What is Spotify: Things to know
Spotify is around for more than 10 years since its inception in 2008. It is a digital music streaming service, giving you instant access to its vast online library of music and podcasts, allowing you to listen to any content of your choice at any time. It is legal and easy to use. To understand what is Spotify: things to know – here I have assembled some facts about it!
You can search out millions of songs from a variety of genres and artists: from obscure indie rock to top 40 pop, to movie soundtracks and classical music. Podcasts are also as plentiful, so whether you love listening to true business discussions or crime stories, there is something for everyone. The company is investing in podcast content, buying podcasting networks Gimlet Media and Parcast.
Is Spotify free?
The basic version, ad-supported, of Spotify, is completely free. It offers unlimited access to the full catalog of music and podcasts, but it comes with a few drawbacks.
The ads kill the groove if you’re listening to a party. You will also get a few song skips, and audio quality is slightly lower at 160kbit/s.
Why upgrade to Spotify Premium?
Subscribing to Spotify Premium is a great way to get rid of pesky ads, but you will get much more with the paid version of the service. No advertisements anywhere. This includes both audio and banner ads. You will get better audio quality, download songs for offline listening.
You get unlimited skipping and no forced shuffling on the mobile app and ad-supported Hulu access if you live in the US.
How does Spotify work?
If you haven’t tried Spotify yet, you must discover What is Spotify: Things to know about it. There is no better time than now. You just need an internet connection and a Spotify account. Here is how to create one:
- Open the Spotify sign up page.
- Enter a valid email address, create a password, and choose a username.
- Also, enter your date of birth and gender.
- Once you’ve done that click the green Sign up button.
- Select a subscription level.
- As a new customer, you can test Premium for three months for free.
- Now download and install the free Spotify app.
Spotify Music and Playlists
How to find music and fun podcasts? After setting your Spotify account, your home page is your workstation. You can browse popular playlists, including top hits from your country, and more. Scroll down to watch out the suggested mood playlists, popular albums, trending hits, podcasts to try, etc.
You can also get daily mix playlists based on your listening activity. Find them in the made for you section of your home page.
You can also create your playlist. Just click the Create Playlist option on the sidebar, or visit Your Library in the Spotify app to find the option there. You can add extra songs later by just tapping or clicking on the three dots menu button next to a song and selecting “Add to Playlist“.
How much is Spotify Premium?
While ad-supported Spotify is free, the standard Spotify Premium plan will cost you $9.99 per month in the US, €9.99 in Europe, and £9.99/month in the UK.
You will not get any price discount when paying bi-yearly or yearly, but you can save some money if you opt for the Spotify Premium Family plan. It costs only $14.99/month for 6 separate Premium accounts that can be used by family members living under the same roof. College students also pay less, with up to 50% off.
Does Spotify come with Hulu?
If you’re in the US, a Spotify Premium subscription will come with ad-supported Hulu free of charge. This represents a savings of $5.99 a month.
Is Spotify available in my country?
Spotify is available in many countries all over the world. If you live in Europe or North America, you can use Spotify. However, there still are some major gaps in Spotify’s coverage. This service is not currently available in South Korea and Russia.
Spotify alternatives
While Spotify is still the best when it comes to music streaming, it’s not the only player. Nowadays there are plenty of options, some of which offer additional features and larger music catalogs.
Some of the most popular alternatives to Spotify are as under!
1. Apple Music
It is undoubtedly the leader just equal to Spotify in music streaming. Although Apple Music’s free tier is quite limited, its premium tier is set up as a prime contender with 50+ million songs and integration with your full catalog via iCloud integration.
Spotify and Apple Music both cost $9.99 a month for an individual plan and $14.99 a month for family plans. However, Apple Music comes with the subscription of Apple TV Plus, iCloud, Apple Arcade, and more for just $15 a month.
2. YouTube Music
Another newer alternative is YouTube Music. Replacing Google Play Music, it’s become Google’s best music streaming service. Like Spotify, it offers a free, ad-supported tier of service. You will find a ton of obscure and hard to find music on YouTube Music. It’s the only place to find many remixes, mixtapes, and alternate versions of both new songs and classics.
It will cost you the same as Spotify at $9.99 a month. However, it’s also included in YouTube Premium, where you can remove advertisements from YouTube videos. At just $12 a month, it’s a great option for YouTube fanatics and music fans alike.
3. Tidal
For true audiophiles, Tidal is a great option if you are looking for great sound quality. With it’s “Master Quality Authenticated” level, you can listen to flawless FLAC audio files of some of your favorite music. Not all music on the platform is available at this quality.
You have to shell out $19.99 a month for the HiFi plan. If you don’t need such high-quality audio, the standard plan costs the same as Spotify at $9.99.
You will also find more than 250,000 videos on the platform, including music videos, live performances, and music-based documentaries. Many of these are exclusive to the service.
Synopsis
These are the most popular alternatives to Spotify. You must give all these a try if you are a real audiophile and want to explore better music options! Hope you have gotten your answer to what is Spotify: things to know!