After weeks of rumblings, the iconic Catalan football club are officially joining forces with the streaming giant. Welcome to Spotify Camp Nou.
In a much-needed infusion of capital into one of the world’s most valuable and popular clubs, FC Barcelona and Spotify announced a long-rumored kit and stadium sponsorship deal, the companies announced Tuesday. The three-year deal is worth a reported $306 million per season.
Barça’s iconic stadium will now rebranded as Spotify Camp Nou as of July as the club’s main partner and official audio partner, and Spotify will be on the front of the team’s uniforms for both the men’s and women’s teams for the next four seasons.
A vote by the club’s Extraordinary Delegate Members Assembly is expected to make the partnership official on April 3.
“We are very proud to announce a pioneering alliance like this with a world-renowned organization like Spotify,” said Barcelona president Joan Laporta. “This partnership will allow us to continue to bring the Club closer to its fans and make them feel, even more, part of the Barça family through unique experiences, combining two activities such as entertainment and football, making it possible for us to connect with new audiences around the world. It is also a union with which we continue to take steps forward in this new era that we have started, and which demonstrates, once again, the innovative character and the constant search of excellence that distinguish Barça and have made it a unique club in the world.”
The partnership will also create a new platform to help artists interact with FC Barcelona’s hundreds of millions of fans around the world. Barça and Spotify will also use promotional surfaces atCamp Nou to amplify the work of artists to the world.
“We could not be more thrilled to be partnering with FC Barcelona to bring the worlds of Music and Football together,” said Alex Norström, Spotify’s chief freemium business officer. “From July, our collaboration will offer a global stage to Artists, Players, and Fans at the newly-branded Spotify Camp Nou. We have always used our marketing investment to amplify Artists and this partnership will take this approach to a new scale. We’re excited to create new opportunities to connect with FC Barcelona’s worldwide fanbase. Spotify’s mission is to unlock the potential of human creativity, supporting artists to make a living off their art and connecting with fans. We believe this partnership creates many opportunities to deliver on this mission in unique, imaginative, and impactful ways.”
The Spotify deal comes just two weeks after Laporta suggested that a Barcelona NFT collection was coming along with, possibly, its own cryptocurrency. Regardless, the pandemic has not treated FC Barcelona kindly, with sagging revenues forcing the club to offload GOAT forward Lionel Messi, who left on a free transfer in August to Paris Saint-Germain.
Since then, Barça exited the Champions League during the group stage and are No. 3 in La Liga, 15 points behind archrivals Real Madrid. With this pact, Barça can enter the post-Messi era ready to again compete with the best on the global stage.
