Spotify introduces a soundtrack widget for the web – what this means for you and for Soundcloud.

Dj Skyjacker Definitions on Spotify:


Today Spotify introduced an HTML 5 widget that allows anyone to embed a playlist, a track or an album into their website. Pressing the play button in the web widget triggers the playlist or a single song in the Spotify Desktop client.

This means that artists will be able to embed their albums and EPs into their webpages. Booking and management agencies websites will soon be soon showing off playlists with latest tracks by their artists & Djs. And just about any blog or website will be able to put up a widget with their favorite music. All to be opened in native Spotify player once the play button is clicked.

Even if the widget is a bit buggy right now, we will defintely see more of this in the near future from Spotify. Just the way the they channeled traffic from Facebook once integrating the Spotify content in Sep 2011, the web widgets will channel a load of trafic from the web into the Spotify client, generating further users on top of the current 10 000 000 userbase. One may say that Spotify is trully breaking out of it’s desktop client and challenging soundcloud.

From the electronic music perspective I believe that Spotify Widgets will be uses to embed EPs and playlist with already released music. While Soundcloud widgets will still be the main choice for promoting upcoming releases, bootlegs and Dj mixes. This roots in the core difference between Spotify and Soundcloud business models. Spotify charges it’s listeners for having access to official content. Soundcloud is free to listen to, but charges content providers for uploading their content – both official and non-official.

Learn how to generate your Spotify play button widget here.

by Alex Esser of House Music With Love / We Manage With Love / Tunaspot

About Alex Esser:

DJ, surfer and entrepreneur residing in Malmö, Sweden. HMWL label daddy. My music network is always open. Holler at alex@hmwl.org