When observing the technical features of Spotify and Instagram, there really is a stark difference between the two platforms. Each application has a different function. Spotify is about streaming-music and creating playlist. Instagram is about loading images and describing them for an audience. However, it appears that the software engineers over at Spotify are taking a page out of Instagram’s playbook, and has decided to test a stories-feature for the music streaming service.
This kind of an innovation is taking place in a technology landscape that features the internet of things (IOT), where one smart device is capable of providing the user with information on a broad spectrum of topics-pretty much any data that you could grab from the search engines, there are home speakers and other products from Google, Apple, Amazon and others that will provide users with accurate information on every subject through their IOT devices.
While Spotify is not an IOT, it is an application for the storage and streaming of music content, the idea of introducing a stories-feature may be appealing to some users who like to have their technology execute multiple applications, but some users will have a different opinion because featuring stories on a music application could make the user interface complex and make it slightly more challenging for its current audience to just connect to the music.
I belong to make the second group. I enjoy using technology that is exclusively for storing, playing or streaming music. While my smartphone can do all of those things, I still prefer to have a dedicated device that is strictly used for music. This way, when I have my smartphone connected to the AUX cable while listening to music while driving, the songs won’t be interrupted by calls and other sounds that smartphones when something is happening on it.
My device of choice is the 7th generation Apple iPod Touch. Many analysts would probably wonder why would I continue to use an iPod when I can do everything from the device on an iPhone. I think that is valid criticism, for most users they are going to want to get the technology that has the most features. However, I still enjoy having a dedicated device strictly for music as a way of preventing other types of media and data from getting in the way. Even though it appears that Apple will not be making any new innovations with its iPod lineup, it appears that the 7th generation is the last model of the device. I am going to continue using this device because they are well built (they will last a long time), it has iOS and just received the iOS 14 upgrade, and the device features the Newsstand app and others, displaying its content through casual notifications that will not interfere with music content.
Spotify collaborating music with stories may be a distraction for some consumers, or it could be a great innovation depending on how the user interface functions. If users have the ability to search for their favorite artists, stream their music, and get access to stories about behind-the-scenes, exclusive content regarding their favorite artist-Spotify could be on to something extraordinary. As much as I prefer a dedicated music device, I would definitely join Spotify if it had access to exclusive content that can only be found on their platform. As an arts critic, it would be fun and informative to have access to both the music and exclusive content, particularly as data points that can be used for creating song and album reviews. It appears that Spotify is either going to hit a home run with this new feature, or simply get a base hit.
The stories feature on Instagram works well because the platform is all about images, and when they added the opportunity to share stories through live video on the platform it gave users the opportunity to bring their visual content to life. Instagram has a feed that shows the user the most recent content from the pages they follow, and the stories-feature is displayed horizontally across the top of the screen and showcases video content on what is taking place right now. Even though critics suggested that Spotify’s stories-feature was created to function like Snapchat, the Instagram users found it useful and it is one of the most popular aspects of the platform. The same may be possible for Spotify if they connect music listeners to the right kind of content, they would be interested in.