Photo credit: Spotify
Spotify is adding support for 11 new languages on its mobile app, bringing the total to 74.
Spotify started out with support for 27 languages and has since expanded that number several times. The last major language expansion was in 2021 with 36 new languages. Today’s rollout contains Support for multiple regional dialects of languages to provide users with a more personalized experience while using the Spotify app.
New language extensions from Spotify – 2023
- Spanish — Argentina
- Spanish – Mexico
- Traditional Chinese – Hong Kong
- Arabic – Egypt
- Arabic – Saudi Arabia
- Basque
- Bosnian
- English – Great Britain
- Galician
- Macedonian
- Arabic — Morocco
Now millions of users around the world can access Spotify in their native language or local language. Spotify is still hoping to add new users, despite the job cuts and Daniel Ek’s admission that the company has been growing too quickly during the pandemic. Spotify has more than 456 million monthly listeners and is trying to continually increase that number — particularly by redirecting free users to its premium subscription.
Spotify has bet heavily on its podcast competition in the pandemic era, spending big bucks acquiring talent and technology. Now, the company appears to be streamlining that strategy, with podcast division chief executive Dawn Ostroff leaving the company. Smoke signals that Spotify wasn’t happy with its podcast strategy dissipated in 2022, when the company scrapped 11 original podcasts and laid off nearly 40 people.
Ostroff was instrumental in shaping the company’s podcasting strategy after joining Spotify in 2018. She struck talent deals with Kim Kardashian, former Presidents Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. The most popular podcast on Spotify is still The Joe Rogan Experience. Spotify has been rumored to have paid more than $250 million for the podcast’s exclusivity. Ostroff will remain a senior advisor to Ostroff during the transition period. Alex Norström now takes responsibility for content, advertising and licensing.