Spotify Cancels Its Current Crop Of Original Video Series As It Looks To Design A New Format

A longtime online video exec is now steering Spotify‘s video strategy, and with one of his first moves, he is going back to the drawing board. According to Bloomberg, the streaming service is canceling all of its current original series as it looks to piece together a new approach under new video boss Courtney Holt.

Spotify had recently launched a number of video programs as part of its efforts to expand beyond the music business that makes up its bread and butter. Most of the series it picked up with music-related. A partnership with Russell Simmons’ All Def Digital, for example, produced Traffic Jams, which resembled James Corden’s iconic Carpool Karaoke bit.

The consensus, especially after the departure of former Head of Video Tom Calderone, has been that those shows were poorly promoted, plagued by discoverability issues, and not nearly memorable enough to stand out in the crowded streaming landscape. They have now received the axe, and Spotify will also halt production on the video series that remain within its developmental pipeline.

Holt, who arrived at Spotify shortly after Calderone’s departure, gained invaluable online video experience while serving as a top Maker Studios executive for close to six years. At Spotify, Bloomberg‘s sources say, Holt is working to develop a new video format, tentatively titled Spotlight. The plan is to combine music, text, and images to create a fresh experience for users.

Though its video division will need some time to reboot, Spotify remains a top choice in the streaming music industry. Its subscription tier, Spotify Premium, costs $9.99 per month.