Alexis Kestler
Hey friend! Looking for the full low-down on what makes Spotify Premium so special? You‘ve come to the right place.
In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll be exploring everything there is to know about Spotify Premium features, pricing, listening benefits, and more – including some hidden tips and tricks for power users like us!
I‘ve been a Spotify addict for years now, so I‘m excited to pass on everything I‘ve learned as a streaming pro to help you become one too. Let‘s dive in!
Music Streaming Is The New Normal
First, a quick history lesson. Music has come a long way from records, tapes, CDs and MP3s. Today, on-demand streaming services like Spotify dominate, accounting for over 80% of industry revenue in 2021 according to the RIAA.
Streaming offers unlimited, instant access to vast music catalogs at a low monthly cost. Spotify pioneered this model when it launched back in 2008. Since then, it‘s grown to become far and away the most popular streaming service globally, with over 422 million active monthly users as of Q1 2022.
For context, that‘s nearly double Apple Music‘s user base!
So Spotify has clearly gotten something right. But how exactly did we get here?
The Evolution of Spotify: From Disruptor to Dominant Force
Founded in Sweden, Spotify originally sought to provide an alternative to music piracy by offering a convenient free streaming option. Users could instantly access millions of songs for free, supported by ads. The catch was you couldn‘t pick specific songs – only shuffle within playlists and radios.
This "freemium" model was disruptive at the time, but quickly caught on. As Spotify‘s catalog and features expanded, it became clear listeners wanted more control over their streaming experience.
Thus, Spotify Premium was born in 2014 to provide an upgraded, unrestricted ad-free option. For $9.99 a month, you could unlock on-demand playback, offline listening, unlimited skips, high quality audio and more.
Music fans happily paid up for the superior experience. Fast forward to today, and Spotify now has over 182 million paying Premium subscribers globally. That‘s nearly double Apple Music‘s last reported total of 90 million.
Premium helped Spotify turn the recording industry on its head and led to a surge in music streaming. But how exactly did it change the game for listeners?
The Rise of Streaming: Spotify‘s Impact on How We Listen
It‘s not hyperbole to say Spotify revolutionized music listening. Some key trends powered by Spotify:
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Accessibility – Streaming provides instant, affordable access to virtually any song, album, artist, or podcast ever recorded. No longer slaves to our individual music collections!
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Discovery – With all music consolidated in one app, and an algorithm serving up personalized recommendations, discovering new music is easier than ever before.
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Curation – Spotify‘s editorial team creates thousands of playlists for every occasion, making enjoying music effortless. No longer must we manually build playlists!
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Social – Spotify incorporates your social circles into music listening, whether sharing playlists or following friends‘ activity in real time. Music is more social than ever!
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Cross-Device – Seamlessly pick up listening across mobile, desktop, web, tablets, consoles, and connected devices like smart speakers. Stream anywhere!
Thanks to Spotify, gone are the days of being limited by music purchases or pirated MP3 collections. We now have endless, personalized music at our fingertips wherever we go. And Spotify Premium takes this experience even further.
Now, let‘s dive deeper into exactly why you should upgrade from free to Premium!
Why Go Premium? Evaluating The Benefits
While Spotify Free offers a taste of the streaming experience, Spotify Premium unlocks the full experience. If you‘re weighing the upgrade, here are some compelling benefits to consider:
Ad-free Listening
This is easily the #1 perk. No longer will your sessions be plagued by intermittent audio ads begging you to buy rocket mortgage or upgrade to Premium! Uninterrupted sessions make for immersive listening.
On-Demand Playback
Goodbye shuffle-only mode. With Premium you can play whatever song, album, or playlist you want with zero restrictions. The music is under your control.
Unlimited Skips
Crank the tunes DJ-style by freely skipping through playlists and albums to your heart‘s desire. You dictate the perfect listening session.
Offline Listening
About to lose signal? Simply save playlists, albums or podcasts for offline listening when you don‘t have internet access. Crucial for commutes, flights, or remote vacation spots with spotty connectivity.
Higher Quality Audio
Who doesn‘t want the highest fidelity listening experience possible? Premium streams at 320 kbps versus 160 kbps for Free, so you‘ll definitely hear the difference on high-end speakers or headphones.
Listen Everywhere
Premium allows you to seamlessly enjoy Spotify across all your smart devices and speakers. Control playback from phone, watch, laptop, TV, gaming console or connected speakers.
Exclusive Content
Get early access to new releases, live sessions, podcasts and artist content you can‘t get anywhere else. Premium is like a VIP pass.
Family Plan Savings
Premium‘s family plan offers 6 accounts for just $15.99/month – less than $3 per person! Great for families looking to save.
Sold yet? Let‘s now examine exactly how Spotify Premium stacks up to the competition and free tier.
Spotify Premium vs. Competitors and Free
Here‘s how Spotify Premium fares against today‘s top music streaming rivals:
| Streaming Service | Monthly Price (Individual) | Key Differences |
|---|---|---|
| Spotify Premium | $9.99 | Higher quality audio, better playlists/discovery, massive podcast library |
| Apple Music | $9.99 | More focus on albums/artists, more exclusive live content |
| YouTube Music | $9.99 | Bigger music video selection, more remixes/live performances |
| Amazon Music Unlimited | $7.99* | Cheaper price, most similar features to Spotify Premium |
*Amazon Prime members pay just $7.99/month
And here‘s how the Premium and Free Spotify tiers stack up:
| Feature | Spotify Free | Spotify Premium |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0/month | $9.99/month |
| Audio Ads | Yes | No ads |
| On-Demand Playback | No | Yes |
| Unlimited Skips | No | Yes |
| Save Music Offline | No | Yes |
| Audio Quality | 160 kbps | 320 kbps |
| Download Songs | No | Yes |
| Listen on All Devices | Yes | Yes |
Obviously, Premium provides a much more robust and complete experience. But Free is great for casual listeners who don‘t need full features. Now let‘s dive deeper into maximizing Premium.
Tips from a Pro: Getting the Most Out of Spotify Premium
After years of intensive Spotify use, I‘ve discovered some hacks to get the absolute most out of Premium. Here are my top power user tips:
Follow playlist categories – From Pop Hits to Indie, Chill Vibes to Rock Classics, Spotify‘s tailored playlists offer endless optimized listening for any vibe.
Share playlists socially – Collaborative playlists with friends or following their activity in real-time makes music social. Our shared playlist has tunes we all enjoy.
Take songs offline – I save my 20 favorite playlists for offline listening. Crucial for my daily commute underground where I have no signal!
Use Spotify Connect – I can start a playlist on my phone then send the audio wirelessly to speakers in any room using Spotify Connect. So seamless.
Listen on smart devices – Controlling Spotify playback via voice commands on my Google Home speaker is awesome. Spotify is optimized across devices.
Discover new releases – Every Friday, Spotify‘s New Music Friday playlist helps me discover the latest and greatest music I‘ll love based on my listening data. Super addicting!
Follow favorite artists – By following my top artists, I get alerts anytime they drop new singles, albums, live performances, interviews or other content. The ultimate fan experience!
Enhance audio settings – Under settings, I have the audio quality maxed out at "Very High" and enable features like audio normalization for the optimal listening experience.
Leverage data – I‘m obsessed with my Spotify Wrapped each December – seeing my top tracks, artists, and listening stats. I can relive my listening highlights and discover new insights.
Hopefully these tips help you become a Premium power user maximizing every facet of the streaming experience!
Is Spotify Premium Ultimately Worth It?
Given everything we‘ve covered, is a Spotify Premium subscription really worth the $9.99 monthly investment? In my opinion – absolutely!
The unrestricted, ad-free listening alone is worth the price. Being able to play whatever song you want whenever you want is liberation. Creating endless personalized playlists tailored to your mood, activity, or taste is empowering. Enjoying music seamlessly across all your devices and spaces makes life more enjoyable.
Plus, Spotify is continuously rolling out new features and enhancements accessible only to paying subscribers. Most recently, Spotify introduced high quality lossless CD-quality streaming and studio-quality sound for Premium users.
While Spotify Free is great for casual use, serious music fans who listen daily ultimately need the perks and experience Premium unlocks.
Think of it like moving from cable TV with ads to Netflix/Hulu. Once you‘ve experienced commercial-free on-demand viewing, there‘s no going back!
Are You Ready for Unlimited Music?
We‘ve covered everything you could ever need to know about Spotify Premium. To recap the highlights:
- Streaming dominates today‘s music landscape, and Spotify leads the pack by perfecting the model
- Premium unlocks ad-free, on-demand listening with enhanced features lacking in Free
- Upgrade to enjoy higher audio quality, downloadable songs, unlimited skips, exclusive content and more
- Premium offers a superior listening experience vs. all competitors
- Power users can maximize Premium‘s benefits by discovering playlists, going offline, connecting across devices and more
If you‘re ready to take your music listening experience to the next level, start your 1-month free trial of Spotify Premium today! Going Premium changed how I enjoy music forever – I know it will for you too.
What are you waiting for? A world of ad-free, unlimited music awaits. Time to make the upgrade! Let me know if you have any other questions.
Happy listening,
[Your Name]
