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Spotify delves into live audio with purchase of Clubhouse rival

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<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2021/reuters/03/31/spotify-tech-betty-labs.jpg"/><figcaption>FILE PHOTO: FILE PHOTO: The Spotify logo is displayed on a screen on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., May 3, 2018. <em>Brendan McDermid, Reuters/file</em></figcaption></figure></div><p><br/>NEW YORK - Spotify announced Tuesday it had acquired &quot;live audio&quot; specialist Betty Labs to serve as a development vehicle in the booming sector.</p><p>Following in the footsteps of podcasts, &quot;live audio&quot; -- which offers broadcasts, talks and conversations between internet users -- has taken off in recent years, driven by the app Clubhouse.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/02/07/21/chinese-users-flock-to-us-chat-app-clubhouse-evading-censors">Chinese users flock to US chat app Clubhouse, evading censors</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/02/08/21/china-users-say-no-longer-able-to-access-clubhouse-app-raise-great-firewall-fears">China users say no longer able to access Clubhouse app, raise &#x27;Great Firewall&#x27; fears</a></li></ul><p>Launched in 2018, Betty Labs specializes in the niche, and in October 2018 launched the app Locker Room, which hosts live audio exchanges about sports.</p><p>Spotify said Tuesday it will develop Locker Room into a platform open to &quot;a wider range of creators and fans,&quot; according to a statement.</p><p>Among Betty Labs&#x27; initial investors is GV, the private equity arm of Google parent company Alphabet.</p><p>In late February, Spotify confirmed its ambitions to expand into non-musical audio.</p><p>The group has already spent hundreds of millions of dollars to build an integrated podcast offering an advertising interface and exclusive content.</p><p>Several US media outlets have reported that Facebook is working on an offering similar to Clubhouse. Entrepreneur Mark Cuban is also working on his own version, called Fireside.</p><p>The Discord platform -- which launched in 2015 -- is currently valued at about $7 billion.</p><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=1651573" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>

<p>Spotify announced Tuesday it had acquired "live audio" specialist Betty Labs to serve as a development vehicle in the booming sector.<br /> </p>

Spotify announced Tuesday it had acquired "live audio" specialist Betty Labs to serve as a development vehicle in the booming sector.