It's easy to miss the marks of an abusive relationship until you're out of it, as was the case, I realized when I finally parted ways with my decade-long entanglement with Spotify. Over the years I have watched it change, adapt, and grow. I have buried tens of thousands of hours into it and carefully nurtured my playlists to perfection. I never really thought it would be the end for us both, and yet here I am.
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It was actually my Spotify Wrapped that made me realize that the music streaming platform wasn't doing the job it used to. Sure, I had discovered thousands of new artists and a world of new songs, but my yearly most played was a collection I didn't particularly like. They certainly weren't ones I would choose to play on repeat.
What had happened was that Spotify's algorithm had shoehorned in things it wanted me to listen to. It hadn't carefully curated something, full of new and exciting artists. It has specifically pushed certain songs, in between the cracks of its clever mask.
As I browsed through my home hub on the not too recently updated app, I realized something else. There was little to no original selection for me to pick from. Spotify was offering me the option to jump back into what I was listening to, or collections Spotify had put together of tracks I had already playlisted.
As much as I love my playlists, I also love discovering something new. However, once I had scrolled past the selection of music I already knew, there was little of interest left on offer.
Spotify Has Forgotten What The Listening Experience Is All About
And it wasn't just the lack of new music, or the forced relistens to what Spotify wanted me to hear. I found myself taking longer to find the albums I wanted or track down the artists I was looking for. It had become much more simple to slap on the 'Most Popular' list, or, god forbid, an 'Artist Radio'.
This isn't the way I usually enjoy to appreciate my time with an artist. When I am in the mood for an album, it has to be that one, back to back. I want to feel the intention of the tracklist, moving from track to track the way the artists designed it.
Sure, listening to the 'Best Of' of a given band or musician is fine on Spotify, but I think it takes away from a lot of the artistry and intention.
Out-Numbered, And Out Gunned
When the price of Spotify went up once again, it was time to start looking elsewhere. I am a skinflint, and any kind of price hike needs to be well justified. But, there was none when it came to Spotify, once again, begging for more money from my pocket.
Had the sound quality increased to match that of Tidal or Apple? No. Had they finally decided to match other streaming platforms' pay to artists? Absolutely not. Had they fixed their algorithms so I didn't hear the same mediocre, B-side tracks 8 times a week? Categorically no.
And yet, they bumped the price once again, making Spotify one of the most expensive music streaming services out there. But, they just don't offer what the rest currently do. Tidal offers FLAC and MQA quality sound, Amazon Music offers Dolby Atmos, and Apple offers high-res lossless. And there sits the lame duck Spotify with its flat and tinny 320kbit/s.
Cranking that up would make it sound like it's being played through a supermarket tannoy.
Spotify Has No Tricks Up Its Sleeve
Bundles are the new thing sweeping across many of these streaming platforms. If you look at Apple, you can get bundles that include fitness apps, movies and TV, and music, all for a set monthly price. Amazon does the same. But, Spotify is just Spotify, and the draw of getting more is dragging people away.
Many people are already signed up for things like Amazon Prime, or Apple TV. It's a no-brainer to just bolt on another service for a few extra bucks. It's possible to get better quality, and often better algorithms, for only slightly more than you were forking out before.
However, Spotify can't keep up with that. They have their podcasts, which I love. But apart from that, there is little else they will branch out into in the foreseeable. Without more on offer, other streaming companies, who simply do not need to rely on music streams for income, will be able to drown Spotify out with bundles and deals.
Is There Space For Spotify
With its pushy algorithm playing the same songs over and over again, audio quality that would sound like it's being played through a drive-through speaker if ever cranked up on a decent Hi-Fi, and obnoxious user interface, Spotify has a lot to work on.
Stepping away from my time with Spotify was hard. My playlists will one day be viewed as curated masterpieces, and leaving them behind felt like a divorce. However, with everything considered, it's hard to see myself going back.
I have found the user experience of the new streaming services I have been dating to be much more intuitive and exciting. I am finally hearing new music again, and it made me realize just how musty my tracklists had become with Spotify.
Cranking my music up, or even connecting a streaming service like Tidal to turntables, has brought back the brightness and depth to some of my favorite songs I hadn't even realized I was missing. Spotify is lacking at the moment, and it needs to pull its socks up if it wants to stay relevant.
