Fan Commerce at Spotify: 3 products built from scratch
Spotify had the audience. Artists had the fans. Nobody had built the bridge between them. We set out to change that — creating Fan Commerce from scratch, incubating 3 distinct products, and defining what monetized fandom looks like on a streaming platform.
Product area lead
Design lead
The Spotify for Artists team was tasked with creating a new monetization offering for fans and artists, and creating new revenue streams for Spotify.
As a product area lead, I was responsible for the success of the 50 person product area, which included setting goals and OKRs for the various squads, setting goals for the team, and communicating the vision. Alongside my fellow leads—tech, product and research—I set the roadmap for how the products evolved from 0 to 1, all while gathering feedback from artist and fans to inform iterations.
As design lead, I was responsible for the design of everything the product area built. This involved guiding the designers I managed, as well as socializing the work outside of our immediate team, communicating progress to leadership, and collaborating with designs across Spotify.
My roles for this projectWe started by looking at what we already knew about creators and fans.
3 NEW PRODUCTS •
3 NEW PRODUCTS •
Most artists make money by touring and selling merch. Why not help them sell outside their shows?
Product #1
Product #2
Fans and artists have been telling us for years that they wanted more ways to connect. Why not build something to foster that connection?
Fans want to connect with their favorite artists outside of just shows. Why not give them a way to directly support and connect more intimately?
Product #3
Shopify integration •
Shopify integration •
Product #1
We built an integration with Shopify, giving artist the ability to connect the stores they already have and sell anything they want to their fans.
Learn more > (coming soon)
Live artist rooms •
Live artist rooms •
Product #2
We incubated a brand new product called Live Artist Rooms that allows artists to connect intimately to their top fans.
Fan communities •
Fan communities •
Product #3
We began testing a new subscription product that would give fans more access to their favorite artists.
Takeaways from the experience
Standing up a product area from scratch means you're simultaneously making the thing and building the team capable of making the thing. The OKR work here was some of the hardest — flexible enough to survive real innovation cycles, specific enough to justify a 50-person investment.
The press coverage across TechCrunch, Variety, AdWeek, CNN, and Billboard was validation that the work resonated beyond Spotify's walls.