Our goal is to bring our entire catalogue of music and podcasts to a wider range of users across an even wider range of vehicles. release of Car Thing to users who are interested in purchasing the device. “With Car Thing, you can play your favorite audio faster, so you’re already listening to that hit song or the latest podcast episode before you’ve even pulled out of the driveway. “At Spotify, we believe in finding the best audio companion for every moment, whether you’re taking on household chores, enjoying a moment of peaceful mindfulness, or on the go,” Spotify explained in a blog post.
The Car Thing might seem like a bit of a sideshow at first glance, especially with that name, but if Spotify can take even a relatively small piece of the car audio market, it could build a very lucrative revenue stream from podcasters enticed by the company deciding to connect its Anchor podcast publishing tool to the Spotify Audience Network marketplace for audio advertising. With ‘ playlist-inspired shows’ and new features and tools for creators steadily rolling out, Greenroom is clearly central to Spotify’s current strategy. The ReadSpeaker partnership had the additional benefit of freeing up Spotify employees and resources for setting up and running its Greenroom social audio platform this year. Still, this aspect was best served by a specialist, according to ReadSpeaker, which brought its experience with naturalistic voice library to the job. Spotify has been rumored to be working on a voice assistant for a few years.
The April release of the voice assistant wake word predates the Car Thing, but the operation is the same. ReadSpeaker’s VoiceLab tech provides the voice users hear when they say “Hey Spotify” or ask the AI to read any text on the screen. can sign up to get a Car Thing now, but it requires a Spotify Premium subscription to operate. The first testers received it for free, but supplies were very limited. The Car Thing’s $80 price tag is likely as much a test as any other element of the device. Listeners using a mobile device to stream Spotify can transfer the sound to the car when they are about to drive, using a smartphone to connect to the internet.
Car thing spotify drivers#
Drivers can mount the Car Thing on their vent or dashboard and pull up their music and other audio content by asking Spotify’s voice assistant, assigning the buttons on the top to specific playlists, or navigating with the device’s touchpad and joystick. managed to sign up for the limited run of devices. The device continues Spotify’s years-long effort to widen availability. Spotify built the Car Thing to make its service more accessible to drivers. Those who joined the waitlist during the initial beta test will have priority, but others can sign up now to buy the streaming device with Spotify’s voice assistant when Spotify has enough to ship. “While we don’t have any further news to share at this time, we’re always testing and seeking feedback from our users before rolling out new features or products broadly.Spotify has begun selling its Car Thing automotive entertainment device to U.S. When the FCC filing emerged, the company told The Verge: “Spotify is focused on becoming the world’s number one audio platform, and we’re continuing tests of a voice-controlled music and podcast device to help us learn more about how people listen to audio in the car. That said, as recently as January, Spotify still maintained that Car Thing was and is simply a test rather than a soon-to-be product. Unless the device has some clever tricks up its sleeve, then this could well prove to be a non-starter, even with the beloved Spotify branding.
Car thing spotify android#
For cars without CarPlay or Android Auto, there are plenty of third-party solutions, and almost everyone with a car has a smartphone that can mimic the functionality in a pinch as well. Both Apple’s CarPlay and Google’s Android Auto are sophisticated solutions that now come bundled with many new vehicles. Spotify has finally, officially revealed Car Thing, its car-focused smart music player that helps users easily access their favorite music, podcasts and more. While this product could have proved revolutionary a few years back, it’s hard not to believe that Spotify is somewhat late to the party here. Spotify's Car Thing is a new streaming device for playing music in the car, but it does share a lot of similar features to everyday smartphones.