This week, the subscription world is all abuzz with growth, new ventures and collaborations. Patreon has announced creators can now integrate their subscriber-only podcasts into Spotify, making it easier for patrons to listen to their favorite podcasts. Amazon has expanded their medical offerings, making healthcare more accessible and widespread, and Inspirato has received an investment from Capital One Ventures. To round things off, we’re looking at the Messi effect and what effect the footballer has had on Apple TV’s MLS Season Pass and…

Patreon creators can now integrate podcasts into Spotify

While Patreon is having issues with creator payouts, they do have some good news for creators. Now, those who create subscriber-only podcasts can upload them to Spotify, allowing subscribers to listen off-platform.

Spotify announced the collaboration at their Stream On event. The new offering is powered by a tool called Spotify Open Access, which allows subscriber-only content. With Spotify Open Access, patrons can link their Patreon and Spotify accounts, so users can see their subscriber-only podcasts on the audio platform they use already. Spotify Open Access is by no means a new tool, but Patreon is one of their more well-known partners. They have previously partnered with Audiomeans, Memberful, Glow, and others to allow for a paid podcast offering.

The collaboration with Patreon brings the offering more mainstream and could open a gateway for more membership platforms to jump on board. Open Access lets creators keep their existing business model, as well as their members. The offering is free, and Spotify does not charge membership platforms for the integration.

“We are incredibly excited about this partnership with Spotify, where creators can seamlessly integrate Patreon’s industry-leading podcast-membership tools to grow their business, host their listener community, and directly engage with their most passionate listeners. The partnership between Patreon and Spotify represents shared values and a vision of a new future for internet creators. While some platforms focus on building closed systems that push creators and their fans further apart, Spotify and Patreon are building a more open ecosystem that delivers greater value to everyone, particularly creators and fans,” Julian Gutman of Patreon said of the offering.

Podcasts that will be behind a subscriber-only paywall will show up with a lock icon on the Spotify app, Engadget reported. There will also be a small box to indicate that it is a paid feature. If a non-paying listener clicks on the lock, they will be prompted to see if they would like to hear more from this creator and can be taken to their Patreon directly.

Amazon begins expanding medical offerings

Amazon is beginning to leverage its acquisition of One Medical, and the plan includes expansion. Numerous reports indicate the e-commerce giant has expanded their medical offering to bring it to more cities and states. In addition, they are expanding Amazon Clinic to build out their medical infrastructure.

The news of expansion comes hot off the heels of their One Medical discount that was offered on Prime Day. With the deal, Prime members were given $55 off an annual membership to One Medical. The deal was offered to new US members and applied 28% savings to their first year of membership. An annual membership includes on-demand care through video chat or secure messaging, help navigating insurance and appointment bookings.

Two more locations have opened in Connecticut, according to ABC News. One Medical is also opening a third office in San Francisco and one in Milwaukee. Three additional locations have been announced in Connecticut, but Amazon won’t release more plans about opening until next year.

The ecommerce giant has also made it easy for customers in every state to get care with Amazon Clinic. The service will direct customers to licensed clinicians who are contracted by Amazon to provide care, depending on where they live. Amazon shared that by keeping healthcare simple and transparent, they hope to make healthcare more accessible to all. They also hinted at widening what services they might offer in the coming months.

“With Amazon Clinic, customers in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. can receive convenient, affordable, and trusted care from the comfort of home. In addition to message-based consultations in 34 states, Amazon Clinic now supports video visits nationwide. Amazon Clinic offers customers 24/7 access to clinicians directly through Amazon.com and the Amazon mobile app,” Amazon said of the expansion.

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Capital One Ventures invests in Inspirato

Inspirato just got a boost from Capital One Ventures in the form of a $25 million investment. Inspirato will use the funding to advance innovation and customer satisfaction and provide broad operating flexibility as the company looks to enhance luxury travel.

Inspirato currently offers luxury vacation homes, five-star hotel and resort bookings, and custom travel experiences to their members. Every trip includes personalized service, pre-trip planning, a local concierge, and housekeeping. They also offer Inspirato Pass, a pricy subscription service for their members that includes the cost of trips in their service. The price tag? $2,550 a month for six months.

“Inspirato is focused on leveraging innovation to drive customer satisfaction and growth. This investment enables us to set a global standard for luxury travel and continue enhancing our exceptional experiences to meet evolving consumer needs,” Inspirato co-founder and CEO, Brent Handler, said in a statement.

Capital One has made other investments into the travel space in the last few years. They recently acquired Velocity Black, a digital concierge service that helps to deliver travel, entertainment and more to consumers across the world. In addition, they have invested into flight-finder company Hopper, and acquired travel management platform Lola in 2021.

These three companies alone could be built into Inspirato’s services and make Capital One a pretty penny. In fact, it appears that was the goal with the new stake. Nathan Kristnahmurthy of Capital One Ventures shared that the company was looking to “harness the potential of innovative companies that could integrate well” with their existing business and infrastructure, PYMNTS reported.

While there is a definitive agreement for the deal, there are some other terms both parties much agree to, Skift said. Both Inspirato and Capital One Ventures must enter into a commercial agreement and a strategic relationship, and Inspirato’s shareholders must approve the deal.

Subscriptions to Apple TV’s MLS Season Pass Double

Last month, Apple announced that Lionel Messi would be making his debut on MLS Season Pass with his arrival stateside. The company was excited for fans around the world to watch the player in action, as well as the Leagues Cups tournament. It appears that Apple may have struck gold with Inter Miami CF’s new addition.

“Lionel Messi joining Inter Miami marks a historic moment for the sport in the U.S. and reflects the incredible momentum behind Major Leage Soccer. We couldn’t be more excited to give fans around the world the opportunity to watch the greatest footballer of all time on MLS Season Pass,” Eddy Cue of Apple said of the player coming stateside.

Since Messi came stateside, not only have Inter Miami ticket prices skyrocketed, but so have the numbers of those subscribing to MLS Season Pass. Subscriptions to the service have doubled, according to Jorge Mas of Inter Miami, citing Spanish language viewership. Currently, Spanish language viewership has surpassed over 50% for Messi matches and is still rising.

While this may not mean Apple TV subscriptions are on the rise, it does indicate that Apple TV is winning with their investment into MLS and the MLS Season Pass. They penned a ten-year $2.5 billion contract with the league. The deal replaced MLS’s past contracts with ESPN, Univision and Fox. With the service, fans worldwide can access matches wherever they are, in over 100 countries and regions. Games are streamed in English and Spanish, as well as French in Canada.

The service currently costs $14.99 per month during the season if not currently subscribed to Apple TV, or $12.99 if they are subscribed to Apple TV. At the time the deal was announced, Don Garber of the league shared that soccer fans are some of the most engaged and passionate, and the new claim with Messi rings true.

Amazon Music Unlimited raises prices for Prime members

In other Amazon news, the company is raising Amazons Music Unlimited subscriptions a $1.00 a month for Prime members. The price will increase from $8.99 to $9.99 a month, effective September 19, reports Variety. The family plan is also increasing $1.00 a month for Prime members, going from $15.99 to $16.99. The family plan is available for up to six users. Annual pricing for Amazon Music Unlimited is increasing $10 a year for Prime members. Individual plans will increase from $89 to $99 a year, and family plans will increase from $159 to $169 a year.

The last price increase for the monthly plans was done in May 2022 when the price for Prime members on the individual plan increased from $7.99 to $8.99. The new pricing is still less than what non-Prime members pay for the service. As of February, the individual plan is priced at $10.99 a month for non-Prime members.

According to FAQs on the Amazon website, Amazon Music Unlimited will impose the new pricing for new customers effective August 15. Existing customers will see price increases on or after September 19, on the date of their next monthly renewal. Those who are paying promotional pricing will still pay the discounted rate for the balance of the promo period. After that, Amazon will honor the original subscription price for the first billing cycle. Thereafter, the new pricing will go into effect.

“To help us bring you even more content and features, we’re updating the prices of select Amazon Music Unlimited Plans,” the company said.

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