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Spotify just made live music a little bit better

By Phil Nickinson February 15, 2024

Event listing for Chappel Roan on Spotify, seen on an iPhone. — Spotify has integrated Bandsintown to make it easier to see when and where your favorite act is playing — and to get tickets. Phil Nickinson / Digital Trends

It’s not an uncommon situation: You’re doing your thing on Spotify, listening to whatever it is the kids listen to these days, and you want to know where that band is playing. And whether you can get tickets. Both of those things are a little easier now that Spotify has teamed up with Bandsintown.

You won’t necessarily see the integration for every artist — or even exclusively for a single artist. (The example Spotify and Bandsintown are using shows events from both Bandsintown and directly from that other master of tickets.) But if you love live music, Bandsintown is pretty indispensable these days anyway.

“Our partnership with Bandsintown reinforces our commitment to help artists connect with and monetize their fanbases,” Jon Ostrow, Associate Director of Growth & Discovery, Live Events at Spotify, said in a press release. “With more concert listings and data directly sourced from artists, this integration gives artists more control to update their tour schedules on Spotify and ultimately improves the fan experience of discovering and purchasing tickets.”

Bandsintown has more than 1.5 million shows listed from some 600,000 artists in more than 150 countries. And the whole idea with the partnership is to get butts in seats. (Or in the pit. Whichever you prefer.)

“Bandsintown is on a mission to help artists get discovered and sell out shows,” said Fabrice Sergent, co-founder and managing partner of Bandsintown. “With Spotify on board, we are bringing artists and fans closer in a world where every show counts, and every fan matters.”

In a press release, the two companies said that Spotify had increased impressions by more than 10 times over the past year. Spotify reported having 602 million monthly active users at the end of 2023.

You’ll see the Bandsintown integration whether you’re on Spotify Premium or the free tier.

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