Spotify is already one of the biggest music streaming services in the world, but a new job posting has indicated that the company might be about to get into producing music hardware.
The job listings, which was unearthed by Zats Not Funny suggest that the new product will combine elements of the Pebble Watch, Amazon Echo and Snap Spectacles.
One listing, which is for a Senior Product Manager of Hardware says: “We are looking for a passionate and seasoned Senior Product Manager [...] working to build [...] Spotify experiences via fully-connected hardware devices [...] a category defining product akin to Pebble Watch, Amazon Echo, and Snap Spectacles.
"You will define the product requirements for internet-connected hardware, the software that powers it, and work with suppliers/manufacturers to deliver the optimal Spotify experience to millions of users.” [emphasis added].
Redundant hardware
Another entry, for a Product Manager of Voice, calls for someone who, “will be responsible for the strategy and execution of Spotify’s voice efforts beyond our core apps [...] areas like desktop, TVs, speakers, cars, wearables, headphones and partner application integrations [...] Voice is quickly becoming a key interaction mechanism for control of digital devices and services.”
So what does this all mean? It’s becoming harder and harder for music streaming services to differentiate themselves based on their song libraries alone, since most of the major artists around at the moment are available on all services.
Instead, Spotify’s future focus seems to be on creating unique hardware to allow users to access its services.
However, what’s interesting is that of the three products mentioned in the job listing, Spotify is already available on two of them, and it’s not clear how a music service could integrate with a product that’s similar to the Snap Spectacles. How Spotify intends to encourage people to buy a second Echo-like device, for example, when the Amazon Echo is already a fantastic Spotify player is currently unknown.
The same goes for a smartwatch like the Pebble.
We have contacted Spotify for comment and will update this piece when it responds.
H/T: Joe Cox on Twitter
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