Spotify

Spotify Technology is facing a fresh valuation test as investors weigh how much of the company's growth story now rests on podcasts and audiobooks rather than music streaming alone. The company has been pushing to diversify revenue beyond its core music business, expanding spoken-word content and subscription tiers, and markets are reassessing what that expansion means for the stock's worth.

Meta's Muse is drawing attention as an AI music offering, with commentary asking what it can do that Spotify's AI capabilities cannot. The comparison centers on how the two companies approach generative music and audio features, and what each brings to listeners and creators. Details of Muse's specific functions and Spotify's response are not yet spelled out, so the practical differences remain to be seen.

Middle schoolers, likely blocked from other social apps, turned the Spotify comments under an episode of NPR's Wild Card into an impromptu group chat. The story is now getting wider attention after This American Life host Ira Glass explored how the kids ended up there in a new episode, highlighting how young users find workarounds to online restrictions.