Spotify’s move to cater to music super fans is now live. On Thursday, the streaming giant was announced the launch of ‘Reserved by Spotify’, a new system that will identify an artist’s eligible top fans and then reserve two tour tickets for them before general ticket sales go on sale.
The feature will first be available starting today in the US for Premium subscribers (ages 18+). Timed alongside his tour news, Role model will be the first artist partner to benefit from the ticket reservation system, and fans will begin receiving notifications today if they are eligible to secure their tour tickets beginning June 23, ahead of the general public sale. Spotify said it will not charge fees for the transactions.
The feature is only available for artists playing Live Nation concerts at this time, and ticket sales are through Ticketmaster. The streamer said it aims to add more partners over time to include smaller venues as well as international users.
The Reserved system is designed to reward music fans at a time when new concert tickets are snapped up instantly by scalpers using automated tools, which are then resold at a higher price as the event sells out.
For Spotify, Reserved serves as an easy way to encourage paid subscriptions and increase loyalty to its app. If fans are getting concert tickets by streaming their favorites, they’re more likely to log in and do just that.
Spotify first announced its plan to cater to superfans in May, noting that it would use signals like streams, shares and other activity to determine who it considers a true fan. The company also said the platform will monitor activity to ensure fans aren’t playing these stats using bots or AI agents.
In other words, you won’t be able to get the ticket by endlessly playing an artist’s music over and over — the company will be looking for signals that you’re still engaging with its app like a normal user would. Or, as Spotify puts it, “leaving music in the background isn’t going to push anyone.”
Reserved will also look at the user’s location to make sure they are close to the show before making an offer.
After going live, eligible fans will see a personalized offer on their Spotify home screen, allowing them to view tour dates, view the ‘Pick Up’ window and set a reminder to purchase tickets. When the reserved ticket window opens — usually about a day — they can buy two tickets before they go to the public.
Additionally, Spotify noted that there will be more superfans than available seats in many cases, meaning that not every fan will receive a ticket offer every time.
Role Model, whose tour reaches 17 U.S. cities and shows, will be the first of additional artists’ tours to kick off this week, Spotify noted without naming names. The reserved tickets join others that focus on live music, such as the newly added support for a beta feature that allows artists to upload live performance videos along with other music videos.
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