Spotify is now launching user ratings for podcasts

Spotify is taking a leaf out of rival Apple’s book with the introduction of a five-star user ratings system for podcasts.

The music giant announced that as of now they are rolling out this feature: “a star rating system that improves podcast discoverability by highlighting shows’ popularity”.

After listening to a show for at least 30 seconds, listeners will be able to leave a rating. The show’s average rating will then be displayed on its landing page once at least 10 reviews have been submitted. Spotify claims that the feature is designed to make it “easier for listeners to decide when to try out a new podcast” and that the ratings will “serve as the first chance to draw new listeners in.”

Over the next several days, the feature should be available in “nearly all markets” where podcasts are available on Spotify.

Apple Podcasts has offered this feature for several years, though it has been the target of much controversy with complaints about “review bombing” by groups of people looking to drag down the average rating of a show.

Spotify does not have a similar rating system for music, however. Listeners can “like” individual songs and albums, which helps the algorithm find music the listener would be attracted to, but there is no review or rating system for music yet. The company compared the podcast five-star ratings to the ability to see the number of monthly listeners on a music artist’s page – the goal in both circumstances is to give potential listeners context about popularity.

According to Spotify, the user ratings system will also give creators an opportunity to see a big picture view on how they are doing, which they’re then able to utilise by seeking more specific information from their audience on how they can improve.

Spotify hopes that this new feature would be a step into helping newer podcasts be introduced to wider audiences, and will soon be available in nearly all avenues on Spotify where podcasts can be accessed.

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