Rant: The Current State of Spotify in 2024
A few key missing features are keeping me away.
Yeah. It’s time for this discussion. That’s it. That’s the intro. Let’s dive in.
Why Spotify is Successful
If you round up a dozen random Spotify users and ask them why they use it over other services, two things typically come up: the playlists and the social aspect.
Personally, I think the Spotify playlist argument is a bit overblown. Yeah, their AI is really good but in my experience, the competition is either really close is effectively one-to-one with Spotify nowadays. I know I’ll get a lot of heat for that but I said what I said. I’m not holding back on this one. I definitely feel like the playlist argument has an echo chamber effect. They were so ahead at one point, but now that you’ve been hearing it for so long, you don’t really question it anymore.
On the other hand, Spotify’s social aspect is unmatched, even today. Being able to share the music you’re listening to with others, collaborate on playlists, and just interact with others is fantastic. Others are trying to play catch up, but Spotify is still way ahead in this regard. Name another streaming service that is offering exclusive merch, discounted, and often pit and/or close to stage tickets. I’ll wait.
And I know it’ll never happen but it would be nice if there was a centralized website you could go to that allows you to contribute to a playlist regardless of what streaming service you’re using. Likewise, I’d love for a site that lets you play that playlist regardless of what service you’re using.
But I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. Both Spotify and Apple Music (and to a certain extent, Amazon Music) are way ahead in terms of library size. They all say they have over 100 million tracks nowadays. But there are still large heaps of music that you simply can’t find when you diverge from those two services. The unfortunate reality is that a lot of bands/artists (especially smaller ones) don’t really think beyond the most popular five or so services.
And trust me when I say that I’ve felt this more than the average music listener. Within the last four years, I’ve moved from service to service. But the further I divulged from Spotify, Amazon, and Apple, the more I lost in my music library. That’s why I think being able to build your own local library is so important. It’s the only way I can use most music streaming services nowadays.
Tack on Spotify’s exclusive content and the gap is even wider. I’m not inherently against exclusive content... as long as there’s a way to buy it so I can own it locally and throw it in my local library. 😛
What I Don’t Get
I’ll be the first to admit that the social aspect of music listening is very important. It’s why this entire newsletter/blog exists. To share what I’m listening to and to share that experience with like-minded individuals.
But it’s everything else that baffles me. Yes, the Spotify interface is insanely quick. But everything else is so bad. Sound quality has been surpassed by practically every other streaming service with lossless/Hi-Res. Spotify doesn’t support Dolby Atmos, or spatial audio in any capacity. Its lyrics UI needs a lot of work.
Spotify’s local files feature is ancient and archaic. The feature only works on its desktop and mobile apps. So if you use Spotify Connect or literally any other device like a smart speaker, watch, or a built-in app in your car, those local files won’t be there. It’s not 2008, that should work in the cloud now.
And while I can respect Spotify for trying something different with Canvas in the now playing card, it’s time to adopt the practically industry-standard animated artwork.
Don’t get me started on library management. On Spotify, it’s terrible. Is it just me? I don’t want everything to be a fucking playlist. Just give me an actual library that I can split into artists, songs, and albums.
Of course, the elephant in the room: Spotify Hi-Fi. Where is it? The company announced it back in July 2021. It’s still not here. I understand Apple and Amazon caught them off guard by offering Hi-Fi for no additional cost. But where is it? Three years later and it’s been constant, "It’s coming." Or, "We want to make sure we provide a great experience." While rumors are suggesting employees have been able to run Hi-Fi for a number of years now.
Spotify Hi-Fi doesn’t seem like a technical problem. It sounds more like a monetary problem. The market is definitely there. Similarly, surround sound music/Dolby Atmos/Spatial is a thing. It’s nowhere near lossless on any other service but it’s popular and can be really good and is improving every day. But no, Spotify users miss out. Spotify’s users deserve better.
Conclusion
I know I can be harsh at times, but I genuinely want Spotify to succeed. You don’t become the number one music streaming platform in the world by luck. Obviously, it’s doing something right, even if I disagree with its direction.
At the end of the day, I just want Spotify and its users to have the best experience the company can offer. As it currently stands, I’m not sure that’s where we’re at.
Sure, I won’t blame them for going the AI route over Spotify Hi-Fi/Spatial Audio first. But it’s been three years since the Hi-Fi announcement. Spotify’s CEO even teased that with a higher-tiered option, which would include Hi-Fi, among other unannounced features. Its users are ready. Until then, I’ll be putting off using Spotify in any meaningful way.