Spotify has\u00a0unveiled its new \u2018Listening Lounge\u2019<\/a>\u00a0in the company\u2019s London office, designed as a showcase \u2013\u00a0custom-built sound system included \u2013 for its lossless audio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, it\u2019s \u00a0also as a space for artists to hold listening parties for their top fans, with Joy Crookes, Nao and Yazmin Lacey having kicked that off with an event this week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m most excited about the fans\u2019 reaction to come and spend time in this intimate setting with their favourite artist, and listening to the artist\u2019s album in full as it was intended to be heard,\u201d Spotify\u2019s co-head of marketing, UK and Ireland, Billie Baier told Music Ally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n \u201cWe plan to bring a range of artists into this space, from top-tier to emerging.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The sound system was built and engineered by London-based studio\u00a0Friendly Pressure<\/a>, while Spotify brought in\u00a0Cake Architecture<\/a>\u00a0to design the room itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMy whole journey has been trying to find the most exciting playback system to create communal spaces, and really be a catalyst for that moment when people get to engage with music,\u201d said Friendly Pressure founder Shivas Howard-Brown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n \u201cNot just for the first time, but even records that they\u2019ve heard for years, and to hear different things\u2026 We want this to be a real conduit and catalyst to communal listening.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is potential for Spotify to build similar spaces and systems in its offices elsewhere in the world, as it continues to lean into IRL activations with artists and superfans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis is the first, and everyone\u2019s really excited about it globally,\u201d said Baier. \u201cLet\u2019s see what happens. With this being the test case, we will then see what other offices and locations pick up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n