Illustration by Kristen Radtke / The Verge
Spotify is spending a lot of money on podcasts that don’t actually involve any talking. That’s according to a report from Bloomberg, which states the company could increase its annual gross profit by a whopping $38 million if it steers users away from so-called white noise podcasts.
These kinds of podcasts play various types of relaxing sounds on a loop — like static, crashing waves, or rain — and they’re more popular than you may think. One of the reasons for their popularity is that Spotify has been unwittingly pushing them in front of users thanks to its “algorithmic push for ‘talk’ content (versus music),” according to Bloomberg.
The creators behind these “podcasts” make money off the ads that play during its episodes. Last year, a…