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Spotify wants in on the hardware game

Lauren Kate Rawlins
By Lauren Kate Rawlins, ITWeb digital and innovation contributor.
Johannesburg, 25 Apr 2017
Spotify seeks a product manager to oversee its possible hardware debut.
Spotify seeks a product manager to oversee its possible hardware debut.

Music-streaming company Spotify may be following in Snapchat and Amazon's footsteps, where a traditionally software-only company releases a hardware product.

This was hinted at in an advert by the company saying it was looking for a senior product manager of hardware.

The advert appeared on its job listing page last week, and has since disappeared.

The listing said the selected candidate would work with the platform and partner experience team to build, "frictionless and creative Spotify experiences via fully-connected hardware devices".

It says the candidate will lead the initiative and help create a "category-defining product akin to Pebble Watch, Amazon Echo and Snap Spectacles".

This suggests Spotify is looking for someone with experience in creating smart wearables. It could want to create its own headphones or speaker, or most likely something to play music through.

The rest of the job description reads: "You will define the product requirements for Internet-connected hardware, the software that powers it, and work with suppliers/manufacturers to deliver the optimal Spotify experience to millions of users. Above all, your work will affect the way the world experiences music and talk content."

Social media company Snapchat surprised users last year when it launched its first piece of hardware: Snapchat Spectacles. These are sunglasses with built-in cameras which capture video from a human perspective and sync with Snapchat.

Online retailer Amazon also made its debut into the hardware space with an artificial intelligence driven connected speaker, the Echo.

Spotify has not yet officially launched in SA. Its main competitors are Google Play Music and Apple Music.

Spotify was launched in Sweden in 2006 and popularised the idea of people listening to music tracks they did not buy or own.

Reuters reported last year that the company, founded by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon, is now present in 59 markets, and a funding round in 2015 valued it at over $8 billion.

It makes more than $2 billion a year from subscription fees and advertising, a big slice of the $4.5 billion made in music streaming in 2015, an industry which MIdiA Research sees growing to $8.5 billion in 2020.

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