Tag: community

See if You’ve Got What It Takes To Be a Spotify Star

August 24, 2023

On Spotify’s Community Support forum, users can find answers to their toughest Spotify questions. These days, we aim for 90% of new help topics to receive a response within 48 hours—up 300% from just two years ago. This speed and efficiency in our service has recently earned Spotify several awards, most recently, “Best Customer Success Community” at the Community Industry Awards. This is, in no small part, thanks to the Spotify Stars. 

Spotify’s Stars Program is a 10-year-old initiative that empowers Spotify Community super users with the tools and resources to help other listeners get their questions answered. “There are over 550 million Spotify users out there, and there are a limited number of employees we have available to answer every possible question,” says Allison Leahy, Director, Spotify Customer Service Operations. “The Stars are really key to our success and helping us, not only to answer questions, but to innovate across the whole Spotify experience, from the features to the products.”

The Stars are Spotify fans who have used Spotify and engaged on our community forums for years. They’re particularly passionate about our programs and products, and also about working together and with other users. “There’s something extra personal when members draw from their personal experiences, and it means there’s someone who has a different way of thinking about one of our programs or products who’s able to shed unique light on an answer,” says Allison. 

Stars enjoy learning new skills and furthering their career development, especially when it comes to communication, as they work across cultures and gain rich insights into how tech companies operate. They attain early access to insights about Spotify, enjoy open discussions with Spotify employees across R&D and operations, and receive plenty of Spotify swag. They have also championed new programs, including a live-streamed concert featuring artists beloved by the Community. 

The ultimate benefit to participating in the Stars program is the Star Jam event, where the top contributors may get the chance to visit Spotify’s HQ in Stockholm. This past year, they got to sit in on user research–led discussions about products pre-release, be a part of a design-thinking workshop around the Spotify user experience, take a tour of our studios, and listen in on Product and Desktop team meetings going through the latest changes in our desktop UI. The Stars also heard from guest speakers including our Co-President Gustav Söderström, who spoke about the evolution of Spotify and how we’ve responded to user feedback in the past when making product decisions. 

“It’s pretty incredible that at this stage in the company’s life cycle—over 15 years after launch, and having reached 550+ million monthly active users—that our senior leaders are still taking the time to meet the Stars,” says Allison. “We don’t take it for granted that there is that level of interest from the Stars, or even from our executives. It really motivates us to bring our best work and ensure this is the kind of program people want to join.”

For those who are looking to become a Star, Allison recommends spending time on our Community forum. “Read through questions, respond when you feel comfortable. Figure out what spaces you’re drawn to and even reach out to the existing Stars to hear about their experience. Or check out @AskSpotifyStars on X. If you find you are ready to join the program, you can apply from the bottom of the Stars page.”

We also put together a short quiz so you can test your Community-savvy skills.

1. What is the best way to reorganize the song order in your playlist?
2. How do you set a sleep timer?
3. How do you set your own art for a playlist?
4. How do you use Spotify in Offline Mode?
5. How can you change from a Duo Premium plan to a Family Premium plan?

Meet Jay-Ann Lopez, the Black Woman Expanding the Definition of a ‘Gamer’

November 16, 2020

Jay-Ann Lopez is passionate about her video games. She’s currently very into Spellbreak—a multiplayer action-spellcasting game where players can wield fire, ice, toxic objects, poison, and stone. Her “wind-down” game is a calmer one, Spiritfarer, and she’s looking forward to gathering some friends to play Apex Legends season seven with her as well. Yet, as a Black woman, Jay-Ann is not who most people think of when they think of a gamer—which is precisely what she’s trying to change. There are countless women of color playing video games and looking for community. So she took it upon herself to make it happen and founded Black Girl Gamers. 

For the Record spoke to Jay-Ann about creating space for Black women gamers, the representation that is yet to come, and the music on her Start Select gaming playlist takeover. 

In 2015 you founded an online community called Black Girl Gamers. Can you tell us about the need that you saw for such a space?

It wasn’t a need that I saw. It was a need that I experienced. I’ve been gaming from a young age, but during that time, there were a couple of things that I experienced that led me to start Black Girl Gamers when I was in university. The first experience was not feeling represented in games. Another was just that lack of visibility for Black women who game. A lot of my friends that I was gaming with were white men. Eventually, I’d hear a sexist joke or a joke that is based in African-American vernacular English—and I’m not even American.

I tried starting my own channel. I then abandoned that, because I was like, I’d rather ‘do for everyone’ than just ‘do for myself.’ Now it’s taken off. We have 7,000 women in the group globally; in America, the UK, Asia, Caribbean, Europe. Wherever you think there’s a Black woman—she most likely games.

Spotify Rock Stars Answer Your Questions

February 11, 2019

Next time you need help listening to your favorite music offline or setting up your Family Premium account, you needn’t click (or tap) around randomly. Instead, head over to our Support site, full of FAQs and Spotify staff-written explanations to a variety of app-related questions. Or, better yet, ask a Rock Star for help.

No, not Bono. Spotify Rock Stars are power users who are passionate about sharing their knowledge with others. You can connect with them on our Community page and through the Twitter handle @AskRockStars. Not only are Rock Stars likely to serve up a quick solution, they might also share an additional trick or two.

“In 2011, we noticed one Spotify user answering hundreds of questions in multiple languages in our first forum,” says Rorey Jones, Senior Customer Service Hardware Manager. Then, in 2013, a team brainstorm led to the official branding and launching of the Rock Star Program, he explained.

Today, there are 132 Rock Stars from more than twenty different countries, including Australia, Brazil, Greece, Mexico, Sweden, the UK, and the U.S. The Rock Stars help people use Spotify every day. Along with coming to your rescue, they also help us pinpoint potential issues, synthesize and relay your feedback, and even beta test new features.

“They’re great resources for us on how our product performs and what issues we have,” explains Mark Cohen, VP of Customer Support. “They help us hit the high notes.”

Rock Stars can even score points for their work. The more they help Spotify users, the more rewards—and the higher ranks—they can unlock. This gamification not only helps Rock Stars understand what they’re working toward, but “with the ranks, users can easily spot an experienced Star versus a new one,” explains Meredith Humphrey, Global Community Manager.

Our Rock Stars also go on a tour of sorts. Each year, we bring several of them together in one city for a “Rock Star Jam” where they meet each other, participate in Q&A sessions, test the platform’s newest features, and provide ideas for future product enhancements. We’d like to extend our thanks to all the Rock Stars for their passionate collaboration and ongoing support.

Think you’d like to be a Rock Star? Click here to apply and start sharing your Spotify skills.