Despite what Radiohead has to say on the matter, Spotify is a great venue (if not the venue) for discovering new music. Users can seamlessly switch between Haydn and Hova and back again without skipping a beat.
Beyond mere music, however, the platform boasts a vast reservoir of comedic content. Spotify is home to the decades-deep libraries of Bill Cosby and Monty Python as well as modern-day releases from the likes of Louis CK and David Cross. It's a wonderful, if underutilized, source for comedy fans. That's why it's both welcome and curious that Spotify has only now introduced its first dedicated comedy app, the aptly titled Official Comedy.
The Official Comedy app has an unfortunate name.
Spotify opened its API all manner of third-party apps development in the fall of 2011. You can access them on the left side of the desktop app via the "App Finder" button. Nearly all of the available options are—as you might suspect—music-oriented apps, such as the lyrics in synced time offered by TuneWiki or the expert-curated lists from Rolling Stone or Pitchfork. The Official Comedy app is the first to tap into Spotify's vast comedy library to those looking to discover new talent. It's a rough start, but may find its utility moving forward.
Jumping into the HA-HAs
Official Comedy has four main channels listed across the top of the screen, which all—like the app itself—have defiantly matter-of-fact names. The first channel, Funny Now, is basically the home page offering links to popular playlists and comedians of note.
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