Fitness app Strava integrates Spotify to let users stream songs, podcasts while tracking workouts – Music Business Worldwide

Strava, an app that tracks exercises like cycling and running, has teamed up with Spotify to allow users to listen to songs, podcasts and audiobooks while they monitor their workout.

The Spotify integration, effective Wednesday (April 12), lets users of Strava play, pause, resume, skip, and browse their Spotify favorites from the record screen on Strava.

This way, Strava users will no longer need to switch between apps and allow them to tap easily into the their workout tracks.

“One of our biggest goals at Spotify is to be everywhere our listeners are—whether that’s on a run, in the gym, or anyplace in between,” said Ian Geller, VP of Business Development at Spotify. 

“This integration with Strava is another way we’re moving with our listeners and allowing them to seamlessly connect to the music and audio they love.” 

“One of our biggest goals at Spotify is to be everywhere our listeners are—whether that’s on a run, in the gym, or anyplace in between.”

Ian Geller, Spotify

The integration comes amid the convergence of music and fitness in recent years.

In 2021, Tuned Global teamed up with UK-based home fitness brand Psycle London to power a playlist app for the latter’s instructors. 

Merlin, the global rights agency for the independent label sector, in December partnered with fitness app Supernatural, allowing Meta Quest VR headset users to work out to tracks by thousands of indie artists.

Peloton rival Echelon also launched a fully-licensed music offering with music distribution and rights management platform MediaNet in late 2020.

The alliances between music and fitness companies come as the fitness industry gained more momentum during the COVID-19 pandemic.

For Spotify, the Strava integration “is another way we’re moving with our listeners and allowing them to seamlessly connect to the music and audio they love,” said Ian Geller, Spotify’s Vice President of Business Development.

“One of our biggest goals at Spotify is to be everywhere our listeners are—whether that’s on a run, in the gym, or anyplace in between,” Geller added.

Mateo Ortega, Strava’s Vice President of Connected Partnerships, said: “Over time, the consumption of music has evolved dramatically from CDs to streaming, which has opened the door for audio to inspire us in ways they couldn’t before.”

“We’re excited to partner with a global leader like Spotify to seamlessly integrate music and movement on the platform. This new feature further solidifies Strava’s position at the center of connected fitness and continues to demonstrate the power of the global community of active people on Strava.”

Mateo Ortega, Strava

“We’re excited to partner with a global leader like Spotify to seamlessly integrate music and movement on the platform. This new feature further solidifies Strava’s position at the center of connected fitness and continues to demonstrate the power of the global community of active people on Strava.”

To mark the launch of the partnership, Strava will take over Spotify’s Workout playlist beginning April 20.

Spotify’s fitness venture comes as the company seeks to diversify its offering.

The company recently launched its ‘Clips’ feature that lets artists add videos of up to 30 seconds long to their artist profiles. 

Spotify also unveiled a new design that borrows heavily from TikTok.

Over a week ago, Spotify shut down its Spotify Live live audio app just two years after launching it.

Music Business Worldwide