According to a survey sent to creators in the Spotify for Podcasters program, the streaming giant might be doing away with the Anchor brand. Anchor, which Spotify acquired for $340 million in a deal that included the studio Gimlet, is a free podcast hosting service. In 2020, Anchor said that its service was used to create 1 million new podcasts, accounting for 80% of new shows uploaded to Spotify that year.
\nBut now that Anchor has been part of Spotify for almost three years, the company appears to be considering a rebrand. In the survey, sent to some podcasters who have claimed their show on Spotify for Podcasters, Spotify’s user research team shared information about the possible rebrand, which is still being tested with potential users.
\n\u201cAnchor and Spotify for Podcasters are now Spotify Creator Studio, the all-in-one platform for creators of all kinds (and sizes) to express themselves and find success on Spotify,\u201d the sample announcement in the survey reads.
\nImage Credits: Spotify, screenshot by TechCrunch
\nImage Credits: Spotify, screenshot by TechCrunch
\nCurrently, podcasters can join Spotify for Podcasters to access analytics about their show, even if they host with another service like Libsyn, Podbean or Buzzsprout. Those who host via Anchor have access to features like subscription monetization and video podcasts, but only listeners using Spotify are able to interact with that content.
\nIf the proposed rebrand from the survey were to go through, Spotify for Podcasters would be rebranded to \u201cSpotify Creator Studio \u2013 Unhosted.\u201d Anchor would be rebranded to \u201cSpotify Creator Studio \u2013 Hosted.\u201d Both products would remain free.
\nSpotify’s survey of podcasters about this potential change indicates an interest in the rebrand, but that doesn’t mean it will come to fruition.
\n\u201cAt Spotify, we routinely conduct a number of surveys and tests in an effort to improve our user experience. Some of these end up paving the path for our broader user experience and others serve only as an important learning. We have no news to share on future plans at this time,\u201d a Spotify spokesperson told TechCrunch.
\nOver the last few years, Spotify has made a number of podcasting acquisitions like Anchor and Gimlet. These include Podz, a podcast discovery platform, and Megaphone, a podcast ads company. For four of its recent acquisitions \u2014 Findaway, Podsights, Chartable and Sonantic \u2014 the company paid about $295 million.<\/p>\n
Spotify buys Gimlet and Anchor in podcast push, earmarks $500M for more deals<\/p>\n