Spotify Newsletter #109

Your Weekly Dose of Spotify News

May 13

Hello and welcome to the latest edition of the Spotify Newsletter.

To put a bow on last week’s bummer news about Spotify killing off Stations …. I did transfer all my playlists from Stations to the main Spotify app. It’s all there in a folder. It’s not at all the same as what Stations delivered but at least they did give users the option to shift playlists to a safe place.

Still… Stations was part of my daily music streaming diet. When taking a walk I always scrolled up and down across my playlists, then letting the algorithms do their part in my listening pleasure.

Stations just worked. It was simple and cool and functioned as an ideal companion for streaming music. I pull up the Style Council playlist and bingo…. we’re in business. I can still do all the playlists and discovery and streaming fun in the normal app, but Stations wrapped the design and functionality and music all in a neat bow, making it a vital part of the digital music experience.

Anyway…. there was news this week, as you’ll see below, but nothing that really moved the needle — unless something crazy happens after we wrap this beauty up and send. That’s OK - not every week has to be an earth-shaker coming out of Spotify headquarters.

Before we bid adieu to the week and welcome the weekend I did want to say thanks for reading and supporting the weekly newsletter. It is much appreciated.

Onward and upward … 😀

★In the SPOTlight★

🔥 Daniel Ek bought $50m in Spotify stock

Ek’s personal acquisition of Spotify’s stock is reminiscent of Michael Rapino, CEO/President of Live Nation, stepping up to buy $1 million-worth of shares in his company in March 2020.

🔥 Kevin Weatherly Returns to KROQ After Two Years at Spotify

In what has become the soap opera of the radio industry, Kevin Weatherly, the former program director at Los Angeles’ KROQ, who helped build the station to become a leading arbiter of alternative rock music nationally, is returning to the frequency as senior vice president of programming.