It already feels like Spotify controls every aspect of the music industry, but the streaming service is still looking for ways to tighten its grip. Per Music Ally, Spotify is now testing a feature that sells concert tickets directly to fans.
Spotify already has a Live Events tab on its mobile app that links users to external ticketing companies, and its “Fans First” initiative tips users off to tours by the artists they listen to most. But the new website, which is only in a test run, sells tickets under the Spotify name — with the company getting a cut of the booking fee.
Spotify’s ticketing website is currently only available in the US and is offering tickets to Annie DiRusso, Tokimonsta, Osees, Dirty Honey, Limbeck, Crows and Four Years Strong. The available tickets come from the artists’ pre-sale allocations, venues, and event promoters, and it’s worth noting that users can’t resell their tickets in the test website, which may be Spotify’s way of preventing ticket scalping.
Selling concert tickets directly could be a huge development for Spotify, but a spokesperson stressed that the company is still testing out the prospect. “At Spotify, we routinely test new products and ideas to improve our user experience. Some of those end up paving the path for our broader user experience and others serve only as important learnings,” the spokesperson told Music Ally. “Tickets.spotify.com is our latest test. We have no further news to share on future plans at this time.”
Spotify already has a partnership established with companies like Ticketmaster, AXS, Dice, Eventbrite and See Tickets, which it links to in its Live Events tab. But getting in on the concert ticketing industry has proven to be a lucrative idea: Months after partnering with Snapchat, Ticketmaster announced that fans will be able to buy concert tickets directly through TikTok.