Spotify acquired the app that would become Greenroom in March 2021 with its $62 million purchase of the startup Betty Labs. Originally known as Locker Room, the app had focused on live audio’s intersection with sports content. Spotify quickly rebranded the app and introduced it as Greenroom in June 2021. The company then rolled out live weekly shows in the hopes of driving consumer adoption of its live audio service. However, Greenroom failed to gain traction in a market that was already moving on from the live audio trend.

Last December, Spotify seemed to be scaling back its live audio ambitions, as the company ended production of several of its live audio shows, including ‘Deux Me After Dark,’ ‘Doughboys: Snack Pack,’ ‘The Movie Buff’ and ‘A Gay in the Life.’

Spotify’s foray into the live audio market had initially seemed like a natural fit for the company as it had been heavily investing in podcasts and related technology in recent years. Although podcasts have been a hit for Spotify, the company seems to have struggled with live audio.

It’s worth noting that Spotify isn’t the only company to pull back from live audio. Last year, Facebook integrated its Live Audio Rooms offering, which is its Clubhouse clone, into its Facebook Live experience. The social media giant also discontinued its short-form audio Soundbites feature and its Audio hub.