Streaming giant highlights fan engagement strategy ahead of Le Sserafim’s exclusive ‘Pure Flowers Live’ showcase in Seoul John Han, head of music at Spotify Korea, delivers a presentation during a press meeting in Seoul, Thursday. (Spotify) Spotify outlined its vision for expanding music experiences beyond streaming platforms into offline fan engagement during a press meeting held at Spotify Korea’s office in Seoul on Thursday, ahead of an exclusive live event with Le Sserafim.John Han, head of music at Spotify Korea, said the company aims to connect artists and fans through both online and offline experiences, describing it as a key part of Spotify’s long-term strategy for Korean music globally.“Our mission is always, how do we best connect artists to fans? There’s no better way than to connect them in real life,” Han said.“I think it’s better to combine the offline and online experiences together. They don't just separately play as a strategy,” he added.Spotify has increasingly focused on creating immersive music experiences that begin offline and continue digitally through Spotify’s platform, allowing fans worldwide to relive performances through video content and podcasts.Speaking about the company’s broader vision, Han said Spotify had believed in K-pop’s global potential long before the genre became mainstream worldwide. He pointed to the launch of Spotify’s first flagship K-pop playlist in 2014 — before the streaming service officially entered Korea — as an early sign of that commitment.“K-pop is no longer a niche genre. It’s become a major cultural force in the global music industry,” Han said.According to Han, Spotify expanded its K-pop initiatives between 2015 and 2016 by launching a dedicated K-pop genre hub and playlists tailored to different moods, styles and eras. The company also broadened its support beyond playlists through artist campaigns, live experiences and offline fan events across Asia. Le Sserafim performs during its "Pure Flowers Live" held at Seosomun Shrine History Museum in Seoul, Thursday. (Spotify) Han highlighted Spotify’s “Spotify On Stage” concert series as one example of how the company sought to turn music discovery into real-life fan experiences. He cited performances by I-dle and Ateez at Spotify On Stage Jakarta in 2019, as well as Stray Kids at Spotify On Stage Bangkok.“What’s especially meaningful is that many of these artists were still very early in their careers at the time,” Han said. “So it really reflects Spotify’s belief in really supporting emerging talent, early on.”Han also stressed that Spotify’s focus extends beyond K-pop to Korean music as a whole, including hip-hop and indie artists, adding that the company plans to continue investing in broader Korean music initiatives.Spotify’s editorial strategy has also helped expose Korean artists to wider audiences by placing K-pop acts alongside global artists in playlists spanning genres such as pop, R&B and dance music.In 2025, annual global K-pop streams on Spotify were more than 570 times higher than they were in 2014, according to Han.Later that evening, Spotify hosted the exclusive premiere stage “Pure Flowers Live” with Le Sserafim at Seosomun Shrine History Museum in Seoul, extending the live fan experience through Spotify’s digital platform. The event celebrated the release of the group’s second full-length album, “Pureflow Pt.1” and thanked fans for their continued support.Approximately 300 fans attending the showcase heard live performances of new tracks including “Boompala,” “Creature” and “Sonder” a day ahead of their official release.Spotify plans to release full performance videos globally through its platform. A talk session featuring candid conversations with the singers during the show will also be released through Spotify’s video podcast content series “K-Pop On! Video Podcast.”