What is Spotify Live and how does it work?

During the strange few months in 2021 when Clubhouse looked like the next big thing, Spotify launched Greenroom with a similar premise. It allowed users to set up and join live chat rooms in an audio-only discussion. Now, the app has been rebranded as Spotify Live.

The platform announced its new name in a blog post on its website earlier this month. The new name fits much better and gives users a clearer idea of what to expect when exploring the app.

Of course, Clubhouse has seen a lot of the hype around its innovative app die down over the last few months, and Greenroom likely followed the same trend.

But Spotify isn’t ready to give up on live content quite yet. Let’s see what kind of changes we can expect from Spotify Live.

What is Spotify Live?

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For the most part, Spotify Live is just like Greenroom. There is a standalone app for iOS and Android that lets users create live chatrooms around topics that people can join and enter into the discussion. This lets everyday Spotify users join and interact with some of their favorite creators live.

As part of its rebranding and evolution, Spotify Live is introducing a bunch of exclusive programming that it will highlight over the next few months. Live broadcasts from creators like DJ Akademiks and Hasan Minhaj will be promoted on the platform’s hub over the next few months.

And Spotify Live already has a huge variety of content lined up for the future. It has true crime, fashion advice, celebrity gossip, sports, and everything in between coming soon.

One of the biggest changes that came with the new name is the ability to access Spotify Live content from the original Spotify app on Android or iOS.

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The company has highlighted a few dozen original live shows that users will be able to listen to from the main Spotify app.

All you have to do is click on the creator’s page when they are live and select the “Live” banner to join the live show.

How to use Spotify Live

While you can listen to live shows from the main, you’ll have to use the Spotify Live standalone app to interact with the shows.

This means creating a separate account for Spotify Live when you load the app for the first time (you can link to your original Spotify account to make the process easier).

Once you are in the app, you can search around and follow your favorite creators. There are also “Groups” that you can join to find live chats around specific topics.

On the front page, you’ll find the most popular chatrooms that are live at the moment as well as a schedule for upcoming live programming.

You can join in on any chat you see by clicking the Join room banner in the chat. Conversely, you can head to Groups to find rooms with specific topics.

Once you’re in a group, you can tap the hand at the bottom to request to speak. And if you swipe to the left, you will find the live text chat discussion where other group members chat.

And to create your own room, just tap the green New room button on the home page.

You will have a few decisions to make, such as the topic, whether or not there is a discussion room, and if you want the live room to be recorded.

And that’s all you need to know about the new Spotify Live app. Essentially, it’s just a name change. but the rebrand does allow for some new functionality, like listening from the main app.

Will this rebranding lead to a spike in popularity for Spotify Live?

This rebranding makes a lot of sense and gives a better idea of what the app is trying to accomplish. Greenroom was a terrible name that didn’t really offer unsuspecting users a glimpse into the app’s features.

But it remains to be seen if the new name will help the app increase in popularity. I spent a little time in the app this morning, and there wasn’t a lot of activity going on.

But who knows, maybe this new name is all that Spotify needed to gain some traction with Spotify Live. Only time will tell.

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

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