Spotify continues its breakthrough into football by announcing a new activation within EA Sports FC 25 for fans and players in Australia and Saudi Arabia.
The global music streaming service will now be able to seamlessly integrate into the FC 25 interface for Spotify Premium users in both countries, enabling players to listen to their preferred music, podcasts or audiobooks in-game.
There will be a new Spotify presence within the main horizontal slider of the FC 25 main menu, whereby Australian and Saudi Arabian players will be able to access the Spotify player.
Spotify will also provide a set-up menu for a new match or via pausing the menu in-game.
Players also have the option to change default audio from commentary to Spotify once it has been selected, players will be presented with an on-screen display of the current track, which will reappear each time a new track is introduced. Tracks can be skipped or selected at any point via the pause menu.
Leveraging its expertise and vast catalogue in music, Spotify stated that it is “building recommendations that reflect music culture around the world, ensuring a dynamic and engaging listening experience for gamers”.
This latest integration by Spotify is the company’s latest attempt to act as a bridge for the cross-section of music and football, a strategy that reached new heights when it became an official sponsor of one of the world’s largest football clubs; FC Barcelona.
A unique sponsorship approach
Spotify’s existing four-year sponsorship deal with FC Barcelona has caught the attention of the football world, most notably for its unique front-of-shirt sponsorship agreement.
As part of the deal, FC Barcelona kits have occasionally swapped out the Spotify logo on the front of shirts for the logos of famous artists. This has seen artist logos such as Coldplay, Drake and the Rolling Stones featured on FC Barcelona kits, with the latest being US hip-hop artist Travis Scott.
Scott’s Cactus Jack logo will appear on the kit for the El Clásico fixture between Real Madrid on 11 May. As part of the agreement, the rapper will also perform on 10 May at what the club described as an “emblematic location” in Barcelona.
Much like when Drake and Coldplay’s logos appeared on the FC Barcelona shirt, Scott’s will also be made available to fans for a limited time in the club’s stores.
Furthermore, adding to its exposure by leveraging FC Barcelona’s global standing, Spotify obtained naming rights to the club’s home stadium the Camp Nou in an eight-year deal, which it is expected to reopen after a multi-billion euro redevelopment this year.
Recognising the importance of the Spotify deal to the club’s overall finances, which have been turbulent at The Blaugurana in recent years, Club President Joan Laporta described the agreement as the “best jersey and stadium agreement in financial terms that FC Barcelona has received” in 2022.
