Spotify has made some changes to its Ambassador Ads program that
pays creators to read ads promoting Spotify content. As part of the update,
Spotify will no longer enable podcasters of white noise to participate in
the program, 1st of October onwards. White noise podcasts are a type
of content where relaxing sounds like rain or static are played in loops.
The reason behind Spotify excluding white noise podcasters from the program seems to be self-explanatory. Since ambient noises are frequently used as background noises, they don’t really serve the purpose of regular podcasts, which is to engage listeners. Spotify, therefore, believes that their cost isn’t well spent.
There were also rumours from a leaked document from January which
suggested that white noise and other ambient podcasts on Spotify were
unintentionally boosted among talk content. Spotify later estimated an addition
in its annual gross profit by $38 million if it were to eliminate white noise content
from its talk feed and redirect users to other types of content.
The removal of white noise podcasters from the Ambassador Ads
program doesn’t imply that these creators will not be able to get paid for
their content, as they would still be eligible for other offerings like paid
subscribers, listener support, and automated ads.
