This article was published on May 5, 2017

Spotify Codes bring Snapchat-like QR codes to music streaming


Spotify Codes bring Snapchat-like QR codes to music streaming

Newly announced Spotify Codes could have a profound impact on the way all of us share music. Before now it wasn’t exactly a cumbersome experience, but sometimes there’s just a better way. And with Codes, Spotify found it.

To use the new feature you’ll find an artist, track, playlist, or album on Spotify, click the ellipsis next to what you want to share, and then click the image with the code to enlarge it.

From there, your friend can scan it off your phone, or you can share the image via text, email, or social media by clicking the magnifying icon to search and then pressing the camera button in the upper right corner.

Once scanned, the shared music instantly begins playing in your friend’s Spotify account.

Perhaps even more interesting is the impact this could have on smaller independent artists and marketing in the music industry in general. These codes could be placed on promotional material like posters, flyers, billboards, or even t-shirts. TV shows featuring these tracks could even add Spotify Codes to help viewer identify the artist.

Currently the feature only works on mobile. Granted, this is where the bulk of this type of sharing is sure to take place, but still, it’d be nice to create the codes on a laptop and share them with a friend sitting next to you on mobile. Or, to create the images on a desktop and upload them to social media for easy sharing or band promotions.

h/t Moshe Isaacian

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