The Shopify headquarters, in Ottawa, on Sept. 28, 2018.Chris Wattie/Reuters
E-commerce behemoth Shopify Inc. is linking up with streaming giant Spotify in a partnership the Canadian company says will give musicians more control over their merchandise sales on the music platform.
The Ottawa-based company has struck an agreement with the leading subscription audio streaming service that makes its digital retail business accessible on Spotify’s artist pages alongside their latest singles and albums.
Shopify says the rollout of an “all-in-one commerce platform” on Spotify offers musicians an array of options for how merchandise from their online store is created and displayed to their fans.
They can use Shopify’s various digital solutions to create new merchandise on the fly with “print-on-demand” options that can turn around items such as coffee mugs, wall art and shirts on short notice.
Those tools could prove especially useful as musicians look to capitalize on the TikTok era when one of their songs can generate massive interest on short notice.
Merchandise sales have become a greater part of the music industry in recent years as album sales dwindled and the COVID-19 pandemic brought lucrative touring to a standstill.
Some musicians have found other ways to sell products using their name. For instance, Pharrell launched Humanrace, an all-gender skincare line while Drake sells luxury candles through his company Better World Fragrance House.
Shopify says thousands of musicians already use its services on their websites and to sell items through other social media platforms, including Facebook and Instagram.
“For many fans, Spotify is the primary way they interact with an artists’ music, and we are excited to give artists a new way to capitalize on that moment,” Camille Hearst, head of Spotify for Artists, said Wednesday in a statement.
“We want to provide artists with as many resources as possible to help turn listeners into fans, fans into superfans and, ultimately, help artists earn more.”
Shopify’s services will be an alternative to Spotify’s existing relationship with Merchbar, a more traditional online merchandise platform that specializes largely in album and clothing sales.
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