The feature gives listeners a way to save short sections from podcasts and send them to friends or post them on social media without searching through an entire episode.

Spotify said the rollout has started globally for both free and Premium users on mobile devices, while support for more shows will expand gradually.

Users will now see a scissors icon in the “Now Playing” screen while listening to supported podcasts. Once tapped, the tool allows them to capture a segment, trim it, preview it and either save or share it immediately.

Spotify also explained that listeners can share a full episode, chapter, timestamp or a clip through the updated sharing menu. Saved clips will also appear in a dedicated section inside the user’s library and can be added to podcast playlists.

The feature builds on the growth it has already seen with podcast Chapters, which launched earlier this year. According to Spotify, Chapters are now being saved and added to playlists more than two million times every month.

The update also shows how podcasts are becoming a bigger source of news, interviews and online discussions, especially in the technology industry where company executives appear on podcasts instead of traditional interviews.

Spotify believes clips could help podcast creators attract new listeners by making key moments easier to discover and circulate online. The company said early testing showed that podcast saving activity increased when clips were enabled.

In a statement announcing the launch, Spotify said: “Whether it’s a piece of advice that reframes how you think, a conversation that makes you laugh, or a segment you know a friend needs to hear, those moments are often what turns a casual listener into a devoted fan.”

“With clips, listeners can now capture, revisit, and share the exact moments from podcasts that resonate most, without having to search through an entire episode to find them,” the company added:

Spotify also noted that users can access the feature by tapping the scissors icon while listening, trimming the audio segment they want, then choosing to save or share it through the app’s sharing options.

The streaming company said on Tuesday that audiobook users in supported markets will now have access to more than 650 narrated long-form articles in English.

The articles come from publications including Rolling Stone, The Atlantic, Vogue, Variety, Vanity Fair, Billboard and WIRED.

Spotify said the narrated articles are produced by its in-house audiobooks team and each one runs for less than two hours. Premium subscribers can listen through their monthly audiobook allowance, while free users can buy individual articles for $1.99.

The company is expanding the range of content on its platform as competition grows across audio streaming, podcasts and AI-generated music services.

Competitors in the space include YouTube and Netflix, while AI music startups such as Udio and Suno have also entered the market.

Spotify co-chief executive Alex Norström recently said the company now accounts for about 20% of the US audiobooks market.

The new feature is designed to give listeners shorter audio content that can lead them towards longer audiobook listening over time.

“With Articles, we’re introducing long-form journalism in audio as a natural extension of the music, podcasts, and audiobooks people already come to Spotify for, focused on topics we know they love,” said Colleen Prendergast, Licensing Lead at Spotify Audiobooks.

She added: “By bringing shorter form content into the mix, we’re meeting audiences where they are to help build healthy listening habits, ultimately growing engagement with books over time.”

Spotify launched its audiobooks business just over two years ago and says it has since expanded into 22 markets. The company also said audiobook listening hours have risen 60% year on year as it continues adding new features to the service.

Walk down the streets of any major city around the world and take a look at all the people you pass along the way. Chances are you’ll see more people wearing earphones and headphones, in all of their shapes and sizes, than not.

Most of those people, whether they’re consuming music or podcasts, will be listening through an audio streaming platform.     

In fact, Spotify’s 500 million-plus users spent more than 132 billion hours streaming audio on the platform in 2022.

And that’s just Spotify. Factor in other platforms, including the likes of Mdundo and Audiomack, and the numbers become truly astronomical. Africa isn’t immune to the embrace of music streaming either.

According to Statista, music streaming revenue is set to grow more than nine percent a year over the next four years, aided by constantly improving levels of connectivity. 

That growth in audio streaming across the continent doesn’t just represent an opportunity for artists and streaming platforms. It’s also a powerful opportunity for brands to market to their customers in new, innovative, and effective ways.

Reach, elevated engagement, and personalisation 

Before looking at how brands can make use of those opportunities, it’s worth looking at some of the advantages that marketing on audio streaming platforms offers.

One of the biggest advantages that advertising on audio streaming platforms offers is that it allows advertisers to reach their customers wherever they are and whatever they’re doing.

Unlike traditional radio, which is largely restricted to people’s homes and vehicles, people can listen to audio streaming when they’re commuting on public transport, working out, or even just going for a walk.

Given the growing importance of meeting customers where they are, that’s a powerful incentive to embrace marketing through audio streaming all on its own.

But ads on audio streaming platforms can also be more engaging. There are fewer screen-related distractions (especially if the listener is doing something that doesn’t allow them to scroll on their device at the same time), and audio also feeds the listener’s imagination.

In fact, research from shows found that “digital audio listeners have an elevated listening experience compared to broadcast radio, resulting in more memorability, engagement, and emotional intensity.”

Adding to this increased engagement is the fact that audiostreaming ads can be highly personalised according to the listener’s interests. That can then be further refined by age and location, ensuring that people only hear the adverts that are most relevant to them.

Sounding out the right partner 

It should be clear then that audio streaming platforms have a lot to offer from an advertising perspective and can be a powerful addition to any company’s marketing mix.

But if you’re going to get the most out of adding audio-streaming ads to your mix, it’s important to do so with the right partner.

Ideally, you should look to work with a partner who has extensive experience working with the streaming platforms most relevant to your target customers. Moreover, they should be able to help you produce the most effective marketing content tailored to those platforms.

For whichever platform you’re advertising on, that also means having an innate understanding of all the available ad formats.

These include audio ads but may also extend to things like video takeovers, sponsored sessions, and display ads.

Remember, while audio is the largest component of any streaming platform, people still have to open the app and scroll to get to the content they want. Implemented effectively, all of these formats can be brought together to ensure your marketing messaging is delivered to maximum effect.

For the love of listening 

Right now, audiostreaming services play an incredibly important role in day-to-day media consumption around the world, including in Africa. And as connectivity becomes ever more ubiquitous and affordable, that role will only increase.

As such, any business wanting to really meet its customers where they are should embrace the marketing opportunities that they present.

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