Tag: Premium

5 Spotify Premium Hacks You Need To Know

April 11, 2024

Finding the perfect song, pod, or audiobook can be transformative, which is why we here at Spotify continuously innovate our products and features to provide the best experience possible. For our more than 200 million Premium subscribers, that includes plenty of perks beyond access to ad-free music listening. If you’re a Spotify Premium user, here are five hacks you need to know to make the most out of your subscription.

How to download your favorites for offline listening

No Wi-Fi, no problem. Before you go off the grid, download your favorite music and audiobooks so you can listen anytime, anywhere.

Navigate to the playlist, song, album, podcast, or audiobook you want to download and tap the ( ↓ ) icon at the top of the page.

How to multitask like a pro with the Desktop Miniplayer

This top-requested feature from users is now live and available for Premium subscribers using Spotify on Desktop. Premium listeners can open up a miniature window for Spotify, giving them playback control while using other apps and windows.

So whether you’re listening to your daylist while answering emails or watching your favorite music video (available in select markets) while online shopping, the new Desktop Miniplayer is the ultimate companion. It’s fully flexible, meaning it can be stretched as big or as small as you’d like, and is easy to move around your screen.

How to find your next beach read with audiobooks in Premium

Booklovers, rejoice! In the U.S., U.K, and Australia—and coming soon in Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand—Premium subscribers can stream up to 15 hours each month of over 250,000 audiobooks on Spotify, all included in their existing plan. This includes a sweeping range of both contemporary and classic novels, from RuPaul’s The House of Hidden Meanings to Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights.

Any book marked “Included in Premium” is available to each Premium Individual subscriber, as well as plan managers for Family and Duo accounts. Just hit play and dive right in.

How to soundtrack your day using our AI DJ

Ever wish you could just sit back and let someone else pick your favorite music for you? Well, if you have Premium, you’re in luck. Did you know that Spotify has a personalized AI DJ named X? Simply tap the “Music” tab in the Spotify app or search “DJ” to launch your personal DJ experience complete with tailored song selections, cultural commentary, and more.

How to start a group-listening session with Spotify Jam

There’s nothing quite like connecting over a shared love of music. That’s the beauty of Jam, a personalized, real-time listening session for your group to tune in to together. While anyone can join a Jam in person, only Premium users can “host” a Jam session with full control over the queue. Premium users are also the only ones who can join or create a long-distance Jam wherever they are.

Select a playlist or song to get started. You’ll see the “Start a Jam” button by clicking the speaker icon at the bottom of your screen or by hitting the three-dot menu within the playlist or song. You can also select a device to play on, whether that’s your phone or a speaker.

You can then invite your squad by turning on Bluetooth and tapping your phones together, or by having your friends scan the QR code on your host screen. You can also hit “share” to send the link through social, text, SMS, and more.

Oh, and Jam also works on desktop. Simply tap the three-dot menu or right click on a playlist or song, click “Start a Jam,” and then invite your friends through a share link or QR code.

Ready for the perks of going Premium? Peruse our plans at spotify.com/premium.

*Update as of April 17, 2024: Now through May 14, Spotify Premium is offering three months free to eligible Free and first time-users for the Individual Premium plan. For those who are missing their Individual Premium plan and canceled for one reason or another, Spotify Premium is also offering three months for just $10.99 (or market equivalent). Explore offers at spotify.com/premium.

Spotify Tests Video-Based Learning Courses in the UK

March 25, 2024

Today we’re launching a test for video-based courses on Spotify in the U.K. We’ve partnered with educational tech companies including BBC Maestro, PLAYvirtuoso, Skillshare, and Thinkific to bring video content directly to Spotify users.

U.K. users will now find video courses for purchase alongside their favorite music, podcasts, and audiobooks. The content for courses on Spotify covers a variety of topics categorized into four main themes: make music, get creative, learn business, and healthy living, giving listeners an abundance of options to expand their knowledge. 

“Testing video courses in the U.K. allows us to explore an exciting opportunity to better serve the needs of our users who have an active interest in learning,” said Babar Zafar, VP Product Development at Spotify. “Many of our users engage with podcasts and audiobooks on a daily basis for their learning needs, and we believe this highly engaged community will be interested in accessing and purchasing quality content from video course creators. At Spotify, we’re constantly striving to create new offerings for our creators and users, and having built best-in-class personalized music and podcast offerings, we look forward to exploring the potential of video-based learning on Spotify.”

With this offer, we are exploring a potential opportunity to provide educational creators with a new audience who can access their video content, reaching a bigger potential swath of engaged Spotify users while expanding our catalog. About half of Spotify Premium subscribers have engaged in education or self-help-themed podcasts.  

For this test, U.K. Free users and Premium subscribers will be able to trial at least two lessons per course for free before making the decision to purchase additional lessons, which they can do on a dedicated web page.

Try it out for yourself:

  • On the mobile app, U.K. users will find course videos in the home and browse tabs.
  • Once clicked through, users can explore available courses across the four categories before purchasing them on desktop. Once purchased, the courses will be available on mobile and desktop. 
  • On desktop: https://courses.spotify.com/home
  • Users can select courses they’re interested in, and upon purchase, start learning, watching on mobile app or desktop.

Learn more about our content partners: 

  • BBC Maestro creates content to educate and inspire people to explore their creativity. Through prerecorded lessons and detailed course notes, anyone can learn a wide range of disciplines and follow in the footsteps of experts respected all over the world. www.bbcmaestro.com
  • PLAYvirtuoso is transforming modern music learning through artist-led courses, mentoring, and structured curriculums. PLAYvirtuoso develops artists to become inspirational educators and empower young creatives with real skills and outcomes. www.playvirtuoso.com
  • Skillshare is an online learning community where millions of creatives go to develop and deepen their skills. Watch thousands of creative classes in topics including design, freelance, 3D animation, entrepreneurship, photography, productivity, and more. Join today at https://join.skillshare.com/learn 
  • Thinkific Labs Inc. is a leading platform for creating, marketing, and selling courses, digital products, communities, and learning experiences. www.thinkific.com

Music Videos Rolling Out in Beta to Premium Spotify Users Across Select Markets

March 13, 2024

In the early neon-infused ’80s, music videos burst onto TV screens, turning some of the most beloved songs into visual experiences that redefined the way fans connected with artists around the world. Since then, not only have music videos become one of the many ways that fans discover and fall in love with artists, but iconic videos have become part of pop culture, igniting conversations and influencing style.

They’re a powerful way for fans to discover and connect with music, and a natural fit to live on Spotify. That’s why we’re excited to launch music videos in beta for Spotify Premium users across 11 markets, adding another way to enhance the artist-to-fan connection. 

Spotify is where fans go to dive deeper into an artist’s music. So whether you’re a superfan who wants to rewatch the videos you love and share them with friends, or a casual fan on the lookout for new releases, music videos create a new point of connection with artists.

“So many times in my own experience and for countless others, music videos play a key role in hooking you: taking you from being a listener to leaning in and becoming a fan,” says Charlie Hellman, Vice President and Head of Music Product at Spotify. “They’re an important part of so many artists’ tool kits, and it’s a natural fit for them to live in the same place that more than half a billion people choose to listen to music.”

Through Spotify features like Canvas, Clips, Artist Bios, Live Events, and Merch, artists are able to connect with new fans and loyal listeners in meaningful ways. Canvas visuals in particular have been shown to drive engagement, with users sharing, saving, or adding songs to playlists at a higher rate.

The beta version of music videos on Spotify begins rolling out today with a limited catalog of music videos, including hits from global artists like Ed Sheeran, Doja Cat, and Ice Spice, or local favorites like Aluna and Asake.

 

How to watch music videos on Spotify: 

  • We’ll begin to roll out music videos from a select catalog for Premium users in the U.K., Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Brazil, Colombia, Philippines, Indonesia, and Kenya. 
  • Premium listeners in those markets can head to their iOS, Android, desktop, or TV device and select the “Switch to Video” toggle for supported music tracks. Then, the music video will start playing from the beginning within the Now Playing view. 
  • Want to return to background listening? Simply press “Switch to Audio.”.
  • You can even watch the music video in full screen by turning your mobile device to watch in landscape mode.

In this beta launch, we’ll continue to innovate and iterate based on feedback from both users and artists. Stay tuned as we hope to expand the catalog of music videos and bring the feature to more users and countries. 

Spotify To Adjust Its Prices Over New Tax in France

March 7, 2024

Spotify Premium subscribers in France will soon experience a price increase due to additional costs on music streaming services imposed by the government, as part of the “CNM Tax.” While Spotify worked very hard to encourage the government to avoid adding this tax, unfortunately they decided to move forward. 

Perhaps you’ve never heard of the Center for National Music. It’s a public body that commissions studies on the French music industry and provides financial aid to record labels and the live industry. At the end of 2023, as part of its 2024 budget, the French government decided that digital music streaming services will now have to pay a new tax in order to finance it. Our worry, on top of what would be equivalent to a double payment on our part,  has been that this tax will not go directly to artists, nor will it have a tangible output visible to fans; instead, it will simply come at the expense of listeners and create an additional middleman: the CNM. In fact, this tax will generate approximately 15 million euros, when the CNM’s administrative budget (office fees, personnel, capital expenditure, media monitoring or professional training etc.) sits at 20.2 million euros. Our concern is that possibly less than half of its overall 146.9 million euros budget will find its way toward effectively aiding music.

Spotify has proudly championed French artists for the past 15 years. We certainly didn’t wait for the CNM to be created in 2020 to help artists find success in France and outside of France; to help promote French repertoire and grow the royalty pool for French rights holders. Spotify’s payments have totaled close to 225 million euros in 2022 alone (or about 1/4th of all the French recorded music industry revenues for that year). That is up more than 200% percent since 2017.

Yet, with the creation of this new tax, Spotify would be required to give approximately two-thirds of every euro it generates  to music to rights holders and the French government. Of course, this is a massive amount and does not allow for a sustainable business. As we have long said, we simply can’t absorb any additional taxes. Even after making the difficult decision to reduce our artist marketing budget and support of French music festivals—which is an essential vehicle for Spotify to continue to drive hundreds of millions of euros to the music industry—it still continues to impede our ability to operate in France. Accordingly, over the coming weeks and months, we’ll need to make changes to our price plan in France. 

To put it bluntly, all French users will see their subscription plan fee go up. French users will now pay the highest subscriptions across the European Union.

Spotify is increasing prices in France in order to offset these new costs. We’ll come back to our French subscribers over the coming weeks with the full details on the upcoming price increase.

For more information on the global streaming economy, the players, and the process, please visit Loud & Clear.

Spotify’s New Audiobooks Access Tier Gives Booklovers More Listening Options

March 1, 2024

Spotify is continuously innovating to provide the best possible offering for every kind of audio fan. Since launching Audiobooks in Premium, we’ve seen a 45% increase in free users searching for and interacting with Audiobook content each day. Now we are introducing a new plan option to give our listeners a variety of choices.

Starting today, the Audiobooks Access Tier provides booklovers in the U.S. with 15 hours of listening from our audiobooks catalog of over 200,000 titles for $9.99 a month. With this plan and in one app experience, listeners can continue to tune into music and podcasts on our free, ad-supported service, offering a great option for literary enthusiasts who are looking for more audiobook-specific content. 

Spotify offers several subscription plans tailored to fit a variety of users’ preferences and will continue to invest in giving our listeners more options to cater to their unique needs.

For more information on our available plans, visit our audiobooks page. To stay up-to-date on the latest news from Spotify, follow @SpotifyNews.    

Why Switching to Spotify Premium Is the Perfect Gift to Yourself This Holiday

November 28, 2022

a colorful, geometric graphic that shows a person with glasses blowing a bubble gum bubble

When your friends gather ’round the candles to enjoy some holiday cheer, a top-notch music experience is sure to heighten the festive mood. With Spotify Premium, you’ve got power to create a seamless music-filled gathering. Swiftly decide if Michael Bublé’s “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot like Christmas” should be followed up with Ariana Grande’s pop hit “Santa Tell Me” or Brenda Lee’s 1950s classic “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.” 

And if you’ve yet to experience the ease of Spotify Premium, now’s your chance. Our special holiday offer is back, making it the perfect gift to give yourself this celebration season. 

Here are five reasons why Premium should be on your wishlist:

  1. It’s ad-free music listening, making your holiday singalongs as seamless as your four-course family dinner … well maybe a bit more seamless than that.
  2. You can always download and listen offline so that when you head over the river and through the woods, you don’t have to worry about the tunes cutting out if your device loses signal.  
  3. You get instant access to 80 million tracks. Our library is more expansive than the North Pole and with Premium, it’s all available on demand. You can pick the songs you want to hear or leave it to our curated playlists, like Holiday Magic, to get your household into the festive spirit.
  4. You have a month to take advantage of three months free. From November 28 through December 31, 2022, eligible Spotify Free and first-time Spotify listeners can sign up for our Individual Premium plan for three months of free service. Long after the mistletoe or menorah is taken down, you’ll enjoy the perks of Premium at no additional cost.
  5. If you used Spotify Premium previously but canceled before October 28, there’s a miracle in store for you. Come back and remember the joy that Premium brings with a special offer of three months for just $9.99 (or your local market equivalent).

Ready to knock an item off your wishlist a little early this season? Sign up and listen to ad-free, on-demand, unlimited-skip music at spotify.com/premium.  

5 Reasons To Switch to Spotify Premium This Holiday Season

November 30, 2021

During the holidays, the right audio can add that perfect finishing touch to a white elephant gift swap or cookie decorating party. Curating the listening experience can be daunting, but with Spotify’s massive catalog of songs and podcasts to fit the mood and our new holiday offer, the ideal festive atmosphere is just a few taps away. 

To help you keep the sounds running seamlessly, we are bringing back our annual Premium holiday offer, giving the gift of ad-free, skippable music to eligible Spotify Free and first-time listeners. Today through December 31, you can sign up and listen to favorites like “All I Want for Christmas Is You” on repeat for free and without any interruptions. Or, if you’re in the mood for a fresh holiday tune, skip around in the 2021 Spotify Singles: Holiday Collection to hear new seasonal music. 

Did you get cold feet and cancel your plan before October 29 of this year? We’ve got a deal that will warm you right up. Spotify is offering users a chance to get back to Premium with three months for the price of one on the Individual plan. 

If you need more convincing, here are five reasons to let Spotify help you listen ad free to all your wintertime favorites and much more.

1. It’s ad free.

Our favorite reason to join Spotify Premium is that you can enjoy your music without interruption. As much as we love getting ad-inspired ideas for our holiday wish lists, sometimes we want to get cozy by the fire and stream our favorite songs all day long.

2. You can switch to offline listening. 

Whether you’re on a plane, train, sleigh ride, or grandma’s dial-up Internet, Spotify Premium lets you download and listen to all your music offline, so you don’t have to be connected to Wi-Fi or data to play your favorites.

3. Get instant access to 70 million tracks. 

The only thing less fun than a holiday playlist interruption is a limit on the number of songs you’re allowed to skip. With Spotify Premium, all our music is available on demand. So if you’re hankering for a specific song on our Christmas Classics playlist, it’s ready to be queued up with just a tap. And if a family member hijacks your carefully curated queue, all it takes is a few skips to get the vibe back. 

Plus, you can switch between your headphones, computer, or home speaker with just a few swipes. So no matter where the day takes you, listening never has to take a pause.  

4. Premium might just be speaking your language and in your market.

This year, we’ve expanded to 44 new markets—from Uganda to Jamaica to Papua New Guinea—and added five new languages, including Romanian and Croatian. That brings the Spotify Premium count to 184 markets total. So now even more folks around the world can take part in uninterrupted streaming this season. 

5. You have a month to take advantage of three months free!

Here’s the breakdown: from November 29 through December 31, 2021, eligible Spotify Free and first-time Spotify listeners can sign up for our Individual Premium plan for three months for free. 

If you ended your Premium subscription recently and are having some regrets, no need to wait for the Ghost of Christmas Past. You can sign up again and have three months of ad-free music back for $9.99, or your local market equivalent. That’s just under $4 per month for Premium listening. 

Ready for ad-free, on-demand, unlimited-skip music? Head to spotify.com/premium to sign up for your seamless holiday music-listening experience.

How We’re Answering Users’ Questions With New ‘Tips and Tricks’ Initiative

May 28, 2020

If you’ve ever asked yourself, “How do I customize my Spotify profile?” or wondered if you can create a playlist of both music and podcasts, you’re not alone. The Spotify app (and the Spotify Kids app, for that matter) has capabilities many users may not expect or realize—but no longer. As part of a new social-driven program on @SpotifyCares, we’re unveiling Spotify Tips & Tricks, an ongoing product education resource that will highlight the amazing features and content you may not be familiar with that Spotify has to offer.

The initiative will surface bite-sized—you guessed it—tips, tricks, and how-to information on everything from redeeming gift cards to changing your display name to making a playlist. It will cover features available for users across all of our Free or Premium offerings.

Our hope is to engage with you, our users, to proactively identify your pain points and solve problems, help you find and enjoy our premium product experiences and offerings, and ultimately make sure you’re getting the most of your audio experience—all while continuing to be the brand you know and love.

Can’t wait for the insider info? Follow @SpotifyCares, our channel for customer service, on Twitter, where we’ll be launching the new content series. Find the answers to topics such as how to listen while offline, find different methods for Premium account payment, and connect with integrated devices like smart speakers and watches.

As the name Spotify Cares suggests, we care about our users and helping you make the most of the app. Plus, after you follow @SpotifyCares on Twitter, stay on the lookout for the Tips & Tricks initiative on the Customer Support YouTube channel and FAQ site. 

Spotify Premium Is Sweeter Than Ever With Our Newest Limited-Time Offer

May 14, 2020

Ready to take your listening to a whole new level? Spotify Premium has you covered. Premium users can enjoy ad-free, on-demand music for more than 50 million tracks, as well as access to our 1 million podcast titles. It’s a sweet deal, and it gets even sweeter: Beginning today, Spotify Premium is offering three months free across all plans to eligible first-time users, and three months for $9.99 (or local market equivalent) for eligible users who have cancelled and want to return. Now that’s a cherry on top.

Let’s break it down.

New users can get three months free

If you’ve been using Spotify Free, you already know some of the great podcasts and music Spotify has to offer. (And if you haven’t, there’s no time like the present.) Now imagine those same songs, albums, and music playlists on-demand and without ads. (Plus, unlimited skips and offline listening!) Spotify’s three-months-free offer is for eligible Spotify Free and first-time users across all Premium plans.

That means that if you’re just getting started with an Individual Premium account, you’re in for a treat. But you can also rack up the study playlists with a Student account, sign up for Duo with your significant other in the same household, or create an audio experience for the entire household with Family—one that includes Spotify Kids—as long as you’re in a market where these offers are available.

Returning users can get three months for $9.99

If you canceled your Individual Premium plan for one reason or another, no worries. You have another opportunity to get back to the audio content you love, with three months of Spotify Premium for just $9.99. That means paying less than $4 per month for the most popular audio streaming subscription service. This offer is available for individual Premium plan subscribers who cancelled their Premium plans on or before April 14, 2020. 

Signing up for either offer is easy. Users in all markets except Japan* can visit Spotify.com/Premium today through June 30, 2020, to get on that Premium listening grind.

Looking for different ways to feel entertained, relaxed, or motivated, or simply to pass the time? Check out our Listening Together hub with brand-new playlists and podcasts curated by celebrities, artists, podcasters, and influencers who share in users’ favorite at-home interests.

*Japanese users stay tuned—offer coming soon!

Didn’t Get Your Free Google Home Mini? Now’s Your Chance

December 10, 2019

A few months ago, we announced that eligible existing Premium Individual and Premium Family master account users in the U.S. could get a Google Home Mini while supplies lasted, introducing households to a new, exciting way to enjoy music at home. For a limited time. For free. 

Now, we’re bringing the offer back to Individual and Family master Premium accounts, and adding existing Students into the mix.

So if you haven’t taken up the offer before, now’s your chance! Oh—and if you no longer have an Individual Premium account but are considering coming back, this offer may apply to you, too—just visit spotify.com/us/comeback to check if you qualify!

Streaming your favorite tunes and music playlists has never been so easy—or hands-off. You can also find more details here.

Spotify Premium User? You Can Get a Free Google Home Mini—Whether You Signed Up Last Year or Just Now

October 22, 2019

We’re bringing back our Google Home Mini offer—and making it available to even more users. 

Let’s repeat that and take it in: eligible Premium Individual and Premium Family master account users in the U.S—both new and existing—can get a Google Home Mini while supplies last. Starting today, October 22. For free.

Last year we unveiled this offer for Spotify Premium for Family users, introducing households to a new, exciting way to enjoy music at home. Now we’re offering it for our users with individual plans. Streaming your favorite tunes and music playlists has never been so easy—or hands-off. 

Spotify Premium users truly get the best Spotify has to offer, with an ad-free music listening experience that allows you to play any song or playlist; enjoy unlimited skips; download content to your heart’s content; and easily toggle between your devices—including your car and your Google Home Mini. 

So get grooving by setting Spotify as the default music player on your device. You can just say something like “Hey Google, play Disco Forever playlist” or “Hey Google, play Party in your Living Room playlist on Spotify.”

And it gets better – we’re also looking forward to rolling out new features with Google that make it even easier to discover and listen to Spotify via Google Home Mini and other Assistant powered devices. 

With the Spotify Premium Family plan, up to six family members in the same household can enjoy individual Premium accounts with that same on-demand access to hours of content. Plus, we recently introduced some upgrades to the Family Plan, including Parental Controls, Family Mix, and Family Hub. 

Through our streaming capabilities and unique partnerships, Spotify Premium offers an unparalleled experience: an entire world of entertainment at an unbeatable price. Our renewed offer with Google Home Mini is another way we’re giving users access to music, anytime, anywhere, now with a better experience in the home through the magic of voice. 

Ready to go “Home?” New and current Spotify Premium Family and Individual account owners can claim a Google Home Mini by signing up at https://www.spotify.com/us/family/ or https://www.spotify.com/us/premium/ while supplies last.

5 Ways to Take Control of Your Streaming with Spotify Premium

August 22, 2019

The music and podcasts you love on the world’s most popular audio-streaming subscription service. On any device. Anytime. Anywhere.

If that sounds good, this is the perfect time to join the 100 million-plus people who’ve subscribed to Spotify Premium. Beginning August 22,* eligible users will receive the first three months on us for free when they sign up for Spotify Premium.** You’ll unlock a world of on-demand access to millions of hours of audio content—no matter when you sign up, winter, spring, summer, or fall. 

Here are the Spotify Premium features that await you, along with some tips and tricks to help maximize your music and podcast listening experience:

1. No ad interruptions—enjoy unlimited music.

      • That’s right, no audio ads between songs. ‘Nuff said.

2. Download music and podcasts to your heart’s desire.

      • Download your favorite songs, playlists, and podcasts to play whenever, wherever you want, without chewing up or even using your mobile data. This means that if you’re up in the air or off the grid, you’ll be able to take your favorite music and podcasts with you.

3. Play any song, any playlist, any podcast, any time, anywhere.

      • You have the power to play 50 million tracks of ad-free music, whether you queue up your favorite songs one at a time or save them in as many playlists as you want—both on desktop and mobile. Plus, take your pick from among the 450,000 podcasts available. 

4. Easily toggle between any device. 

      • With just a tap, you can switch from streaming on your headphones to your home speaker and get a dance party going. Premium works on every Bluetooth-enabled audio system in cars via Android Auto and CarPlay, as well as every smart speaker—even from afar.

5. Skip the songs you don’t like and repeat the ones you want to sing along with. 

      • With Premium, you are the DJ. Plus, when you tap the heart icon to like a song on your favorite songs and albums, Spotify puts them into a “Liked Songs” playlist that’s automatically downloaded to your phone and pinned to the top of the Playlists section of Your Library.

Sign up today.

*The offer launches today for individual and student plans. 

**Open only to users who haven’t already tried Premium. The offer is not available on Headspace, non-recurring products, and most carrier billing (except for Individual in JP, AU, DE, CH and Student in JP).