Spotify launches podcast subscription platform to challenge Apple

Spotify launched on Tuesday a paid subscription platform for podcasters in the United States and plans to expand in other regions in the coming months, a week after Apple unveiled a similar service.

A podcaster could mark episodes as subscriber-only and publish them on Spotify and other podcast listening platforms, the company said in a statement.

Spotify, the world’s most popular paid music streaming service, said it won’t take a commission from podcast creators’ subscriber revenue for the next two years, and planned to charge a 5% fee starting in 2023.

Online stores such as Apple’s app store usually charge developers a fee for purchases made on their platforms.