Smart-links firm Linktree has launched a new feature called ‘Payment Lock’ which aims to help people charge for access to exclusive content. The idea is simple: when people click or tap on a Linktree link, some of the things its landing page points to can be paywalled: unlocked with a payment.
For now, Linktree’s blog post announcing the feature stresses that it’s for documents: PDFs, from articles, short stories and poems to workout plans and recipes (but definitely NOT adult content). However, in the email sent to journalists about the launch, some other potential uses were mentioned. They included “provide Early Access to music, videos” and also “sell curated Spotify playlists”.
We can see how the music and videos would work – downloadable MP3s, unlisted YouTube videos etc – but paywalling Spotify playlists seems a bigger stretch that would at least require an integration with (and approval from) Spotify. TechCrunch’s writeup of the announcement noted a follow-up conversation with Linktree stressing that in its current beta form, Payment Lock is purely focused on files and documents.
So, it seems the music elements are theoretical for now, but they are clearly on the to-do list.
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