Scan these new QR-style Spotify Codes to instantly play a song | TechCrunch
- ️@TechCrunch
- ️Mon May 08 2017
Spotify has taken a tip from Snapchat with its new feature for sharing music via scannable images. The new Spotify Codes feature creates a unique barcode and album cover image for every song, album, artist, and playlist. Scan these Spotify Codes with the new camera in the Spotify app’s search bar to instantly play that music.
Spotify Codes could make it easier for friends to share music with each other and artists to promote their work. After receiving a tip from reader Moshe Isaacian, we reached out to Spotify for info, and the company said it will share more details on Monday. [Update 5/8/2017: Spotify Codes are now officially rolling out.]
To pull up a Spotify Code, just tap the “three dots” button on the right side of the screen while playing a song, or looking at an artist or playlist. To scan one, go to the search bar, tap the camera icon then hover the camera over a code on a phone, computer screen or printout. You also can upload a screenshot or photo of a Spotify Code to scan it when you see it shared in another app like Instagram or over text message.
You can try it yourself by scanning the code for this new song by sultry indie dance band Cathedrals:
Now if a friend is listening to a song and you want to hear it too, you don’t have to get them to fish out a link, open a messaging app, send it to you then you open it in your browser before it deeplinks into Spotify. They tap the dots to show the code, you scan with the search camera and you’re listening. This is even more important since Spotify ditched its in-app messaging Inbox in February in favor of shortcuts to share via SMS, Messenger, WhatsApp and other chat apps.
Meanwhile, you can imagine artists printing vinyl stickers with their Spotify Codes instead of just their band name. Whereas a complicated Spotify URL would be unsightly and complicated to type in on mobile, the camera and soundwave-stylized codes look good and are easy to use.
Spotify Codes also could be a constant visual reminder around the web that you could be listening to on-demand music. Similar to how Facebook colonized the web with Like buttons, and Snapchat’s Snapcodes wound up as profile photos on Twitter and elsewhere, Spotify Codes could work to promote the streaming service itself, as well as the music to which they’re linked.
This kind of viral growth strategy could prove important to Spotify as it races Apple Music, Amazon, YouTube, SoundCloud and Pandora to turn radio and MP3 listeners into streamers. Considering how Apple and SoundCloud have copied Spotify’s wildly successful personalized playlist Discover Weekly (that TechCrunch suggested it build back in 2014), we’ll see if other streaming services make their own scannable song codes.
Josh Constine is a venture partner at $2.1 billion early-stage VC fund SignalFire that builds AI to help its portfolio companies with recruiting and sales. He focuses on consumer, including social, marketplaces, and AI-enabled services. He also leads SignalFire’s PR and fundraising advisory program for its portfolio. Previously, Constine was Editor-At-Large for TechCrunch and was ranked the #1 most cited tech journalist 2016-2020 by Techmeme. Constine has moderated 200+ on-stage interviews and keynotes in 18 countries with leaders including Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Senator Cory Booker, and whistleblower Edward Snowden. Constine graduated from Stanford University with a Master’s degree he designed in Cybersociology, has been quoted in the NYT and WSJ, and is regularly featured on CNN.
Constine currently writes a weekly newsletter called Moving Product at https://constine.substack.com/ where he discusses big ideas facing the startup industry, the most exciting new tech products, and interviews top industry talent about the most important recent launches.
Previously, Constine was the Editor-At-Large for TechCrunch where he wrote over 3500 blog posts about social tech giants like Facebook and Snapchat as well as early stage startups across verticals. His work was cited on the floors of the Senate and House Of Representatives, and led to the shut down of Facebook’s Onavo market surveillance app.
Constine was formerly the Lead Writer of Inside Facebook through its acquisition by WebMediaBrands, covering everything about the social network.
Constine graduated from Stanford University in 2009 with a Master’s degree in Cybersociology, examining the influence of technology on social interaction. He researched the impact of privacy controls on the socialization of children, meme popularity cycles, and what influences the click through rate of links posted to Twitter. Constine also received a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors from Stanford University in 2007, with a concentration in Social Psychology & Interpersonal Processes.
Josh Constine is an experienced public speaker, and has moderated over 190 on-stage interviews in 18 countries with leaders including Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Instagram’s founders, whistleblower Edward Snowden (via on-stage video conference), and U.S. Senator Cory Booker. He also delivers keynotes on how to pitch startups, press strategy for tech companies, and how to turn your passion into your profession. He is available to moderate panels and fireside chats, provide keynotes, and judge hackathon and pitch competitions. You can contact him at Joshsc [at] gmail .com
Constine has been quoted by The Wall Street Journal, CNN Money, The Atlantic, BBC World Magazine, Slate, and more, plus has been featured on television on Good Morning, America, The Today Show, China Central Television, and Fox News. Constine was ranked as the #1 most cited tech journalist on prestigious news aggregator Techmeme from 2016 to 2020.