“Spotify is running a test in which it will help a small group of artists promote their existing third-party NFT offerings via their artist profiles,” says a Spotify spokesperson. “We routinely conduct a number of tests in an effort to improve artist and fan experiences. Some of those tests end up paving the way for a broader experience and others serve only as an important learning.”
The test, which allows Spotify users to preview NFTs via artists’ profile pages, is currently available only to select users on Android in the U.S., and notably, they won’t be able to buy NFTs directly in the Spotify app. Instead, users who want to learn more or purchase an NFT will be linked out to an external marketplace.
Artists taking part in the NFT test include Steve Aoki and The Wombats. Spotify is not applying any fees during the testing period.
Spotify notes that it’s conducting the test as a response to requests from industry partners and is a part of its efforts to deepen relationships between artists and fans through the platform, as high-profile artists and major music companies continue to make investments in the NFT space.
According to several users on forums including Twitter and Reddit, Spotify has also been conducting a survey on NFTs via the platform over the last several days. The company did not respond to Billboard’s request for confirmation on the survey or whether it’s connected to the NFT test.
The NFT test is Spotify’s latest effort to help artists on the platform promote ventures outside of recorded music. In 2015, the company partnered with Songkick to integrate location-based live event listings on artist pages and subsequently signed deals with other ticketing companies, including Ticketmaster, Resident Advisor, Eventbrite, AXS, See Tickets and eplus. The following year, Spotify partnered with Merchbar to allow the display of artist merch on the platform; and in 2021, it partnered with e-commerce giant Shopify to allow artists to sell merch directly through the streaming service.
