Apple recently announced it's getting into paid podcast subscriptions, and now, The Wall Street Journal has claimed Spotify will unveil its own paid podcast subscription platform as soon as "next week".

There will be differences between Apple and Spotify's systems. Namely, Spotify reportedly won't charge a fee or take a cut of each subscription. Podcasters will be able to set their own prices, and people using Spotify's iOS app will be directed to a website to complete the transaction, thereby avoiding Apple's default share of App Store transactions. We suspect Apple will take issue with that workaround.

The timing of Spotify's announcement likely isn't coincidental, but the service has been rumoured for months to be considering launching a subscription-based podcast offering that does not include access to its premium music subscription. For a monthly fee, the podcast service would provide access to original shows and exclusive episodes. It was reportedly detailed in a survey conducted by Spotify.

The survey mentioned four subscription podcast plans, starting at $3 and going up to $8 per month. The cheapest tier would let you listen to "exclusive interviews and episodes" with no ads from the Spotify platform. The most expensive tier would let you stream “high-quality original content" and get early access to episodes with no ads from the Spotify platform.

Spotify has also been investing in podcasting over the past two years, like by acquiring podcast producers such as Gimlet, Parcast, and The Ringer. It also signed deals with Michelle Obama, Kim Kardashian West, and Joe Rogan.