I don’t understand subscribing to music. Maybe it’s just my age, but this isn’t the '90s where you hear a track you like and that one song is going to run you $20 at Tower Records. I like a song, I pay $1.29 and then it’s stored locally. Also cuts way down on data usage while driving. I struggle to get anywhere close to my 5GB data allowance.
After a dozen years of keeping subscription prices stable, Spotify has issued three price hikes in 2.5 years.
Spotify informed subscribers via email today that Premium monthly subscriptions would go from $12 to $13 per month as of users’ February billing date. Spotify is already advertising the higher prices to new subscribers.
Although not explicitly mentioned in Spotify’s correspondence, other plans are getting more expensive, too. Student monthly subscriptions are going from $6 to $7. Duo monthly plans, for two accounts in the same household, are going from $17 to $19, and Family plans, for up to six users, are moving from $20 to $22.
Spotify’s Basic plan, which is only available as a downgrade for some Premium subscribers and is $11/month, is unaffected.
For years, Spotify subscribers enjoyed stable prices, but today’s announcement marks Spotify’s third price hike since July 2023. Spotify last raised prices in July 2024. Premium individual subscriptions went from $11 to $12, Duo subscriptions went from $15 to $17, and Family subscriptions increased from $17 to $20.
But why listen to just one song? It seems a waste to sit down, put on headphones or fire up the stereo, all for only a few minutes of music.
What makes you think it is just one song? In the 1980s it was a mix tape that took the good tracks from several albums. With computers it is a playlist. Or more often it is a play random tracks from my large collection until I hit stop.
I do listen to just one song once in a while when that is all I have time for, or when some song comes to mind that I want to hear. However mostly it is a playlist that I created.
There are a few albums that are related collection and work best listened together, but most are just a bunch of songs and you can listen in any order.
I was playing a role to try to make a point to the OP.
I guess that’s certainly a thing to do. But not all albums are journeys, and thus, one buys individual tracks because the rest of it sucks.
I mean, I can just choose a track on my phone or computer, hit play and have music. I don’t currently have a speaker setup.
That’s no way to enjoy music. You can hardly hear anything on that tinny little phone speaker.
The computer speakers aren’t terrible, and my earbuds acquit themselves decently when using my phone. Would I like some nice 8" speakers and a subwoofer? Sure. Not realistic in a van.
I was trying to be subtle, but that doesn’t seeme to be working.
The point is, lots of people enjoy music lots of different ways, for lots of different reasons. Just because you don’t use subscriptions doesn’t mean they aren’t valid and useful to anyone who isn’t you.
In short: Don’t gate keep
I’m sorry to jump in out of nowhere, but this argument can be used against your top comment in this thread. Some people listen to single tracks, others to whole albums. Am I missing something? I thought you two were just comparing points of view, not trying to decide who was right.
You’re tying your access to music to a subscription. That feels wrong to me.
Why do your feelings about how others pay for things matter to anyone?
Why does it even matter to you?
You could argue it matters because spotify has impacted the music industry negatively as a whole. Why would I want people giving their money to a company like that to make the problem worse?
Regardless of whether I personally use the service or not, other people funding it contributes to the downfall of something I like just for a bit of convenience.
I wouldnt make the same argument for every other streaming service because they all have different levels of ethics they abide by but spotify… no good ethics I can see.
Streaming isn’t the problem. The lables screwing over the artists on their streaming cut is the problem. Stop supporting the lables.
Why are you taking personal offense that I said I didn’t understand the behaviour of others? This is a petty hill to die on.
Look, people waste money on plenty of things, myself included. It just feels like being at the mercy of a company to listen to music is a poor choice.
Judgmental attitudes ar an accepted cancer of online discourse. And I try to point it out sometimes.