Spotify’s experimentation with interactive music experiences continues, though not all attempts have found lasting success. The company acquired the music trivia game Heardle in , hoping to capitalize on the popularity of word puzzle game Wordle. However, less than a year later, Spotify discontinued Heardle, reportedly in , without a public explanation.
Heardle, launched earlier in , presented players with six attempts to guess a song based on increasingly longer audio clips. The game was initially positioned as a “tool for musical discovery,” according to a Spotify blog post from the time of the acquisition. Upon correctly identifying the song, or after exhausting all six guesses, users were directed to Spotify to listen to the full track.
At the time of purchase, Spotify made Heardle available in the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, with plans to expand its reach to more countries and languages. Jeremy Erlich, Spotify’s global head of music, stated that Heardle had “proven to be a really fun way to connect millions of fans with songs they know and love and with new songs,” and that it aligned with Spotify’s broader strategy to “deepen interactivity across the Spotify ecosystem.”
The acquisition followed The New York Times’ successful purchase of Wordle, signaling a broader trend of major tech companies seeking to integrate popular, simple games into their platforms to boost user engagement. Spotify’s move was seen as a way to attract and retain users within its music streaming service, offering a novel way to interact with music beyond simply listening to playlists or albums.
Despite the initial enthusiasm and expansion plans, Spotify ultimately shut down Heardle. The reasons for the discontinuation remain unclear, as the company has not publicly addressed the decision. This mirrors a pattern of Spotify experimenting with features and services, and then discontinuing them if they don’t meet internal performance metrics or align with long-term strategic goals.
The shutdown of Heardle occurred while Spotify was also exploring other integrations with social platforms. As of , Spotify has integrated with BeReal, allowing users to share what they are listening to on Spotify alongside their BeReal posts. This feature, launched after BeReal’s daily user numbers declined from 20 million in to 10.4 million in , appears to be an attempt to maintain relevance among Gen Z users who were already sharing music preferences on platforms like TikTok through apps such as bopdrop, Kiwi, and Airbuds.
The BeReal integration allows the album art of the currently playing song or podcast to appear in the bottom right corner of a BeReal post. Tapping the artwork reveals the song or podcast details. Users can also share their location alongside their music, providing a more complete snapshot of their current activity.
The fate of Heardle serves as a reminder that even acquisitions by major tech companies are not guarantees of long-term success. While Spotify continues to seek ways to enhance user engagement and integrate social features, the company’s willingness to experiment – and to discontinue projects that don’t perform as expected – remains a key characteristic of its strategy. The integration with BeReal, however, suggests Spotify is continuing to explore avenues for users to share their musical tastes within broader social contexts.
Beyond Spotify’s own initiatives, the broader music landscape continues to evolve. Research published in highlighted unconscious biases present in the music of Carmen, demonstrating ongoing academic interest in the cultural and societal influences embedded within musical works. A Facebook post from mentioned a “Secret Sound” game, suggesting a continued appetite for music-based guessing games, though this game is separate from Spotify’s former Heardle.
developments in mobile gaming, including the creation of a new NFT-based chess game, indicate a broader trend of integrating new technologies into gaming experiences. While not directly related to Spotify or Heardle, this highlights the dynamic nature of the digital entertainment landscape and the ongoing search for innovative ways to engage users.
