The streaming service’s lightweight listening app, Spotify Stations, delivers easy access to curated playlists and closes on May 16. The company said that the app and web player would no longer be available.
The Stations app was initially conceived for those who want a more radio-like experience rather than having to pursue music or customize their playlists. Spotify Stations was first established in Australia in 2018 and later rolled out in the United States in 2019.
“At Spotify, we routinely conduct several experiments to create better listening experiences for our users,” a spokesperson for Spotify said to TechCrunch. “Some of the trials pave the way for the more comprehensive user experience, and others serve only as essential learning. Our Spotify Stations Beta was one of those tests. As a consequence, we will be sunsetting the current feature. Still, users will be able to easily transfer their favorite stations and enjoy a similar radio experience directly within the Spotify app.”
Spotify hasn’t elaborated on its decision to shut down Stations but notes that users can move all of their favorite stations to the main Spotify app to continue listening to them.
In addition, the company says that while it doesn’t take sunsetting services lightly, Spotify Radio provides a similar listening experience to Stations so that listeners can use that instead. Spotify Radio is a feature in the main app that creates a playlist based on any song, album, playlist, or artist you select.
Spotify Stations has been considered an experiment by Spotify and some others, a Pandora copycat due to its support for instant music playback at launch.
Spotify Stations appeals to those who prefer a more straightforward user interface, as Spotify’s flagship app’s look and feel isn’t something that everyone likes. However, the app provided a minimalist listening experience that appealed to some users.
As of Friday morning, the Stations app has disappeared from both the iOS App Store and the Google Play Store, but the app itself seems to be functional for the time being to allow current users to move their stations to the main app.
The news comes as Spotify has been making some changes to its apps. Last month, Spotify announced it would integrate the live audio capabilities from its companion app, Spotify Greenroom, within the main Spotify streaming app.
Greenroom will also rebrand as “Spotify Live” as part of these changes. In addition, Spotify’s main app will only feature live content from select original programming at launch. In contrast, the standalone Spotify Live app will continue to allow independent creators to go live.