Spotify is vigorously pushing its podcast service with the addition of new features such as podcast playlist management and recommendations based on user listening habits. Now, amid the ongoing podcast industry challenges due to the lingering pandemic, Spotify aims to seize the opportunity and monetize. The company has introduced a feature to convert video calls into podcasts on its podcast platform, Anchor, which it acquired in 2019.
Currently, Anchor's conversion tool works with most popular video conferencing apps like Skype,
To convert meeting recordings into podcasts, all you need to do is record the video call and upload it to Anchor's website. When you upload the video, the conversion tool will automatically extract the audio from the video file, which you can find in the 'Your Episode' section of the website.
Afterwards, you can further edit the audio file according to your preferences by cutting or splitting the file, adding background music, using available audio effects, and even inserting voice recordings.
The addition of this feature comes at an opportune time for Spotify as the podcast industry is slowly gaining momentum again. According to NiemanLab's report, podcast downloads have recently increased by 4%, and listenership has grown by 2% following a slump due to the coronavirus pandemic. Now, only time will tell how much benefit Spotify's move will bring.
In the race among chat and online messaging apps, Facebook's Messenger stands out as a prominent leader. However, as Google Messages surpasses 1 billion downloads on the Play Store, this position is gradually shifting.