Should Netflix integrate with Spotify to help users save songs they love from shows & movies?
I was rewatching Suits Season 3, Episode 10 when this absolute banger of a song kicked in during a scene. But my captions were off. I had to pause, open Shazam, catch the track, and then save it to my Spotify playlist.
That’s not just a one-time thing.
Even when captions are on, and the song title shows up, I often find myself pausing Netflix, switching apps, typing the song into Spotify, and saving it there. It interrupts the vibe and watching experience.
And it made me wonder:
Why do I have to leave Netflix at all? What if I could save the song to Spotify right then and there without breaking the flow?
The Idea: Seamless Song Saving from Netflix to Spotify
I decided to take a stab at this.
The idea is simple:
When a song starts playing in a show or movie, Netflix surfaces a small overlay with the song title and a button:
“➕ Add to Spotify”
Tap it, and boom—it’s saved to your Spotify liked songs or a dedicated playlist like "Songs I Discovered on Netflix."
No switching apps. No typing. Just vibes.
Teaming Up: A Two-PM Collaborative Case Study
This is a product idea that would only be possible through true cross-platform collaboration.
So I reached out to my great friend and fellow PM, Anirudh, and we decided to do this as a two-part case study:
I’d look at the problem through the Netflix PM lens
He’d look at it through the Spotify PM lens
Because in real-world integrations, PMs don’t just build their side of the product. They co-create the experience across companies, APIs, user expectations, and business models.
The Problem: A Fragmented Discovery Experience
Current user journey:
Hear a great song in a Netflix title.
Spot the name in captions (or worse, miss it).
Pause the content.
Open Spotify (or another app).
Search manually.
Save the song.
Resume Netflix.
This breaks immersion and creates friction in what could’ve been a seamless moment. It’s a lost opportunity to make that feeling sticky.
The Proposed Solution
Feature:
A contextual overlay that appears when a licensed song starts playing. It shows:
Song name + artist
Album art (optional - since it might not fit the color theme)
A button: "Add to Spotify" on the scrub bar
User Flow:
First time: Users connect their Spotify account via OAuth.
Ongoing: Tap once, and the song is saved.
Instant feedback: “Saved to your Netflix Finds playlist.”
Choose which playlist to save on Spotify.
Designs/Wireframes
https://www.figma.com/slides/2iCwTB6G6OuVQzOGee2wgj/Netflix---Spotify-Integration?node-id=2-111&t=eF7ZVWLgBOZ28DCO-0
Target Audience
This feature is designed for modern viewers who don’t just watch—they collect, curate, and connect with what they hear.
Primary Segments
Music-conscious Viewers: Users who frequently discover new music while watching films or series, and often take the effort to look up and save those songs manually.
Gen Z & Millennials: Digital natives who blend passive viewing with active content interaction—like building playlists inspired by shows or emotional moments.
Mood-based Playlist Builders: Users who organize music by vibe, moment, or media source (“Driving Vibes,” “TV Show Songs,” “Emotional Movie Scores”).
Strategic Pilot Groups
To validate the feature early on, we recommend launching in countries and genres with naturally high music integration and strong user interest in discovery:
South Asian Markets (e.g., India, Bangladesh, Pakistan): Where music is deeply embedded into storytelling across genres from Bollywood dramas to indie series.
International & Indie Films: Especially Netflix Originals known for strong soundtracks (e.g., Queen, Delhi Crime, Sacred Games).
Musical & Music-Heavy Films: Titles like La La Land, Bohemian Rhapsody, The Greatest Showman, and Glee.
Genre-Specific Content: Romance, teen dramas, and thrillers where music enhances emotional tone and is likely to be remembered.
Behavioral Targeting
Short Attention Span Viewers: Identified through Netflix’s own watch behavior analytics, that is users who pause frequently or are prone to switching apps mid-viewing.
High Playlist Activity on Spotify: Users who frequently save or build playlists and show interest in soundtracks.
KPIs and Success Metrics
Connection Rate: % of users who link their Spotify account
Engagement: Songs saved per 1,000 viewers
Drop-off Rate: Reduction in pause + app-switch behavior
Viewer NPS for content with this feature
Time Spent per session and rewatch likelihood
Dependencies and Collaboration (Spotify's Side)
From Netflix’s perspective, this integration depends on:
Spotify’s OAuth system and Track Save API
Real-time track matching from timestamp metadata
A shared playlist model (e.g., "Netflix Finds")
We also rely on Spotify to:
Provide consistent access tokens and refresh mechanisms
Handle new account onboarding in context
Log song engagement data for feedback loops
Anirudh’s case study takes a detailed look at how Spotify could support, personalize, and even grow from this integration. Be sure to check it out here: [Insert Link to Ani's Post]
Scaling + Monetization
Initial Launch Scope
Content: Start with Netflix Originals where full licensing rights exist.
Markets: Pilot in the US, UK, Canada, and India — where both Netflix and Spotify have strong user bases and high music engagement.
Users: Available to Premium Netflix users who connect a music streaming account (Spotify at launch).
Monetization Opportunities
1. Referral Revenue
Netflix earns a referral bounty for each new Spotify sign-up or playlist addition driven by this feature.
2. Joint Campaigns
Cross-promote Netflix content and Spotify playlists via initiatives like:
“Netflix Soundtrack of the Month”
“Featured Scene, Featured Song” on Spotify
Exclusive artist+title tie-ins for Originals
3. Targeted Marketing
Use saved song data to:
Improve personalized show recommendations on Netflix
Enable mood or genre-based music ads on Spotify
Promote Originals via music-based micro trailers or lyric videos on Spotify
Platform Growth & Ecosystem Expansion
1. Add More Music Partners
Post-pilot, expand to Apple Music, YouTube Music, Gaana, JioSaavn — with user-selectable music platforms per region.
2. Localized Rollouts
In India, start with Bollywood and regional musical dramas where song discovery is integral.
Pilot with high-soundtrack genres like musicals (e.g., La La Land) or South Asian content.
3. Light-Integration Mode
In licensing-restricted regions, allow users to “bookmark” songs and link out to search on their preferred music app.
Final Thoughts
This is just one lens, as a potential Netflix PM. For the full picture, check out how Anirudh tackled the same problem from Spotify’s side. It's a fascinating contrast in how two PMs would collaborate across platforms.
[Read Ani’s Spotify PM breakdown here]
