Spotify introduced a new hub for artist merchandise on Monday that recommends goods like T-shirts, vinyl records, and this brass Lana Del Rey lighter for moody girls. It is the latest effort from Spotify to integrate merch purchasing into the app, which has been a priority for artists who distribute on the streaming service.
Merch on Spotify isn’t new — the company launched a partnership with Shopify in 2021 and has been making small updates ever since to facilitate shopping. Still, the purchasing does not happen directly in the app; users can browse goods but are then directed to artists’ individual merch stores.
Spotify does not take a cut from sales, but the merch push does serve a business purpose. It is well known how little artists…
