Oil Prices Slip as U.S.-Iran Tensions and Ceasefire Uncertainty Weigh on Markets 
Energy Price Spike Won't Trigger Lasting Inflation, Analysts Say 
Huawei Expands Vietnam Presence Through Strategic Partnership with SHB Bank 
Jeff Bezos Eyes $10 Billion Funding Round for AI Venture Project Prometheus 
South Korea Central Bank Signals Cautious Policy Amid Inflation and Middle East Tensions 
Rising Jet Fuel Costs from Iran Conflict Push Airfare Higher Across Europe 
UK Wage Growth Slows to 3.6% as Inflation Pressures Complicate Bank of England Outlook 
SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell Earns $85.8M as IPO Buzz Grows 
Australia Extends Fuel Sulphur Relaxation Amid Iran War Supply Disruptions 
Polymarket Seeks $400M Funding Round, Targets $15B Valuation Amid Prediction Market Boom 
Gold Prices Slip Amid Iran Tensions and Fed Chair Uncertainty 
Amazon Expands AI Bet with Up to $25 Billion Investment in Anthropic 
Gold Prices Drop as Oil Rally and U.S.-Iran Tensions Shake Markets 
Asian Currencies Stay Range-Bound as Dollar Holds Steady Ahead of Fed Nominee Hearing 
John Ternus Signals Apple’s Future with Product-First AI Strategy 
Eli Lilly in Talks to Acquire Kelonia Therapeutics for Over $2 Billion 
Spotify has pulled the plug on its Spotify Live live-audio platform. The Swedish audio streaming and digital media services provider said it is discontinuing its standalone app but vowed to keep promoting live interactions between the artists and their fans.
Spotify’s decision to shut down its live audio app was confirmed by its spokesperson to TechCrunch this week. The representative also said that the company would continue with live features on its central platform.
“After a period of experimentation and learnings around how Spotify users interact with live audio, we have made the decision to sunset the Spotify Live app,” the company’s spokesman told the publication through an email. “We believe there is a future for live fan-creator interactions in the Spotify ecosystem however, based on our learnings, it no longer makes sense as a standalone app.”
He added, “We have seen promising results in the artist-focused use case of ‘listening parties,’ which we will continue to explore moving forward to facilitate live interactions between artists and fans.”
It was only in April 2022 that the audio and media streaming provider added the live audio feature from its Spotify Greenroom, which is Spotify’s companion app. When it was integrated into the main streaming app, the Greenroom was renamed Spotify Live.
The feature allowed creators to interact with their audience in real-time, so Spotify Live also served as a stage for hosts to hold a live listening show. Spotify acquired the app that was later made into the “Greenroom” in 2021 after it bought Betty Labs for $62 million. Betty Labs created the Greenroom, which was originally called the Locker Room, which offers live audio of sports content.
Meanwhile, Billboard reported that prior to Spotify Live’s shutdown, the company introduced a number of new features last month. Its chief executive officer, Daniel Ek, said that these updates are the biggest transformation that the platform has ever had in a decade.
Photo by: Alexander Shatov/Unsplash
