Spotify to cancel several live audio shows in latest programming cutback - including A Gay in the Life

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Live audio streaming grew in popularity during the Covid-19 pandemic but due to declining interest, Spotify is set to cancel several shows in its latest programming cutback.

Spotify is planning a widespread scale back of its live audio ambitions. It has been confirmed that production is set to end on several of the music company’s popular shows.

A spokesperson for Spotify made the announcement in December, confirming that programmes such as ‘Deux Me After Dark’, ‘The Movie Buff’, ‘Doughboys: Snack Pack’, and ‘A Gay in the Life’ have been cancelled. While ‘The Fantasy Footballers’ and ‘The Ringer MMA Show’ are expected to continue having live offerings.

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Spotify has made large strides into the live audio streaming world in recent times, first integrating live audio capabilities from Spotify Greenroom in April. The companion app was first known as Locker Rooms and was owned by Betty Labs, which Spotify acquired in a $62 million purchase last March.

Audio streaming apps had grown in popularity ever since the coronavirus pandemic and Spotify had been judged to be a great fit given their investment in podcasting. Other social platforms such as Twitter - who introduced Spaces - and LinkedIn’s Audio Events followed suit.

However, as Covid-19 lockdown measures eased and the gradual global return to in-person events began, the popularity of live audio streaming died down. This subsequently led to the decline of Clubhouse - the popular live audio streaming app that rose to a $4 billion valuation amid the pandemic.

The programmes cancelled by Spotify were essentially live podcasts that often aired weekly and allowed hosts to moderate and have conversations with audience members. Their cancellations in most cases have occurred during the creator’s contracts, but the company has guaranteed that it will pay out the entirety of any agreements.

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This illustration photo shows the Spotify logo 
(Photo by Stefani Reynolds / AFP) (Photo by STEFANI REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)This illustration photo shows the Spotify logo 
(Photo by Stefani Reynolds / AFP) (Photo by STEFANI REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)
This illustration photo shows the Spotify logo (Photo by Stefani Reynolds / AFP) (Photo by STEFANI REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

Spotify now slowly bringing the curtain down on their foray into the live audio market is not surprising, but the music giants are not the first media company to retreat. Facebook’s Live Audio Rooms offering has been integrated into its Facebook Live experience, as well as discontinuing short-form audio soundbites and its audio hub.

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