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Video Podcasts For Free (And For All)

Video Podcasts For Free (And For All)

Spotify now allows video in multiple English-speaking countries for all podcast creators.

Spotify

Spotify expanded access to video podcasting for creators today, making the capability generally available for anyone in the U.S., Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and the United Kingdom.

Spotify launched video podcasts in 2020, expanded access in October 2021 to vetted creators (full disclosure, my TechFirst podcast was granted early access as well). The company says that this has taught them that not only do podcasters like adding video to their audio podcasts, but “fans love having the opportunity to more deeply connect with the content.”

Video is available on Apple Podcasts as well, though it’s almost a hidden feature, but seems to be only an option in Apple’s Podcasts Connect dashboard after podcasters upgrade to a paid Apple Podcasters Program. The cost is fairly nominal — $20 in the U.S. — but could be prohibitive to beginning podcasters. The annual fee is primarily connected to Apple Podcast features such as premium episodes and paid podcast subscriptions.

Spotify is launching availability of podcast subscriptions for video podcasts as well today, “empowering creators to own their monetization model by creating exclusive content, gating video, and more.” Spotify platform-native features, like polls and questions and answers, will also work with videos, and creators will get video analytics as well as the ability to retroactively add video to older episodes.

“Spotify believes that there is a massive opportunity for creators in video podcasts, especially when combined with the forward-thinking features we’re already powering for audio,” the company said in a statement. “We are constantly empowering them to reach new global audiences, own how they monetize their content and interact with fans in new ways.”

Pure audio is still available, of course, which is useful for active listeners or those who need a lower-bandwidth solution.
Spotify enables the capability with its owned podcast distribution platform Anchor, and has partnered with cloud-based video and audio recording platform Riverside to offer a free start-up option for new creators.
There’s no word yet on expansion of these features beyond English-speaking countries, however. The delay is likely related to availability of content moderation and curation capabilities.
While Spotify is primarily combatting Apple Podcasts, Google’s YouTube should keep an eye out as well. Some large YouTube channels are primarily podcast-based, and Spotify’s moves might draw some of that audience out of YouTube and onto Spotify.

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Walmart+ Unveils New Spotify Promotion and Rolls Out Free Membership for Associates

Walmart+ Unveils New Spotify Promotion and Rolls Out Free Membership for Associates

Our purpose at Walmart is to save customers time and money. Nothing showcases that better than the tangible and practical benefits we offer through Walmart+: free grocery delivery from store, free shipping on Walmart.com with no order minimum, Scan & Go contactless checkout and member prices on prescriptions and fuel. I’m excited to share that we’re kicking Walmart+ up a notch by collaborating with one of the largest streaming platforms, Spotify, to offer a special promotion for Walmart+ members. Starting today, new and existing Walmart+ members will receive six months of Spotify Premium for free. That means our Walmart+ members who haven’t previously tried Spotify Premium can enjoy ad-free streaming of millions of songs and podcasts, unlimited skips, the ability to play any song anywhere and the ability to download music for listening offline and on-the-go.Our Walmart+ members have told us they’re passionate about their music and entertainment, so today’s announcement is just one more way that we’re adding value to our Walmart+ membership. This new offering supplements our popular everyday benefits and additional ones like early access to Black Friday deals, exclusive access to members-only Walmart.com events and our American Express collaboration.And there is even more good news – this time it’s around how we continue to recognize our associates. Our nearly 1.6 million associates across the U.S. have helped fuel excitement about Walmart+ and are crucial to its success. Whether they are picking out the freshest produce for a delivery order or ensuring a Walmart.com package arrives in two days or less, our associates continue to show up big time by providing a great customer and member experience every day.That’s why today, I’m excited to announce that all full- and part-time Walmart U.S. associates working in our stores, distribution centers and fulfillment centers are getting a free Walmart+ membership. This new associate benefit is not only our way to say thank you for all they do, but it’s also so associates can use our membership, tell us how it’s going and ultimately speak to customers about it from personal experience.We are incredibly proud of the Walmart+ membership offering we’ve built. But we are even more proud of the associates who make your shopping experience better every day.As we look into the future, Walmart+ will only continue to evolve. Stay tuned for new partnerships, new ways to save and an even more seamless in-store and online experience in the coming months, as we continue to find innovative ways to expand our Walmart+ offerings and reach even more customers.

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Spotify is offering 3-month free Premium plan, but there’s a catch

Spotify is offering 3-month free Premium plan, but there’s a catch

Spotify is giving three months of free access to the Premium plan if you buy its six-month plan. The new offer will be available till August 15. The service currently offers four plans and this offer is only valid on Spotify Premium Individual plan. If you buy the 6-month plan, then you will have to spend Rs 719 and you will then get nine months of subscription.
However, it should be noted that this offer is open only to those users who aren’t subscribed to a recurring Premium plan and who haven’t purchased a 12-month one-time Premium plan at a promotional price. In case you are unaware, Spotify’s Premium plan allows you to listen to your favourite music without ads and one even gets to download tracks.
The offer is visible on both the website and mobile app. Spotify Premium Individual plan includes 12-month, 3-month and 1-month plans as well, apart from just a 6-month plan. But, the offer is only available on the 6-month plan. The Premium plan also offers support for multiple devices and all the Spotify users start group listening sessions. One gets to download 10,000 songs.
Once you buy this plan, you will get a free additional three months for free and you will not be charged any amount until your three-month Premium plan subscription is over. After this, you will be charged a monthly fee for using the service if you plan to renew.
Besides, it was recently reported that Spotify witnessed a 20 percent jump in paid subscribers for Premium service. As per the company, there were 165 million Spotify subscribers by the end of last quarter.

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Best Music Streaming Services – Consumer Reports

Best Music Streaming Services – Consumer Reports

Price: SiriusXM is best known for its satellite radio service for cars, but it also has cheaper packages that let users listen through an app or a web browser.
The packages SiriusXM offers change so frequently that it isn’t worth keeping track of the specifics. For around $11 per month you can get a subscription that will let you listen on your phone, with access to hundreds of channels, including music, comedy, sports, talk radio, on-demand shows, and ad-free music with skippable tracks. Sometimes that price gets you access to the Howard Stern channels (his new content is a SiriusXM exclusive), but sometimes you need to pay more for that.
There’s also an extra charge if you want to stream directly to a car radio (though you could just get the app and use Bluetooth if you have good cell service). Last we checked, that cost a total of $18 per month.
There are free trials, discounted rates for the first year, and family plans. If you’re the kind of person who doesn’t mind bargaining, haggling with a customer service rep may be the way to get the best price—just make sure you don’t get roped in to a plan with hidden fees and shifting costs.
Who it’s best for: People who like terrestrial radio stations but want more options and a commercial-free experience with the option of skipping tracks. SiriusXM is also the only game in town for Howard Stern fans.
Pros: SiriusXM has a wide variety of offerings that will probably be a significant upgrade over your local radio stations. And if you have good cell service on your commute, plus an unlimited data plan, you could stream to your car stereo from your phone. You’ll get cheaper access to the same content offered in the company’s satellite radio packages.
As described above, SirusXM purchased Pandora, and the two services now share some features and content free of charge. See their help page for details.
Cons: You’ll probably have to call customer service to end your subscription, which was a convoluted, time-consuming process when we tried it. Choosing a package is also surprisingly complicated. When you factor in the satellite radio tiers, new users need to pick from numerous subscription choices with a confusing variety of offerings, optional add-ons, and hidden fees. The packages change constantly and details are hard to find, so you’ll never know for sure if you’re getting the best deal. The SiriusXM app and web interface can also be more difficult to navigate than those of most competitors.
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