Spotify has released a new playlist called “Concerts Near You” designed to help listeners discover upcoming concerts in their vicinity. The playlist is updated with 30 songs of artists set to perform locally every Wednesday, according to listener behavior. Each track on the playlist offers full event details and direct tickets links to retailers such as AXS, DICE, Eventbrite, and Ticketmaster. This feature allows the users to purchase tickets easily and share event information with friends.
The launch of “Concerts Near You” aims to bridge the gap between live concerts and online music listening. It solves a common problem where fans miss concerts of their favorite bands because they had no idea about the event. As phrased by Charlie Hellman, Spotify Vice President and Head of Music Product worldwide, “There’s nothing worse than realizing that your favorite artist played your town last week.” This new playlist not only assists fans in finding nearby concerts but also provides artists with an excellent vehicle to sell more tickets and fill venues with their most engaged fans.
To ensure that the users are receiving the right and relevant concert information, Spotify recommends updating the location in the app’s “Live Events” section. Users should also enable push notifications and follow their preferred artists so that they receive personalized alerts for shows. The playlist is available by searching for “concerts” within the Spotify app, which leads one to the personalized Live Events feed.
This is one of Spotify’s more significant efforts towards improving the overall listening experience by integrating event discovery. It follows Spotify’s Loud & Clear report, which highlights payments to artists paid by the platform annually. For the first time in history, an artist that was included in a stream in each million made more than $10,000 on average in 2024.
Whereas “Concerts Near You” is a huge boon both for fans and artists, its effectiveness relies on geography. For subscribers who live in more distant places, the phrase “nearby” can mean big cities that are not accessible. But as the feature gets refined, it’s safe to bet Spotify will narrow in on geography-driven recommendations.
For independent musicians and artists, “Concerts Near You” provides an important platform to promote live shows to a selected audience. By ensuring that their events are posted through the ticketing partners of Spotify, artists can increase exposure and reach out to fans who have already shown that they enjoy their music. This connection can lead to higher ticket sales and a more engaged audience.
In general, “Concerts Near You” simplifies the process of discovery and attendance at live concerts, making fans more aware of upcoming shows and providing artists with the ability to reach their consumers.
