NEW YORK — Spotify debuted a live concert concept where premium ticket holders can skip the songs they don’t like, sources confirmed.
“We’re taking the classic Spotify experience out of the digital and into this season’s hottest live shows. We’re taking the power of skips away from the band and giving it to the people. We’re democratizing the setlist—specifically, for those who pay for it,” said Alex Norström, one of the co-CEOs of Spotify. “It’s simple. At any point in the concert, a premium customer opens the Spotify app, proposes a skip, moderates a discussion with other premium customers, and spends one of their skip tokens on a vote. If the skip gets enough votes, the band stops playing and moves on to another song. Of course, additional skip tokens are available for a modest fee. If the band receives enough skips, they’re quickly escorted off stage and replaced by a second band identified by our matching algorithm. You’re going to love it.”
Premium ticket holders are already leaving rave reviews.
“I got such a rush from watching the poors cry when I voted to skip ‘Boulevard of Broken Dreams’ at the Green Day show. I love that song, but I love ruining the show for my ex even more,” said Ainsley Calhoun, one of 1,763 premium customers at the Green Day concert. “Every third song or so, everyone who wasn’t premium had to turn around, cover their ears, and watch five minutes of ads on a giant screen at the back of the venue. Meanwhile, I bought enough skip tokens to outvote everyone so I could hear ‘Nightlife.’ God, I’ve never been more aroused.”
Bands questioned whether the model is sustainable.
“Spotify promised to pay us double for each skip. I should’ve asked what was being doubled, because we still only made 43 cents from the entire show,” said Tré Cool, drummer for Green Day. “I called Spotify personally to tell them this will bankrupt our tour. They said the money is nothing compared to the exposure that will bring people to our live shows. What live shows? We’re doing live shows right now!”
As of press time, a Hellbastard show ended in a riot after enough skips brought Lee Greenwood to the stage.
