[FireStick Roku,][Podcasts] Video Podcast Support - Community Thread

[user-removed]

Here's an idea - for all of those who are unable to watch podcast videos on their devices.

Given the JRE deal, it has become incredibly burdensome to watch the podcast since Fire Sticks, Rokus, etc don't have a Spotify app that supports it yet. The only way to seem to get this feature is to "vote" on the idea in this community. These threads for voting don't seem to get very far. They're filled with complaints and little to no responses. There's no place to see that progress is being made or when to expect such features.

Meanwhile, you may be paying for one or more premium accounts. For those who love Spotify for music, this may not be incredibly relevant to you (but if you feel the same please join), but for those who came to Spotify because of the JRE deal (and no doubt why Spotify wanted to get exclusive rights - to grow their user base) perhaps it's time we speak up with a different voice. That voice is with our wallets and with their metrics.

I propose we cancel our premium memberships on 2/14/21. A mass canceling will certainly spike on their daily KPI's (Key Performance Indicators) and we can show with a loud voice that this means something to us and our relationship with Spotify. I also propose that 2/14/21 is the last day we play the JRE Podcast so the viewing metrics also lower. 

The goal of this is to get a solid response from Spotify as to when we can expect the video feature to be implemented in the apps for these common viewing devices. Once a target is given, everyone can make an educated decision as to what they want to do with their membership in the meantime. For Valentine's Day, show our love for video podcasts with some tough love for Spotify. Spread the word, it's time to break up on 2/14/21.

[Elena]

Hey @user-removed,

We're always trying to be open with our users on the Community - we ask them to create and vote for ideas so that we'd be able to better understand their wishes and prioritize our goals.

The idea votes are some of the KPIs you yourself mention and we have a list of implemented ideas that we hope does show that we do take a close look at those counts. It seems it's good feedback for us to think about how we can ensure there's no false perception on the value of submitted ideas.

That being said, it's not always possible to give a time frame for when a certain feature might appear in the app even if it's being developed. There are multiple factors to be taken into consideration especially with an option that requires cooperation with a few partners and different device manufacturers.

Of course our developers are looking for ways to bring better service to our users and bringing video podcasts to all big screens is on the list. As you yourself suggest, this will otherwise most likely lead to unhappy customers who leave Spotify.
We have a few ideas about video on different platforms and all of them are monitored closely by the Community staff.

We understand the importance of that feature and we don't want you to feel like you're not heard. Our goal here is to not give any promises if we're not 100% sure that we can fulfill them to expectations.

Hopefully this gives you a bit more insight into the situation.

[user-removed]

Elena,

Thanks for your reply. I'd like to address what I believe are the important factors: communication and transparency.

"That being said, it's not always possible to give a time frame for when a certain feature might appear in the app even if it's being developed. There are multiple factors to be taken into consideration especially with an option that requires cooperation with a few partners and different device manufacturers."

I think this is a well understood position in 2021. However, I also think it's a weak position. It's one of fear and not accountability. You're not alone, many companies won't provide any dates for anything because "What if we don't make it? We'll look bad to our customers." I can assure you, your silence looks much worse. If you don't want to promise dates, then don't. But that doesn't mean you can't explain what's happening and set some expectations. For example, "We have reached out to X company and are in this stage of the game. We need to do Y and Z after this gets approved, so we're hoping for a March release if everything goes well. However, we all know unexpected things happen, so we will release another update in two weeks to see if the target has moved."

Now, what feels better? Having to explain reality but being informed that our concerns are heard, acted upon, and actively tracked OR <silence>?

"We have a few ideas about video on different platforms and all of them are monitored closely by the Community staff." 

Monitored doesn't mean acted upon. Monitored doesn't mean communicated. I monitored server memory this morning. Guess who knows? Me, and now you.

I'm sorry, but I don't accept a hidden process, lack of information, and empty promises as an answer. My suggestion to the community still stands. Without an informative update, I think the community should stand together on this. I do appreciate your reply, however, as it at least addressed part of the problem which is more than what some of these other idea threads get. But we're not quite at a solution.

[Elena]

Hi @user-removed,

we read you loud and clear. Having straightforward and transparent communication is definitely something we agree is a good approach. We do have some ways to go to in that direction, we agree on that.

One thing we'd like to point out though, is that sometimes things just aren't as clear cut as in your example. Especially when third parties are involved, things can get complicated. You'll need to trust us on that one, but often even when we would like to be more specific, we ourselves don't have the full picture. What's left to avoid the silence you speak of is to give you all the info we have and then have conversations such as this one.

When it comes to our Ideas Exchange, we can assure you that by monitoring we do mean that beyond just plain observation, we also take action to ensure a popular idea can become a reality. Maybe "facilitating" would be a better word to pick, instead of just monitoring. That one's on us.

We are taking your feedback at heart and as we speak we're working on an overhaul of the Idea Exchange, including more transparency on the whole process and more information. 

This reply might also not be the solution and we still cannot give you a clear-cut answer when exactly video podcasts will be available on the devices you mention (we are definitely working on expanding the supported devices!), but we can assure you a couple of things. Your voice and opinion matters. We're listening. We care. It might take us some time, but we'll do our best to improve.

With only the best intentions,
The Community Moderator Team