Spotify is enabling podcast creators to earn more money through the platform by providing their fans with a way to pay to access exclusive content. First announced in May, the new Memberships subscription feature is starting to roll out in 34 regions today, allowing podcasters to offer perks including additional content, early access, bonus episodes, and reduced ads behind a paywall.
Users can find Memberships on a podcast’s Spotify page, with the ability to subscribe, pay, and access the exclusive benefits “in just a few taps,” according to Spotify. Podcast creators can set their pricing options and bundle benefits across multiple subscription tiers, and keep 90 percent of membership revenue. Spotify is providing podcasters with tools to analyze and build their Memberships audience, including targeted promotions and free trial offers, alongside community engagement features like member badges, welcome clips, and more.
That makes this more like a Patreon-style membership system in which fans can choose to give additional support to their favorite creators, and is distinct from the podcast subscription feature that Spotify introduced in 2021. Podcasters can utilize Memberships alongside other Spotify revenue streams, including ads and the Spotify Partner Program.
To qualify for Memberships, shows must be hosted on Spotify for Creators or Megaphone, and have at least 100 consumption hours, 100 listeners or viewers, and three published episodes. Spotify is also making it easy for podcasters who manage their subscriptions on other services to try Memberships, allowing them to bring their paywalled content to Spotify via its Open Access feature.