Spotify is officially adding support for music videos, the company announced today. The audio streaming service describes the feature as a “beta” with only a “limited catalog” available as of today in 11 markets. Supported artists include Ed Sheeran, Doja Cat, Ice Spice, Aluna, and Asake, with Spotify’s global head of consumer experience Sten Garmark telling TechCrunch that Spotify’s full music video catalog will eventually include “thousands” of songs.
The music video feature is accessible via the Now Playing screen on supported tracks, where a “Switch to Video” icon will appear above the song title. Tapping it will restart the song, and start playing its music video in the center of the display. You can rotate an iOS or Android device to play the music video fullscreen, and tap “Switch to Audio” to return to the more traditional Now Playing interface.
The feature is currently available in a limited number of markets; the UK, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Brazil, Colombia, Philippines, Indonesia, and Kenya. Garmark says these markets were chosen “based on a number of criteria including market size and the availability of local content support.”
As well as iOS and Android, Spotify says the music videos feature is also available on desktop and TV devices. You’ll need to have a Premium subscription to watch them.
Although primarily an audio streaming service, Spotify has long supported various forms of video, whether it’s video podcasts or short vertical videos called Clips that are designed to let artists talk directly with their fans. With its new music video feature, Spotify says it’s aiming to give artists another way to hook in listeners and turn them into fans.
