How does Spotify rank in the multitude of steaming choices available? At latest reports, Spotify has 191 million listeners. Not bad for a company that started right at ten years ago in October of 2008. Run by the Swedish company Spotify Technology the service went public earlier this year in April. Though, it is not a surprise that it has so many listeners considering it is available in parts of Asia, South Africa, Australia, most of the Americas, New Zealand, and most of Europe. However, of that massive 191 million listeners only 87 million are paying.
Spotify has several premium options. The cheapest option being for students at $4.99/month and ranging up for families that can pay $14.99/month for a group plan. They also boast an impressive library of over 30 million songs. But just like all of the other music streaming options, Spotify has it’s pros and cons which we will go over here.
Streaming Service: Spotify ( https://www.spotify.com )
Free Option: Yes
Paid: $4.99-$14.99/mo
Library: 30 million
Users: 191 Million
Pros:
Collaborative Playlists: You and your friends can make playlists together. This is an awesome feature that we really love. Everyone the playlist is shared with can edit it, allowing the playlist to grow and evolve with your friends.
Discovery Playlists: This is a wonderful option for finding new songs or even old favorites. A lot of people have really raved about how good these lists are and the songs they find through them.
Intuitive Interface: It is important to be able to easily navigate and use a program. Spotify has made their interface intuitive and easy to use. We find it to be smooth and clear which we really like.
Available on Most all Devices: Even available on the Playstation 4, You can use Spotify on your computer, and of course on most mobile devices. This is important because you need your music to be able to be as on the move as you are.
Massive Song Database: This number is always changing. Some singers pull their albums, new ones are always being offered, and some are available only to premium subscribers.
Excellent Social Options: Your friends can see what you are listening to and vice versa. It has excellent options for sharing and enjoying music with your friends. We really like these options. It will even display with discord if that is something you and your friends use.
Cons:
Lots Left Wanting for Free Users: It is to be expected but the free accounts leave you wanting more. Or less in the case of commercials. Overall it feels like they give you just enough that you will feel gently pressured into subscribing for more. This may be why nearly half of their users are paid subscribers. Cannot fault them for making money though. We can fault them for making the free user experience feel so lackluster.
Currently No Integrated Lyric Feature: Many of us want to see the lyrics or artwork as we listen. There had been a lyric feature but last I checked you had to use a separate addon to actually get the lyrics. A minor gripe, but still a valid one.
Only One Skin: This may be changing soon but as of the moment there is only one interface option, which is dark. While many of us like that option, I am certain others would appreciate having a bit more customization available or at the very least a light option.
Cannot buy songs/albums through this service: Spotify is purely a streaming service. There is nothing wrong with that but sometimes when we really like a song we want to own it and we wish we could do that with spotify. Many of us enjoy the convenience of being able to click a few times and buy a song we are listening to and really enjoying. Sure, you can add the songs to playlists but if you ever quit using spotify all of that is gone. We don’t see them adding this in the future but maybe they will surprise us.
Overall, Spotify has an impressive feature list for premium users, a great song database, and fantastic social features. There is a lot to love about this service but will they be able to continue to compete with the other options on the market? We will be covering each of the major offerings in turn and let you be the judge!
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