‘Fitness is a natural extension of how people already use Spotify today’: That’s what the platform’s Senior Director of Product, Austin Lamon, believes — and he’s not done investing in the fitness hub's development just yet

Spotify has always found ways to branch out beyond music, now the platform is a hub for all-things audiobooks and podcasts.

So what do you do when you’ve got every audio format under your belt? You venture into fitness, of course.

The best music streaming service kick-started its new Fitness hub in April by announcing a partnership with Peloton , bringing a slew of video workouts from Peloton trainers right to the Spotify app.

Just a few weeks ago, the platform launched Running Mode, a collection of customizable playlists across different genres to make soundtracking your workouts easier.

But Spotify’s new Fitness ecosystem wouldn’t be what it is without the watchful eye of Austin Lamon, Senior Director of Product, who helped build the hub from the ground up — and knows exactly where he wants to take it.

A 'natural extension' (Image credit: Future) Spotify’s Fitness hub didn’t just appear overnight, and the product team had to ask themselves one question: how can we integrate it into Spotify’s existing products? “Our strategy has been to expand into formats that deepen engagement and increase the value of Premium,” Lamon tells me.

“Music, podcasts, audiobooks, video, and now fitness all serve the same goal: helping users get more out of their time on Spotify and leave feeling better than when they opened the app”.

One of the best things about Spotify’s Fitness hub is that it’s not overly complicated and intimidating for beginners.

Instead, it caters to budding and established fitness enthusiasts equally.

Lamon tells me “Spotify Fitness is built for anyone who wants movement to be part of their day without adding complexity to it.

“That could be a dedicated athlete following a structured training plan, someone fitting in a walk between meetings, or a first-timer looking for a guided stretch or yoga session.

Many of the most popular fitness experiences — like walking, running, yoga, strength and mobility — require little or no equipment, making them accessible to almost everyone”.

It’s clear that the Spotify team is full of ideas, and it’s always thinking about new ways to take the platform to the next level.

However, not every idea makes the cut, but for Lamon, fitness was a no-brainer.