Spotify relaunches podcast subscriptions as Spotify Memberships, with a 10% fee
The paid tool for podcasters on Megaphone or Spotify for Creators adds access tiers, member badges and downloadable member emails. Spotify takes 10%, against the 5% it first planned.
Spotify has launched Spotify Memberships, a reworked version of the paid podcast subscription tool it introduced in 2021, Podnews reported on 21 October 2026. It is open to eligible podcasters who host with Megaphone or Spotify for Creators, and Spotify takes 10%.
What has changed
The tool used to be called Podcast Subscriptions. It launched in the United States in April 2021 and reached 34 countries in November that year. At launch Spotify said it would not charge until 2023 and would then take 5%.
The renamed service costs 10%, but adds a clearer subscription process inside the Spotify app, member badges that appear beside comments, and a choice of access tiers. Creators can also download their members' email addresses. Podnews points to the show Two Hot Takes as one already using it.
How a show sets it up
Megaphone's guide to setting up a membership, updated on 20 October 2026, sets out how it works. A show can offer up to three tiers, each with its own price, name, description and benefits. The benefits on offer include fewer ads, bonus episodes, member-only video episodes, extended or full-length episodes and early access. Members can be spared Spotify-inserted ads, though sponsorships stay in.
Payouts run through Stripe, and a show can offer free trials and add a welcome clip for new members. A show with a free version on another feed can sync the two so that both appear together on Spotify. Annual plans can be switched on, except for creators and members in Denmark and Norway.
Memberships are open to creators and fans in 34 countries and regions, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong and much of Europe.
What it means for acts
For comedians, musicians and creators who already host a podcast with Megaphone or Spotify for Creators, a paid tier is now built into the app their listeners already use. The 10% fee is the figure to set against Patreon and similar services before moving paying fans. The downloadable email list matters most, because it keeps an act's own line to its members if it later changes platform.
