Spotify Is Joining Forces with Viacom, Hopes To “Bring Back the Music in MTV”

“We can bring back the music in MTV and bring its programming to a wider audience again,” says Spotify founder and chief executive Daniel Ek.

July 21, 2014


Behold, the days of scrambling to Shazam your TV while teary/sexy Teen Mom or Dating Naked montage sequences play are nigh. Viacom, the owner of cable channels like MTV, VH1 and BET, is teaming with the music streaming service Spotify, a move the network hopes will "bring back the music in MTV." According to the Wall Street Journal, the two companies have struck up a marketing deal that will make music by artists featured across Viacom's websites and its (now reality show heavy) on-air programming available conveniently and for free to Spotify via playlists. And Spotify founder and self-professed MTV fan Daniel Ek, for one, is optimistic. "We can bring back the music in MTV and bring its programming to a wider audience again," he says-- just as so many have before. So, we'll see! Till then, you might want to check out FADER's Spotify app.

Spotify Is Joining Forces with Viacom, Hopes To “Bring Back the Music in MTV”