Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Spotify brings on music maven Troy Carter to battle rival streamers

By Stephanie Topacio Long June 7, 2016

spotify hires troy carter flickr — TechCrunch/Flickr

Spotify may lead rival streaming services with its 30 million paying subscribers (as of March), but staying ahead of Apple Music and Tidal is not a given, and the company seems well aware of that. The streamer has now brought on Troy Carter — a music manager who has worked with the likes of Lady Gaga, John Legend, Meghan Trainor, and more — as global head of creative services.

Hits Double Daily first reported rumors of the high-profile hire, with Spotify confirming the news on Monday, according to Recode. In his new position, Carter will work with musicians to secure exclusive artist content and be involved in original content creation. With his track record of success and talent management, he seems ideally suited to the position. Plus, the streamer must be drooling over the mere idea of a Lady Gaga Spotify exclusive.

Exclusive content has become more and more common for streaming services. Kanye West’s most recent album, The Life of Pablo, for example, started out as a Tidal exclusive, while Drake’s Views was initially only available on Apple Music. Spotify clearly wants to secure similar deals, and getting a music industry insider on board is an important step.

Carter posted some thoughts about this career move on his Facebook page Monday afternoon. “I’m a firm believer that Spotify is the future for music,” he wrote. “In my new role as Global Head of Creative Services, my job is just a natural continuation of what I’ve always done – protect the voice of artists. Always have and always will.”

The post clearly conveyed Carter’s support for artists, passion for music, and enthusiasm for Spotify, so now it just remains to be seen what he is able to cook up with those ingredients.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Stephanie Topacio Long

Contributor

Stephanie Topacio Long is a writer and editor whose writing interests range from business to books. She also contributes to…

Audio / Video

Spotify could launch its HiFi lossless audio tier any day now

Spotify app and earbud.

In February, Spotify announced its ambitions to join the increasingly popular lossless audio space with a new subscription tier called Spotify HiFi. At the time, the streaming music company was silent regarding pricing or the potential timing for the new tier's debut, but a recently spotted video suggests it could happen imminently.

Late last week, Reddit user Nickx000x posted a video to the Spotify subreddit that appears to show an introductory animation for Spotify HiFi. The video -- spotted first by WhatHiFi? -- looks like it's designed to take Spotify mobile app users through the quick process of understanding what Spotify HiFi is, how it works, and how to know if they're actually getting the higher-quality lossless audio stream on their device.

Mobile

Spotify is finally bringing offline playback to Wear OS

Spotify is finally bringing a long-awaited feature, offline playback, to its Wear OS app. The company announced it at Google I/O in May, and now a timeline has been laid out for when users can expect to see this feature on their wrists alongside a refreshed design.

"In the coming weeks, Spotify users will be able to play their favorite playlists, albums, and podcasts with their smartwatches that run Wear OS. By having Spotify on your wrist, you’re more free to run, dance, shop, cook, and socialize -- and control your music and podcasts at the same time," Spotify announced in a blog post. "Plus, we’re excited to unveil one of the most requested features by our users: the ability to download all of your favorite music and podcasts to your smartwatch."

Audio / Video

Spotify Plus might give free users unlimited track skipping for $1 per month

Screen capture of the Spotify app promoting Spotify Plus.

Spotify appears to be testing out a new paid subscription option called Spotify Plus. At just $1 per month, it's far cheaper than its $10 per month Premium plan, but as you might expect, there's a reason. Unlike the Premium plan, Spotify Plus members won't be able to avoid ads, but they will get an unlimited number of track skips. Free Spotify members are currently limited to six skips per hour.

Originally reported by The Verge, Spotify Plus members will also get the ability to directly access tracks from a given album, another feature that free users don't get. Digital Trends reached out to Spotify to confirm these details, but the streaming company wouldn't entirely commit. "We're always working to enhance the Spotify experience and we routinely conduct tests to inform our decisions," a Spotify spokesperson told us via email. "We’re currently conducting a test of an ad-supported subscription plan with a limited number of our users. Some tests end up paving the way for new offerings or enhancements while others may only provide learnings. We don’t have any additional information to share at this time."