Another day that ends with Y means another big platform is trying to copy TikTok’s format in the hopes of capturing more users in the coveted 18-34 demographic. This is the cycle we’re doomed to repeat, day in and day out, until either TikTok or time itself ceases to exist. This time, the platform in question is (spins giant wheel) Spotify.
On Wednesday, TechCrunch reported that the music streaming platform is following in the footsteps of Instagram, Facebook, Reddit, Pinterest, Netflix, Snapchat, and more by testing out an endlessly scrolling vertical video feed. In Spotify’s case, that feed will appear in a newly-minted Discover tab situated between the Home and Search buttons, and will allow users to flip through, like, or skip a curated selection of music videos.
The feature was first pointed out by developer Chris Messina, who noted in a tweet that the new feed is “basically a pared down version of a TikTok-style feed of vertical music videos.” In the same thread, Messina speculates that the Discover scroll will likely use the same Canvas format that Spotify first began implementing in 2019, which allows artists to add highly-stylized video clips to their music within the Spotify app.
