The timeless debate: Spotify or Apple Music? Yes, Apple Music has its perks, but this is a very pro-Spotify article. I want to help you make the most out of your subscription. I am no technical genius or scholar, but these are just some of the benefits I have found in my 6+ year subscription to Spotify.
Firstly, Spotify offers a Student Discount if you verify that you have an active email with an accredited university. So, even if you have an existing account with a personal email, you can connect your account and save $6 a month.Â
What Spotify Offers
Discover Weekly and Release Radar present you with artists you’re likely unfamiliar with and new tracks from artists you know, respectively. Daily Mixes categorizes your listening into 5 or 6 playlists by genre, an easy way to find music you like.Â
If you are anti-playlist (for some reason) and prefer to listen to artists individually, there are “This is _____” mixes that put together the highlights of their discography. Also, there are Mixes for every genre and artist you can think of, and radios based on artists and particular songs.Â
A large part of Spotify’s platform is investing in creating playlists for its users. Following a large event in pop culture, there will likely be a Spotify-curated playlist on it. After the release of season 3 of Netflix’s Heartstopper, Spotify released playlists based on each couple in the show. In the weeks before and after the Grammy awards, there were playlists with nominated artists to catch up on their music from the past year. To promote trending songs and new releases, Spotify will often compile these tracks by genre into playlists.
Spotify is FOR YOU
My favorite part of Spotify is how user-friendly it is. Spotify prioritizes making your recommendations fit what you like but does not hold back from recommending music you might love. Their curated mixes and playlists are seriously so cool. “Daylist” is a constantly rotating playlist based on your listening around a specific time of day. They have funny (and often out-of-pocket) titles and are a unique feature of Spotify. I personally love to listen to oldies and jazz when I study at night, so my daylist in the evening is usually something along the lines of “bittersweet romanticized Monday evening” or “jazz crooner late night,” to name a few.
Spotify is not just a music platform but a form of social media. You can follow your friends or your favorite artists and “like” someone’s playlist to put it into your library. Additionally, you can create Blends with your friends, where the algorithm will make one “master playlist” of music you have in common and some recommendations based on your listening. “On Repeat” is just what it sounds like – a compilation of songs you cannot stop listening to.Â
However, if you are indulging in music you do not want publicized out into the universe, there is a “private listening” session you can turn on that will keep your extensive streaming of the Glee Cast between you and the robots at Spotify (even though being a Gleek is nothing to be ashamed of).Â
If you are a loyal listener to an artist, they may release exclusive Spotify fan merch, which is a fun way to be rewarded for your binge-listening. Spotify will notify you when an artist you follow announces a new project or tour so that you are always in the know.
The last Spotify perk is the Liked Songs tab. A newer update allows you to categorize your liked songs by genre and mood. For someone like me, who has 1,500 liked songs and counting, this feature is perfect for when I know the vibe I am looking for but not the songs directly.Â
I have loved using Spotify since middle school. They have created a perfect music platform that is user-friendly and promotes artists well. While this may read as a long-winded advertisement for the platform, I am just a loyal user here to share what I have learned in almost 10 years of using Spotify and six or so years of paying for it.Â