Spotify’s new ‘skip’ button could end the podcast business as we know it

Spotify is terrifying much of the podcast industry with a tiny little widget.

Last week, the audio streaming giant tweaked its streaming interface, adding a feature that allows some users to more effectively skip through the parts of a podcast no one wants — notably ads, as well as promotions and filler content — as long as they aren’t sold directly by Spotify. Spotify cast the move as streamlining a feature that already exists, the 15-second skip button, which users in practice often use to bypass ads.

Still, the move could reshape the podcast industry, which is already reckoning with a migration to YouTube. For podcasts that rely on users listening to their direct-sold ads to make money, it was a warning shot. Podnews called it a “significant threat” to ad-funded shows.

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