I’ve been longing for the day that Spotify actually starts to appreciate specific fanbases. After all, we’re the reason the best music streaming services have such a dominant place in popular music and media, so it's a good idea to give us something extra that will keep us engaged with our favorite artists outside of simply streaming their music.
March 6th 2025 marked a first-of-its-kind event for Spotify, as it hosted a fan press conference with none other than Lady Gaga – and I have never felt more seen or heard by Spotify.
The event, titled the Little Monsters Press Conference, was live streamed on Spotify’s YouTube channel and Instagram and TikTok pages to celebrate the release of Gaga’s new studio album Mayhem. Packed entirely with fans and no journalists, I watched the live stream from the comfort of my own home, and while I didn’t directly submit a question to one of my favorite artists, Spotify’s press conference still made me feel part of the event. Why? Because it was aimed at a specific music fanbase, and it's one that I'm right at the center of.
Music platforms are thinking about the fans, and I like what I’m seeing
As I settled into the live stream, it got me thinking about Spotify’s history with fan involvement and to my knowledge, this is the first time I’ve seen Spotify actively create a space for fans to really thrive and feel closer to the artists they stream the most.
I have to say, it was rather strange to see Spotify take this approach and to be directly part of a music rollout like this, and though Billie Eilish X Spotify listening experience was somewhat of a fan event, it was exclusive. With this fan press conference, we – the little monsters – had full control.
Over the nice and simple 45-minute time run, fans took to the mic to ask Gaga their burning questions about the new album and everything in between; "This really is a little monsters press conference," Gaga said when asked about the lead single. No stone was left unturned and the fans asked whatever they pleased, as encouraged by Gaga.
But what was also refreshing to see was Spotify’s interpretation of a traditional press conference, putting a modern spin on it that made it feel current. It would’ve been easy for Spotify to invite a shedload of journalists to conduct the event, but putting the question of what people wanted to hear into the hands of fans meant that people like me watching at home got the kinds of questions and the answers we were dying to hear.
Spotify, keep up the good work
Say what you want about the seemingly endless wait for Spotify HiFi, or even the wave of issues the company's been faced with in the wake of the Spotify Premium ads bug, but I couldn’t name another streaming service that has held a fan-led event with a major artist quite like this one.
I want to see Spotify take advantage of highly anticipated music releases more often, because I know that there’s space for these kinds of events run by music streaming services – and people will watch them. Similarly to Apple Music’s artist interviews, which Gaga has also participated in (see below), these are things that fans want out of the music streaming services they use.
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