Some links on this page are affiliate links: if you buy through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Spotify did test paid video courses—but it has already ended that experiment. The UK-only course catalog launched in March 2024 and was removed on March 31, 2026, according to Spotify’s UK support page. The more relevant question now is whether that detour shows strategic confusion, or whether Spotify is learning where video fits its business: podcasts, music videos and creator tools.
Spotify’s course catalog is no longer available
The headline’s premise is out of date. Spotify did not announce a global online-learning service or a new education subscription. It ran a UK test of paid, prerecorded video courses, then removed the catalog. Spotify’s support page says it removed courses on March 31, 2026, and describes refunds for purchased courses as well as a deadline for finishing courses already started.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Spotify Music | Buy on Amazon | |
| 2 |
|
The Calamity Club: A Novel | Buy on Amazon | |
| 3 |
|
Culpability: A Novel | Buy on Amazon | |
| 4 |
|
Two Can Play | Buy on Amazon |
That establishes the experiment’s end, but not its precise cause. Spotify has not, in the sources cited here, provided a detailed public explanation for discontinuing the catalog. The shutdown is evidence that the test did not continue—not proof of a particular sales result or financial loss.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsWhat Spotify actually tested
Launched on March 25, 2024, the UK offering was a curated storefront for partner-made video courses inside Spotify’s existing ecosystem. Courses appeared in the app’s Home and Browse areas; users bought them through a dedicated webpage and could then watch on mobile or desktop. Both Free and Premium users in the UK could view at least two lessons before deciding whether to purchase the rest. Premium did not include the full courses.
#1 Best Overall
- Listen for free on mobile - play any artist, album, or playlist on shuffle mode
- Listen for free on tablet - play any song, any time
The initial categories were music-making, creativity, business and healthy living. Spotify’s partners included BBC Maestro, PLAYvirtuoso—later referred to as WhatClass—Skillshare and Thinkific. Superintelligent added AI-focused courses in a June 2024 update. BBC Studios separately said seven BBC Maestro courses were available through the test, including a business course led by Steven Bartlett. This was primarily a distribution and aggregation experiment: Spotify was bringing third-party course libraries to its audience, not building a university or a full learning-management system.
There was no single universal price. Contemporary launch coverage reported common prices around £20–£80, while another report observed a much wider range, roughly £11–£240. Those figures describe the 2024 test, not prices available now; Spotify Courses is no longer an active catalog.
Why courses made sense on paper
Spotify’s stated rationale was audience adjacency. The company said about half of its Premium subscribers had engaged with education- or self-help-themed podcasts. People already use the service to learn through audio; video courses offered a way to bring some of that interest into a paid format and give course providers access to Spotify’s established audience.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
That is a plausible experiment, not necessarily a plan to take over online education. Spotify had already expanded from music into podcasts and audiobooks, and video could seem like another way to deepen engagement and create new opportunities for creators. Testing a limited offer in one market is a comparatively contained way to see whether users will follow a recommendation from listening to structured, paid lessons.
Rank #2
Where the product fit was weak
The strategic concern was not simply that Spotify offered video. It was that a course asks users to behave differently from the way they often use Spotify. Music discovery and much podcast listening can happen in the background. Learning a skill usually requires sustained attention, practice, progress tracking and sometimes feedback or assessment. A storefront and playback screen do not automatically provide that learning workflow.
Contemporary reporting described the courses as largely one-directional prerecorded video, sometimes accompanied by supplementary documents, rather than a deeply interactive learning environment with robust tests or gamification. The format may work for an expert explaining an idea, but it offers less obvious advantage for a learner who needs exercises, instructor feedback, a clear syllabus or evidence of completion.
Spotify also had a differentiation problem. Its apparent strength was reach and discovery, not exclusive course content or specialized learning technology. Partners such as BBC Maestro and Skillshare already had their own services and audiences; Thinkific is course-building and commerce infrastructure. Users could encounter similar providers outside Spotify, while courses still required separate payment. That made the added value less clear than it is for a music or podcast catalog integrated into the app.
There were practical risks, too: a catalog mixing music lessons with business, wellness and other subjects could feel disconnected from a user’s reason for opening Spotify; one-time purchases may not create repeat engagement; and a course’s presence on a familiar media app does not guarantee that learners will finish it or acquire a skill. These are product-fit concerns, not documented explanations for the closure.
Rank #3
The course detour is not the whole video strategy
Spotify’s continuing video efforts are much closer to its existing entertainment and creator businesses. Video podcasts are the clearest example. At its May 2026 Investor Day, Spotify said more than 500 million users had streamed a video podcast and that usage was up nearly 50% year over year. The company also discussed podcast discovery and interactive features, creator sponsorships, memberships and ways to distribute shows from publishers using other hosting platforms. Those figures and strategy descriptions are Spotify’s own reporting, not independent audits.
The economics have a closer fit, too: video podcasts extend an existing listening format and give creators more ways to reach audiences and earn revenue. Spotify has reported growth in video-podcast consumption and creator payouts since introducing its Partner Program, but those company-reported figures should not be mistaken for independent proof of long-term profitability.
Music videos are another adjacent bet. In June 2026, Spotify began beta testing direct full-length video uploads through Spotify for Artists for selected artists, including live performances, studio sessions, covers and official videos. Spotify says a listener who streamed a music video went on to stream the song 64% more often on average over the following three weeks. That is the company’s own measurement, and it shows an intended connection between video and music listening—not an independently verified causal effect.
Spotify has also continued developing creator monetization. Its January 2026 announcement described broadened Partner Program eligibility in supported markets, including thresholds of 1,000 Spotify audience members and 2,000 Spotify hours consumed in the previous 30 days, plus three published episodes. Those conditions are market- and program-specific; creators should check Spotify’s current terms rather than assume the thresholds apply everywhere.
Rank #4
Is Spotify “truly lost”?
There is a fair case for the criticism. Spotify has repeatedly explored adjacent categories, and the course product had limited geographic reach, depended on outside providers and did not appear to offer the features that make structured learning distinctive. A test in one country is not evidence of a global education strategy. Its removal makes it reasonable to conclude that this particular offer did not become a lasting Spotify product.
But “lost” is an interpretation, not a fact established by the shutdown. Spotify has expanded successfully into areas such as podcasts and audiobooks, and it has now stopped offering courses rather than maintaining an indefinitely broad catalog. A company can test an idea, decide not to scale it and still make a rational strategic choice. The sources available here do not disclose course sales, completion rates, repeat use or the internal decision criteria, so they cannot show whether the experiment was commercially disastrous, merely modest, or useful as a learning exercise.
A better test of Spotify’s direction is whether a new product reinforces the relationships it already has among listeners, creators and content. Video podcasts build on listening habits and creator distribution. Music videos connect directly to songs and discovery. Courses were a looser fit: a new storefront for third-party content, without a clearly demonstrated learning advantage. That contrast makes the course experiment look like a weak extension—not proof that every move beyond music is misguided.
Verdict
Spotify’s online-course bet is over, so it is misleading to call courses its next big bet. The experiment had a plausible distribution rationale but a less convincing product fit: the service could surface and sell lessons, yet it was not obviously equipped to help users learn in a structured, interactive way. Spotify’s current video push is more coherent when it supports podcasts, music discovery and creator earnings. Whether that broader strategy succeeds remains an open question, but the course shutdown alone does not settle it.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
