Spotify Stations has left the station – TechCrunch

Spotify Stations, the streaming service’s light-weight listening app providing easy accessibility to curated playlists, is shutting down on Might 16. The corporate advised TechCrunch that the app and internet participant will now not be accessible after this date. The Stations app was initially designed for many who desire a extra radio-like expertise, reasonably than having to hunt out music or customise their very own playlists. Spotify Stations first launched in Australia in 2018 and later rolled out in the US in 2019.

“At Spotify, we routinely conduct various experiments to create higher listening experiences for our customers,” a spokesperson for Spotify mentioned in an announcement to TechCrunch. “A few of these checks find yourself paving the best way for our broader consumer expertise and others serve solely as an vital studying. Our Spotify Stations Beta was a kind of checks. We will probably be sunsetting the present function, however customers will be capable to simply switch their favourite stations and revel in an analogous radio expertise instantly throughout the Spotify app.”

Spotify hasn’t elaborated on the rationale behind its resolution to close down Stations, however notes that customers can transfer all of their favourite stations to the principle Spotify app to proceed listening to them. The corporate says that whereas it doesn’t take sunsetting companies evenly, Spotify Radio offers an analogous listening expertise to Stations so listeners can use that as an alternative. Spotify Radio is a function in the principle app that creates a playlist primarily based on any music, album, playlist or artist you choose.

Spotify Stations has been thought of an experiment by Spotify, and by some others, a Pandora copycat because of its help for immediate music playback at launch. Spotify Stations is interesting to those that want an easier consumer interface, as Spotify’s flagship app’s look-and-feel isn’t one thing that everybody likes. The app supplied a minimalist listening expertise that appears to have appealed to some customers.

As of Friday morning, the Stations app has disappeared from each the iOS App Retailer and the Google Play Retailer, however the app itself appears to be practical in the meanwhile to permit present customers to maneuver their stations to the principle app.

The information comes as Spotify has been making some adjustments to its apps. Final month, Spotify introduced it would combine the stay audio capabilities from its companion app, Spotify Greenroom, inside the principle Spotify streaming app. Greenroom will even rebrand as “Spotify Dwell” as a part of these adjustments. At launch, Spotify’s predominant app will solely function stay content material from choose unique programming, whereas the standalone Spotify Dwell app will proceed to permit unbiased creators to go stay.