Just a day after Clubhouse announced that it’s testingan Android version of its appin closed beta, Twitter said that its live audio product, called Spaces, is nowavailable for anyone with more than 600 followers.
So if you have more than 600 followers, you can host a Spaces session on Twitter’s iOS or Android app. But no matter how many followers you have, you can still tune in to different live conversations, and get a chance tospeak if the moderators of a Space invite you to do so.
The company’s reasoning behind opening up Spaces to folks with this specific follower count is that their sessions might have a bit more traction than users with a lower follower count:
Based on what we’ve learned so far, these accounts are likely to have a good experience hosting live conversations because of their existing audience. Before bringing the ability to create a Space to everyone, we’re focused on learning more, making it easier to discover Spaces, and helping people enjoy them with a great audience.
Twitterlaunched Spaces in a test phaselast year, and graduallyopened it upto more users. The announcement last night is the biggest expansion of the feature yet.
The social network wants to set this product apart from competitors like Clubhouse by allowing hosts to sell tickets for special sessions. Why wouldn’t you pay some money to get into an exclusive and limited session with someone like Rihanna?
This feature is in addition to Twitter’s upcoming“Super follows”thatallows you to pay and subscribe to an account for bonus content.Maybe Twitter will also include an option to open up a Spaces session just for your subscribers.
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Clubhouse also hasa payment optionfor limited users, but that works more like a tip than a ticket.
Twitter says that in the coming weeks, it’ll also introduce the ability to schedule Spaces and get reminders for sessions. Plus, it’ll allow you to co-host the session with others, add enhanced live captions for accessibility, and improve discoverability.
All of this, and web support for Spaces, will launch within a few months. These features could give Clubhouse a run for its money — although it does have plenty ofnewly raised fundsto play with and compete with Twitter.
Story byIvan Mehta
Ivan covers Big Tech, India, policy, AI, security, platforms, and apps for TNW. That’s one heck of a mixed bag. He likes to say “Bleh.“Ivan covers Big Tech, India, policy, AI, security, platforms, and apps for TNW. That’s one heck of a mixed bag. He likes to say “Bleh.”
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