The Extraordinary Assembly of FC Barcelona Delegate Members held today virtually has ratified the partnership agreement between FC Barcelona and Spotify, by which the audio platform will become the Main partner of the Club and the Official Audio Streaming Partner. A simple majority was required for ratification of the agreement.
Spotify will appear on the front of both Men’s and Women’s team shirts beginning in the 2022/23 season and for the next four seasons. Spotify will also sponsor the training shirts beginning in the 2022/23 season for the next three seasons.
The long-term agreement for the stadium’s title rights, begins in July 2022 and will continue through the ambitious redevelopment of the Camp Nou site, as part of the Espai Barça project which will transform the Club’s facilities and environment into a world-class, new integrated Barça entertainment experience open to the city.
The Assembly will go down in history for being the first virtual Assembly in the Club's history and for having approved an unprecedented agreement between FC Barcelona and the audio streaming platform, with extensive support from delegate members voting via their mobile devices rather than in-person as has been the case up to now. The agreement presented by the Board of Directors on March 15 was given the green light by the delegate members, with 89% of votes in favour. 701 members voted in total, with 625 voting in favour, 49 voting against, and 27 leaving their vote blank. As only a simple majority vote was required to ratify the agreement, the Assembly gave their support to the Board of Director's decision with a clear majority.
The vice-president of Marketing, Juli Guiu, explained the “strategic alliance between two leading brands and leaders in entertainment, who share a philosophy and values". A pioneering alliance because of the first link-up between music and football that "will connect musicians and players with fans from around the world", and will have an iconic location like the Spotify Camp Nou for promoting talent. Barça's stadium "will become a home for musicians, players, and fans, where talent and creativity can flourish", stated Guiu.
Benefits for the Club, members, and supporter's club members
The vice-president of marketing assured that the agreement will provide the Club with "the essential financial resources to manage future strategic and sporting challenges", that it includes exclusive benefits for members and supporter's club members, and that the aim is to "offer unique experiences and discounts on subscription plans”.
As president Joan Laporta explained during his opening speech, Guiu re-emphasised that the financial figures will not be made public because Spotify insisted on a confidentiality clause. In this sense, he reminded that article 10.8 of the Club's Statutes establishes the right of members to access information about Board of Director agreements “apart from those with content that could seriously harm the Club's interests or potentially infringe personal data protection law or confidentiality criteria or agreements”.
However, it was specified that "the terms of the 'Title rights' for the new stadium (including the amount and deadline) are in line with the parameters required for developing and financing Espai Barça" and that "the agreement is essential in order for FC Barcelona to have the resources to adopt new strategic and sporting projects”. The contract terms were subject to consideration and validated by the Club's Economic Committee, and the secretary of the Board of Directors, Josep Cubells, read out the conclusions of the Committee's minutes, which are available in full from the Club website.
Details about the sponsorship
The Club's vice-president of marketing explained that the agreement with Spotify consists of four major areas. The first involves the jerseys, with the agreement covering four seasons (2022/23 to 2025/26) for the male first-team and women's football team jerseys; and three seasons (2022/23 to 2024/25) for the training jerseys for both first teams, as well as appearing on Barça Academy Pro team jerseys.
Guiu also explained how the 'title rights' sponsorship will work, with the stadium being renamed Spotify Camp Nou. There will be two phases, one while the renovation work for Espai Barça takes place, and another long-term agreement, once the future Camp Nou is complete. Visibility assets have also been included in the stadium, with Spotify to appear on the façade of the main stand, and the Swedish brand's logo and letters to appear on the seats of the Gol Nord stand.
The third part of the agreement involves advertising assets, such as electronic perimeter board advertising in Camp Nou and Estadí Johan Cruyff, the Spotify Camp Nou name on the Camp Nou pitch, advertising panels in the press room, mix zone, and during other institutional events and activities taking place in the facilities, imagery on the team benches, advertising canvases next to the goal and frame on the pitch, advertising canvases on training pitches, etc.
Lastly, the agreements includes experiences and imagery in audiovisual content, hospitality packages or Barça experiences.