Spotify wants to create its own hardware

Spotify is looking to get into producing hardware in a big way, according to job listings which claim the music-streaming company wants to replicate the high-profile hardware debuts of the Amazon Echo, Pebble smartwatch and Snapchat Spectacles.

Several jobs at the company's Stockholm, Sweden headquarters make it clear that Spotify is on the lookout for hardware specialists, including senior product managers for hardware and voice. A third listing asks for a director of product and natural language understanding, suggesting Spotify is creating a smart speaker like the Amazon Echo and Google Home.

One listing, first spotted by a blog called Zatz Not Funny, explains the company is looking for someone who will be "leading an initiative to deliver hardware directly from Spotify to existing and new customers; a category defining product akin to the Pebble Watch, Amazon Echo and Snap Spectacles."

The listing adds that the ideal candidate will "define the product requirements for internet-connected hardware, the software that powers it, and work with suppliers/manufacturers to deliver the optimal Spotify experience to millions of users."

A different listing reveals Spotify's interest in creating a voice system, likely similar to Amazon's Alexa, Apple's Siri and Google Assistant. The advert, for a role called product manager, voice, states: "As a Product Owner for voice you will be responsible for the strategy and execution of Spotify's voice efforts beyond our core apps.

Whatever Spotify is working on may never see the light of day, but it is interesting regardless to see the streaming company aspire to produce own-branded hardware products, inspired by the likes of Amazon and its Echo smart speaker.