For some time, Music Ally has been predicting a future where the big tech firms bundle music and video into unified subscriptions: something Apple, Amazon and Google certainly have the constituent parts for already, if not (yet) the necessary licensing structure.
But still, this prospect is a threat for the pureplay music-only streaming services, whose video operations are focusing more on shortform, original content. But it’s also a threat for the likes of Netflix and Hulu, who don’t have music, which suggests potential for pureplay partnerships.
Spotify announced one yesterday: a deal with Hulu in the US that will offer college students Spotify Premium and Hulu’s Limited Commercials tier for a bundled price of $4.99 a month. But importantly, students are just the start.
“This is the first step the companies are taking to bundle their services together, with offerings targeted at the broader market to follow,” explained Spotify’s blog post.
Students are a key battleground for music-streaming services, with Amazon having recently launched its own $4.99-a-month Music Unlimited deal.
But to reiterate: the disruptive thing about Spotify/Hulu is the music+video bundle aspect, getting in ahead of any such moves from the bigger tech companies in the future. Which begs the question, will Netflix be open to this kind of partnership, and if so, who will it team up with?
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