White noise is Spotify’s latest pet peeve

White noise is hugely popular on streaming audio and video platforms. — AFP Relaxnews

Like other forms of information and entertainment, podcasts are subject to the latest trends. One current audio trend is that of “white noise”, the soothing sounds said to help students concentrate when they’re studying or help parents get babies to sleep more quickly. White noise podcasts are enjoying phenomenal success on online music platforms but not everyone is happy about that.

One of these unhappy parties is Spotify. The world leader in music streaming has reportedly been considering the possibility of banning, or at least restricting, white noise podcasts on its platform, according to information from Bloomberg. This extreme measure would have enabled the company to increase its annual profits by €35mil (RM176.65mil), given the popularity of this type of online content. And there’s a reason it’s so popular: white noise generates a large number of listens on platforms such as Spotify, Amazon Music and YouTube due to its alleged anti-stress benefits.