Spotify is one of the biggest names in music streaming services right now, but that doesn’t mean it’s perfect. With an ever-growing library of over 50 million songs, its popularity has skyrocketed and made it a go-to favorite for many around the world. It can be easy to forget all of the pros and cons associated with such a big service – from ads you may not want to hear to features like personalized playlists that make Spotify so popular. As busy lifestyles become more commonplace, having access to your favorite tunes anywhere at any time can be a major game changer for anyone looking for convenience and entertainment. In this blog post we’ll be taking a look at some both sides of using Spotify so you can decide if it’s worth your money or not.
7 Pros of Spotify
1. Large Library of Music: Spotify has an incredibly large library of over 50 million songs and over 700,000 podcast titles available to stream or download for offline listening. Whether you’re looking for the latest hits or something more obscure, chances are you’ll find it here.
2. Variety of Plans: With both free and paid plans offered, Spotify allows users to pick the plan that best suits their needs. The Premium plan offers a completely ad-free experience with higher audio quality streams, so if you want the best possible experience from your streaming service then this is the way to go.
3. User-Friendly Interface: Spotify’s interface is easy to use and navigate, making finding new music a breeze. Whether you’d prefer to search for a particular artist, album or genre, the interface makes it simple and intuitive for users to do so.
4. Music Discovery Feature: Spotify offers a music discovery feature which helps users find new music they may like. This can be done by selecting certain genres and artists that are similar to ones you already enjoy listening to.
5. Radio Stations: Spotify has radio stations which play curated music based on the user’s tastes and preferences, as well as pre-recorded radio shows with guest DJ’s from all around the world.
6. Social Sharing Features: With Spotify, users have the ability to share their favorite songs and albums with friends through social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. This allows users to easily let their friends know what they’re listening to, giving them the opportunity to discover new music.
7. Offline Listening: Spotify also offers the ability for users to download songs and albums for offline listening. This is great for those who want to be able to listen without using up their mobile data allowance or when out of range of a network connection.
7 Cons of Spotify
1. Ads: The free version of Spotify has ads that can be disruptive to the listener experience.
2. Limited Skips: With the free version, users are limited to only skipping a certain amount of songs within an hour-long session before being presented with an ad.
3. No Artist Control: Artists who release their music on Spotify have no control over how their music is categorized or promoted, making it difficult for them to draw in new listeners or fans.
4. No Live Music: Unlike other streaming services such as YouTube, there is no way for users to access live performances from artists or venues on Spotify which limits the listening options available for certain genres of music and styles of performance.
5. Low Payouts: Spotify pays out a very low rate per stream compared to other streaming services, meaning that artists and record labels who put their music on Spotify aren’t receiving as much money for their work as they could be.
6. Lack of Curated Music: While there are radio stations available, they don’t offer the same level of curated playlists like other services do which allows users to discover new music more easily.
7. Expensive Premium Plan: The monthly subscription cost for the premium plan is $10/month which can add up quickly over time if you’re not taking full advantage of all its features. For some people this may be too expensive considering all the free options available elsewhere.
Final Verdicts
Overall, Spotify is an amazing streaming service, especially for those who are always in search of music. Granted, free users have minimal access to specific features and certain songs and albums may not be available due to licensing agreements; however, the overall quality of sound it provides cannot be denied and its ability to both discover new music as well as reach old throwback gems is great. With its expansive library, diverse features (such as podcasts and playlists handcrafted by artists), streaming quality and easy integration with other devices, it’s hard to overlook what Spotify has to offer. It’s almost redundant that you’d need anything else for your music streaming needs.
Despite all this brilliance, one would hope the company would look inward and find ways to improve the user experience overall. By implementing better communication solutions between technology & customer support and finding ways to increase user value on either their free or premium plans would certainly be welcomed by many who are already part of the streaming service.
