I remember discovering Taylor Swift for the first time—I was 11. I had the 1st generation iPod Nano and I was jamming out to “Should’ve Said No” in my kitchen. Fast forward eight years later and I still get way too much satisfaction out of a good Tswift binge-a-thon. Unfortunately, it’s a little difficult to do that these days because she’s decided to pull her music off of Spotify, and even after that heartbreak I can hardly find solace in YouTube. C’mon Tay… not cool. Here are some reasons why Taylor Swift should reconsider her break up with Spotify.
1. Broke College Students
I have yet to find a bunch of college-aged kids in a bar that don’t secretly love singing along and feeling “22”, but most days I have to decide whether to buy coffee or actual sustenance—in what world can I afford an actual album of music? $1.29 per song? That’s half of a large iced coffee. I never thought the day would come where Taylor Swift got in the way of me and my caffeine.
2. The Way We Listen is Changing
The way we listen to and purchase music is changing. It’s become an essential part of the listening experience to be able to stream a song the minute you want to hear it, whenever you want, wherever you are. My gym routine is just not the same without “Shake It Off” blasting through my headphones.
3. People Love Spotify, People Love Taylor Swift
It’s difficult to choose sides in the “how much artists should be compensated” debate because duh they should be compensated for their work, but Spotify is just so easy and so affordable and for a girl who can’t sell out Madison Square Garden (aka me) it seems like a pretty sweet deal. I love Taylor Swift and I love Spotify and I can’t help but feel like the child in the middle of an uncomfortable divorce.
4. All Of My Playlists Are Ruined
Taylor Swift just kind of somehow made her way onto every playlist I’ve ever created on Spotify. I didn’t realize this, of course, until they were little more than blank splotches of silence in an otherwise harmonious progression of songs. I am just not sure where to go from here.
I can accept the fact that Taylor Swift decided she deserved more for her work, but I can’t accept the empty holes in my Spotify listening experience. Not yet, that’s going to take time. But hey, by then it might be too late for you and your white horse to come around, Taylor.