• by Colin Kirkland , February 12, 2024

Spotify has announced an expanded partnership with video and podcast recording platform Riverside, which will allow podcasters to record and edit their shows directly within Spotify for Podcasters.

However, the audio discovery platform is planning to remove several beloved podcast-creation tools and podcasters aren not happy.

Spotify originally partnered with Riverside in 2022. Now the company is expanding the relationship to include the ability for podcasters to “bring in guests for remote interviews, make precise transcript-based edits to the recording, and use [Riverside's] comprehensive suite of AI tools to further clean up and enhance your content,” Spotify wrote in a blog post.

Podcasters will now be able to do this without leaving the Spotify for Podcasters browser window by selecting a new “Create with Riverside” button. From there, podcasters can record and publish episodes, then edit by adding captions, removing background noise and saving the episode directly to Spotify for Podcasters. Before going live, podcasters can add an episode description and monetization options as well.

Per the expanded partnership with Riverside, Spotify is sunsetting its web and mobile native creation tools in June, stating that the company is “refocusing” its attention and resources from “legacy tooling” to “the next generation of podcast innovations.”

The most notable removals involve Spotify's mobile editing capability and its “Music + Talk” format, an experimental feature that allows podcasters to include full-length licensed music tracks in their podcast episodes.

The “Music + Talk” feature, which has been available since 2020, aligned with Spotify’s primary reputation as a music-discovery app where plenty of music-centric podcasts thrive. However, the company has said the feature doesn't make a worthwhile impact outside of the music podcasting niche.

“Music + Talk was a format we had high hopes for, but after 3 years of investment, it has not gained meaningful traction with listeners, and remains non-monetizable for creators,” a spokesperson said in a statement to Hot Pod. “We believe we’ll make the most impact for creators by continuing to focus on tangible ways they can find and grow an audience and build a sustainable living. While we are always exploring unique formats and solutions for podcasters, we have nothing to share at this time.”

Podcasters have not reacted well to the news, filling the comments section on Spotify's latest YouTube promo video with complaints.

“Such a horrible move,” wrote @MinaSoto. “My show and many others are now going to need to pivot and figure a way to relay episodes without music…you've totally squashed the uniqueness of what you offered for creatives. My podcast is no longer exclusive to Spotify.”

Other podcasters said that the end of mobile editing is “a devastating blow” and “a big mess,” adding that the update has “killed” their podcasts and many like it.