Spotify Is Testing Token-Enabled Music Playlists

Music streaming Spotify is testing a new service called "token-enabled playlists," which allows holders of non-fungible tokens (NFT) to connect their wallets and listen to curated music.

Currently, the service is available to token holders within the Fluf, Moonbirds, Kingship and Overlord communities. The curated playlists will be actively updated during the three-month testing period and can only be accessed by community members via a unique link.

Web3 gaming and media universe Overlord tweeted on Wednesday that holders of its lizard-themed Creepz NFT project can connect their Web3 wallet on Spotify to access the project's community-curated "Invasion" playlist.

Overlord tweeted that the pilot is currently only available for Android users in the U.S., U.K., Germany, Australia and New Zealand.

Spotify appeared to confirm the details in tweet reply.

Universal Music Group's NFT band KINGSHIP also shared that it had created a token-gated playlist for NFT holders featuring Queen, Missy Elliott, Snoop Dogg and Led Zeppelin.

Lead developer for NFT liquidity protocol NFTX Apoorv Lathey tweeted a screenshot from the pilot, showing step-by-step how to access KINGSHIP's curated playlist on Spotify.

According to the screenshot, NFT holders can connect to their MetaMask, Trust Wallet, Rainbow, Ledger Live or Zerion wallets.

A spokesperson for Spotify told CoinDesk that it "routinely conducts a number of tests in an effort to improve our user experience."

"Some of those end up paving the path for our broader user experience and others serve only as important learnings," the spokesperson said.

Spotify did not provide additional details on plans to roll out the feature more broadly in the future.

The global streaming platform, which has over 489 million users, has previously experimented with integrating NFTs into its service. In May 2022, Spotify allowed a select group of artists, including Steve Aoki and The Wombats, to promote NFTs on their profiles.

Meanwhile, a number of Web3 music platforms have cropped up to decentralize the music listening experience. Audius, for example, is a crypto-linked streaming service that allows users to earn AUDIO token rewards for interacting with its app while Royal and anotherblock allow creators to sell music royalties as fractionalized NFTs.