Spotify no longer wanna be Apple Music, they wanna be MTV

Spotify may have to remain content with simply being the number one place on earth where humans imbibe music, with their ambitious plans to move into original video content now nixed, according to reports by Bloomberg.

The service has cancelled high-profile video offerings such as Drawn and Recorded with noted producer and songwriter T Bone Burnett, and Russell Simmons’ Rush Hour.

Instead the company is reportedly focusing on something called ‘Spotlight’, which “combines audio, images and video into a single, seamless experience.” What this actually means is anyone’s guess.

It’s not surprising that Spotify have backed away from entering the original video content market, which is currently lead by Netflix, and flooded by numerous big-name players such as Amazon, Apple, Hulu; not to mention the traditional networks and cable stations.

It would appear they are aiming for something in-between, perhaps a platform that combines music, video, and original content. Such as MTV.

“We just want to be a place that artists will go and feel at home,” Troy Carter told Billboard a few weeks ago. “What MTV was. What BET was. What HOT 97 was.”

The future is beginning to look a lot like the past.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJTKf01swJY

This article originally appeared on The Industry Observer, which is now part of The Music Network.