Spotify is leaping further into the world of digital video, having just announced a slate of twelve new programs which it will self-produce and release this year. The company has wooed several big-name artists set to create new and interesting content for subscribers, including Russell Simmons, Tim Robbins, and T-Bone Burnett.
Still, the streaming service isn’t aiming to be the next Netflix just yet; Spotify’s new shows will be short and to the point with maximum run times of fifteen minutes, and will center around three main themes: Music performances, profiles, and culture.
The variety of new original series highlights Spotify’s goal to get as many viewers interested in its new video content as possible, and its shows will run the gamut from nerd-pleasing history highlights to lighthearted comedies.
In terms of specific programming, casual music fans will likely be interested in Trading Playlists, a series where celebrities get together and learn about each other’s tastes in music, and Ultimate/Ultimate, a mockumentary about EDM producers which will be helmed by Tim Robbins.
Russell Simmons and T-Bone Burnett will take those with deeper musical roots further down the rabbit hole with two other new shows.
Simmons’ Rush Hour will take a hip-hop legend and a younger musician, put them in a limo, and force them to remix one of their well known tracks while on the way to an undisclosed location at rush hour — at which point they will have to perform the new song live. Burnett’s Drawn and Recorded will animate different anecdotes from music history, ranging from hilarious stories to introspective looks at moments in performers’ lives.
The new shows will be made available to users in the United States, U.K., Germany, and Sweden, and will be playable via the company’s apps for both iOS and Android. They will first start rolling out on the service this summer, with new shows slated to keep trickling onto the streaming service through fall.
