Spotify working on karaoke mode as Twitch plans to axe Sings

Reports have surfaced that Spotify is working on karaoke mode … just as Twitch announced plans to shut its live karaoke game Twitch Sings.

Spotify is testing the idea after it released real-time lyrics for Now Playing users in June.

Serial app reverse engineer Jane Manchun Wong shared screenshots of a new microphone icon to be added to the mobile app which allows the user to adjust the volume of the vocal track.

It’s not yet clear when the feature will debut in the app.

Spotify is working on Karaoke Mode

the vocal level is adjustable pic.twitter.com/apeIlETAQs

— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) September 7, 2020

It is possibly Spotify decided to go into karaoke mode after its lyrics feature proved a success.

After all, Deezer went that route after seeing a 33% increase in users following live lyrics as they listen to music.

The potential for growth is immense. 

For instance, Tencent Music Entertainment’s WeSing app generates over 10 million karaoke recordings per day from users in China, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia.

Aside from the karaoke channel, Spotify is said to be also planning two other features.

One is to offer 30 minutes of offline listening to free account holders – something which is certain to annoy paying subscribers.

The other is a new Car Mode interface which gives drivers the option of searching for songs by voice rather than having to scroll through lists and facing the possibility of an accident.

Amazon-owned Twitch says that Twitch Sings will close on January 1 although clips will start to be removed a month before.

No official reason was given, just a bland blog it “decided to invest in broader tools and services that will help support and grow the entire music community on Twitch.”

There are two reasons why Twitch could be wanting to shed.

Announced in 2018, Twitch Sings has only drawn 161,000 followers while the Music category it is part of has 3.6 million.

It was used by viewers to request a track for the gamer to sing it for charity, or for duets, or for the viewer to use a track to cheer the gamer on.

Secondly the company is also in legal water over unauthorised recordings used by gamers and viewers.

Clips and broadcasts will start to be pulled from December with a full closure on January 1.