Spotify announces third round of layoffs this year, affecting 1,500 workers

Photo: @felipepelaquim / Unsplash

Spotify will cut 1,500 jobs, its third round of layoffs this year, CEO Daniel Ek said Monday. He said the music-streaming company needs to slash costs and boost efficiency in a tough economy. The layoffs are part of a big strategy shift that will take Spotify back to its startup roots after a spending spree increased its subscribers but not its profits.

Affected staff will get about five months of severance pay. Spotify, which has more than 9,000 employees, followed other tech giants in reducing headcount as the global economy slowed.

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Spotify's dilemma over white noise podcasts

Spotify's algorithm has been promoting podcasts with white noise content, such as waves, vacuums, and fans, to its listeners who use them to relax or sleep. An internal document reveals these podcasts account for three million hours of consumption every day. And some creators supposedly make up to USD 18,000 a month using Spotify's free hosting software Anchor.

However, Spotify is reportedly not happy with this situation, as white noise podcasts are less profitable than other types of programming. The company considered removing them or replacing them with "comparable programming" that would save USD 38 million a year. Some users and creators noticed that their white noise podcasts had disappeared for a while, but Spotify denied any intentional action. The company said it still has white noise podcasts on its platform.

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Spotify’s lossless streaming tier may finally arrive this year

Leaked Spotify HiFi interface (Image: Jane Manchun Wong / Twitter)

Spotify may soon launch a new subscription tier with lossless audio streaming, Bloomberg reports. The tier, internally called "Supremium," could debut later this year in some markets outside the US. Spotify first announced its plans for lossless streaming, dubbed "Spotify HiFi," in February 2021 but has yet to deliver on the feature.

Spotify may have delayed the move due to its rivals, Amazon Music and Apple Music, which added lossless streaming to their standard plans at no extra cost. 

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Spotify’s desktop app gets a fresh look

Image: Spotify

Spotify has neglected its desktop app for a long time, focusing more on its mobile apps and controversial podcasters. But now, the desktop and web apps have received a major makeover that the company calls "one of the biggest revamps yet." The new design aims to match the sleek smartphone app, which feels like a long time coming given Spotify started as a browser-based service before it expanded to mobile devices.

The main content area is still the same, with easy access to music and podcast recommendations. But the left side of the app window now has the new "Your Library" feature, which the company tested earlier. This feature lets you quickly access your saved music and podcast collections and switch between playlists. You can also collapse the library for a simpler view.

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