SpaceX Prioritizes Moon Mission Before Mars as Starship Development Accelerates 
Toyota’s Surprise CEO Change Signals Strategic Shift Amid Global Auto Turmoil 
Amazon Stock Rebounds After Earnings as $200B Capex Plan Sparks AI Spending Debate 
Japanese Pharmaceutical Stocks Slide as TrumpRx.gov Launch Sparks Market Concerns 
Ford and Geely Explore Strategic Manufacturing Partnership in Europe 
Once Upon a Farm Raises Nearly $198 Million in IPO, Valued at Over $724 Million 
Trump Signs Executive Order Threatening 25% Tariffs on Countries Trading With Iran 
Gold and Silver Prices Slide as Dollar Strength and Easing Tensions Weigh on Metals 
Baidu Approves $5 Billion Share Buyback and Plans First-Ever Dividend in 2026 
Sony Q3 Profit Jumps on Gaming and Image Sensors, Full-Year Outlook Raised 
RBI Holds Repo Rate at 5.25% as India’s Growth Outlook Strengthens After U.S. Trade Deal 
Fed Governor Lisa Cook Warns Inflation Risks Remain as Rates Stay Steady 
FDA Targets Hims & Hers Over $49 Weight-Loss Pill, Raising Legal and Safety Concerns 
Australia’s December Trade Surplus Expands but Falls Short of Expectations 
Silver Prices Plunge in Asian Trade as Dollar Strength Triggers Fresh Precious Metals Sell-Off 
Trump Endorses Japan’s Sanae Takaichi Ahead of Crucial Election Amid Market and China Tensions 
U.S. Stock Futures Edge Higher as Tech Rout Deepens on AI Concerns and Earnings 
Spotify has pulled the plug on its Spotify Live live-audio platform. The Swedish audio streaming and digital media services provider said it is discontinuing its standalone app but vowed to keep promoting live interactions between the artists and their fans.
Spotify’s decision to shut down its live audio app was confirmed by its spokesperson to TechCrunch this week. The representative also said that the company would continue with live features on its central platform.
“After a period of experimentation and learnings around how Spotify users interact with live audio, we have made the decision to sunset the Spotify Live app,” the company’s spokesman told the publication through an email. “We believe there is a future for live fan-creator interactions in the Spotify ecosystem however, based on our learnings, it no longer makes sense as a standalone app.”
He added, “We have seen promising results in the artist-focused use case of ‘listening parties,’ which we will continue to explore moving forward to facilitate live interactions between artists and fans.”
It was only in April 2022 that the audio and media streaming provider added the live audio feature from its Spotify Greenroom, which is Spotify’s companion app. When it was integrated into the main streaming app, the Greenroom was renamed Spotify Live.
The feature allowed creators to interact with their audience in real-time, so Spotify Live also served as a stage for hosts to hold a live listening show. Spotify acquired the app that was later made into the “Greenroom” in 2021 after it bought Betty Labs for $62 million. Betty Labs created the Greenroom, which was originally called the Locker Room, which offers live audio of sports content.
Meanwhile, Billboard reported that prior to Spotify Live’s shutdown, the company introduced a number of new features last month. Its chief executive officer, Daniel Ek, said that these updates are the biggest transformation that the platform has ever had in a decade.
Photo by: Alexander Shatov/Unsplash
