Spotify is hoping it can lend a hand in securing concert tickets for artists’ biggest fans, as the streaming service unveiled “Reserved” on Thursday during its Investor Day, an apparently new feature that sets aside tickets for premium subscribers so they have a better chance of purchasing them.
“Getting concert tickets today may feel like a race you’re willing to lose,” Spotify wrote in a post on Thursday. “You show up at the right time, you’re endlessly refreshed, and you still miss out. Too often, the experience is stressful, unpredictable, and disconnected from what matters most: whether real fans will actually get tickets. We believe there’s a better way.”
Spotify said that starting in the US this summer, select artists will be able to use Reserved to allocate tickets to fans on the platform. The platform partnered with Live Nation on the program as part of a multi-year agreement. The platform will use broadcasts, shares and other types of activities to “recognize the artist’s most devoted fans and get them two tour tickets.”
Fans selected through Reserved will receive up to two tickets, and will have a full-day window to purchase tickets if selected. Spotify didn’t provide any details about which artists will be working with the streaming service for the new feature, or how many tickets artists will be allotted with Reserved, though the service acknowledged that “there will be significantly more Superfans than available seats on the tour, so not every fan will receive an offer.”
It remains to be seen how well Spotify’s new feature will get tickets into fans’ hands, though it will at least be met with excitement from fans, who, Spotify said, have become increasingly frustrated with the ticket-buying process as they spend hours in online lines for the most in-demand acts while trying to get seats for the show.
The Reserved feature is perhaps the most notable of a host of new features Spotify unveiled during its Investor Day, mostly designed specifically for superfans.
Spotify also said it will launch a new standalone desktop app called Studio by Spotify Labs, which allows users to create personalized podcasts, playlists and more, curated based on personal tastes.
Earlier Thursday, Spotify and UMG unveiled a new licensing agreement that will allow subscribers to make AI covers and remixes for select participating artists from UMG’s roster.
